TRIPLE CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Do you have a lot of zucchini this summer? If so, this is a great way to use it. This treat is super chocolate-y, super moist (in fact it gets even more moist on day two), super easy to make and freezes very well.

(2) one ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate (melted)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 cups shredded zucchini (squeezed dry then measured)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 + 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Things to do first:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°
2. Toss the chocolate chips into the measured flour to get them well coated,that way they won't sink to the bottom of the bread as it cooks.
3. Grease two large (9" x 5") loaf pans. I lined mine with parchment and then greased the parchment (this bread tries to stick to the pan if you go light on this step, but with the parchment paper, the zucchini bread tips right out.

4. Shred the zucchini then squeeze some of the water out of it (with your hands) before you measure it.

Directions:

In large mixing bowl (I used my stand mixer), combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix until smooth.

Next, add flour (that you've stirred the chocolate chips into), cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until well combined, smooth and shiny (just takes a 30 seconds or so).

Pour batter into 2 well greased large loaf pans and bake at 350­° for 60 to 70 minutes (my electric oven takes exactly 60 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into tallest part of the bread comes out clean. Don't over cook.

Cool in pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pans. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap while they are still hot.  This keeps a lot of the moisture inside of the zucchini bread as it cools.  Don't slice the bread until it cools down completely.

If you are going to freeze them, cool completely, then double wrap them or wrap them in plastic wrap and put in a Ziploc freezer bag.

FUN TIP: If your children are picky eaters, just peel the zucchini before you shred them, that way you won't hear "Mom, what are these green specs?" They won't even know that the zucchini is in there!!

ENJOY !!

SUPER EASY FLOUR TORTILLAS

I throw away a lot of tortillas, do you? I use 5 or 6 out of a package and freeze the rest with good intentions of using them later, but I never do. Before long they are covered with ice crystals and hiding in a dark corner in the freezer.

So I recently decided to teach myself how to make flour tortillas.
I was pleased to discover that they are very easy to make in the food processor and very inexpensive as well. They also taste worlds better than the ones from the store, I promise!! It is like the difference between store bread and bread out of the oven.

This recipe makes (8) 8" tortillas

1+3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil (see note below)
1/2 cup of hot tap water

In a food processor, place the flour, baking powder, salt and vegetable oil.  Pulse several times until it looks like coarse corn meal.

While the food process is still running, stream in the hot water (it doesn't have to be super hot, just hot right from the sink). When dough starts to form a ball, stop the food processor and dump the mixture out on the counter.

Knead it together with your hands a few times until it makes a  nice smooth ball (only takes a minute or so). Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball (cover them and only roll out and cook one at a time).

Using a rolling pin, roll each ball (I don't use extra flour, but some people do) out into a large circle. Roll it as thin as you can, then roll it even more. My rule of thumb is to roll them thin enough so you can see the color of your counter just a little........well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but not by much (wink) the thinner the better

DO NOT WORRY IF THEY ARE NOT PERFECTLY ROUND,

THAT WILL COME WITH EXPERIENCE

One at a time, cook on hot UNGREASED pan (I use my electric griddle at 375F, for about one minute a side or until bubbles start to appear like this

 

 

 

As the bubbles appear, very gently press them down a little with a spatula. After it has cooked for about a minute (peak under and make sure that there are little golden brown spots on the underside), then flip it over and cook the other side for another minute. Keep them warm inside of a clean dish towel until you get them all cooked.

These tortillas are truly delicious.  Now, if you want to live really dangerously, you can replace the heart healthy canola oil with un-healthy but over-the-top delicious bacon fat.  Talk about WOW!!  I don't recommend this very often, but on a special occasion, you just have to try it with the bacon fat, it is excellent. (Note: on the days I fry bacon, I put the bacon fat into a clean jam jar and keep it in the fridge or freezer).

ENJOY !!

YEAST BREAD FOR BEGINNERS

Come On Be Brave

You CAN Succeed at Bread Making !!

I've been making this bread recipe for nearly 40 years and it has never failed me. It is a basic white bread that goes together in minutes (I make this recipe about once a week). It is nearly fool proof and a great recipe for beginning bread makers.

 

 

OR

 

 

5 cups Better for Bread Flour (see note below about flour)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon table salt
2 envelopes of active dry yeast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2½ cups very warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 packets of dry active yeast (I use 2 level tablespoons because I buy it in a larger jar), 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of table salt and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use canola oil). Stir together

NOTE: Normally, most yeast recipes tell you to dissolve the active dry yeast in water that is 110 degrees before you add it to the flour. However, 99.9% of the time I do not do it that way.

If you mix the DRY yeast into the DRY flour, you can add hotter water because the flour will cool down the water before it can damage the yeast.

That may sound complicated, but it isn't. The advantage of adding warmer water, is that it will jump start your yeast and your bread dough will raise faster using this method.

If you are nervous about doing it this way, it might be a good idea
to use an instant read thermometer with your first few batches of bread (just to reassure yourself). However, it isn't rocket science and after you make bread a couple of times, you will quickly learn what the water is supposed to feel like by holding hour hand under the running tap water.

When I mix the DRY yeast into the Dry flour, I used 120° water


Stir 2½ cups of 120 degree water into the flour mixture and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon while you pour. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes; this will give the yeast time to activate.

Start adding the rest of the flour, half cup at a time, mixing with a sturdy spoon in between each addition. When the dough gets too stiff to mix with a spoon, attach a dough hook to your stand mixer and turn on low.

NOW HERE IS AN IMPORTANT TIP

When making dough, at this stage, something called "dough shag" is (can be) your enemy. If you add too much flour, too fast, you will get "dough shag" or dry shaggy pieces of dough.
 

Click on this next photo so you can see the dry white sections/layers next to the wet sections of dough? I call it "shag"
 

Click on the photo to see the
shag more clearly

 

 Shag is not totally a bad thing, it is just a clue that it is NOT time to add more flour. NEVER ADD MORE FLOUR IF YOU CAN SEE SHAG.

 

Here is another photo, see the shag?

 

I intentionally added the flour a little too quickly (in this next photo) so you could see what I mean by "shag".

 

Click on photo

 

 Don't panic if you see shag, just keep "kneading" with your dough hook (or by hand) and the shag will eventually incorporate into the wet dough. Don't add more flour until it looks more like this:
Eventually, you will get all 5 cups of flour into the dough. When that happens, let your machine knead the dough (gently, on a low setting) for about 6-8 minutes (or by hand for 6-8 minutes).

Stop you mixer every once in a while and pull all the dough off of the dough hook, scrape down the walls of your bowl and turn the ball of dough completely over and start the mixer again. You will have to do this a few times until the shag totally disappears and the dough clings together in a nice semi-solid "glob".

At the end of 6 to 8 minutes (exact time is not crucial), the dough should have worked itself into a smooth ball that stays on the dough hook when you raise the hook out of the bowl. The interior sides of the bowl should be fairly clean. It should look like this:

 

See how the dough ball has "cleaned" all of the little bits off of the bottom and sides of the bowl? This is what you want to see. The dough will not be sticky and it will feel like play doh when you touch it. If the dough is too soft, it will pull itself off of the dough hook. If that happens, add another quarter cup of flour and knead it a little longer.

Remove your dough from the dough hook, form it into a ball and place it in a greased bowl (I use a little vegetable spray). Spray the top of the dough with a little more, and cover it with plastic:

 

 Place this covered bowl of dough in a nice warm place in your kitchen. Room temperature is OK, but if you have a warmer place (less than 100 degrees) place it there. After an hour, your dough will have risen substantially, (hopefully doubled in size).

 

Your dough should look
like this after an hour
(doubled in size)

When the dough has fully risen, turn it out onto your counter (some people say flour the counter at this stage, but I NEVER do) and push all of the air out of the dough. Cover it with an inverted empty bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes to relax (this will make your dough much easier to work with when you try to form it).

Depending on how you want to shape your dough, follow these general directions, but use your imagination.

 

Depending on the size of your loaf pan, you will get 2 or 3 loaves.

Cut your dough into 2 or 3 pieces and roll each piece into a large rectangle. Roll the dough into a log and pinch the seams shut. Place in a greased loaf pan (I use vegetable spray) and spray a little more on the top of the formed loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it raise for an hour or until it is doubled in size. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and brush top with butter (optional) and let it cool on a baking rack.

 

If you are making rolls, just pinch off pieces about the size of a golf ball and place them in a greased baking dish with sides almost touching. Spray a little vegetable oil on top and loosely cover with plastic. Let raise for an hour or until doubled in size. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and brush tops with butter (optional) and let cool on baking rack.

 

 

Hamburger Buns

 

 

Sandwich Rolls 

 

 

This bread freezes very well



 

TIPS

NOTE: Yeast comes in little envelopes ¼ ounce envelopes (2¼ teaspoons per envelope). However, I buy yeast by the jar, so I always just use a tablespoon of yeast (3 teaspoons). Any (dry active or instant or rapid rise) yeast will work; just make sure you check the expiration date (very important).

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FLOUR:

Many first time bread bakers are stressed out about working with yeast. If the bread didn't turn out perfectly, they blame it on the yeast and that is not always the case.

The problem could EASILY be your flour. Low gluten flour, or even worse yet, OLD low gluten flour, will produce faulty bread every time. If your flour is six months old, THROW IT OUT!!

Make sure you use a HIGH GLUTEN FLOUR, this is extremely important.

I use Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour or  King Arthur Bread Flour.

 

 

I made mediocre bread for years, until I discovered these two flours; they make all the difference in the world. 

NOTE: You will have much more success in your bread making if you understand that the amount of flour that goes into a recipe varies from day to day; depending on your climate. 

Many serious bakers weigh their flour, but I find that keeping a close eye on how the flour is "behaving" works better than weighing. On a humid day it may take an extra tablespoon, on a rainy day a tablespoon less. So be stingy with that last half cup of flour until you see how the dough acts in YOUR climate. Keep in mind that too much flour makes for a DRY bread. 

NOTE: A lot of people have granite counter tops which are always cool to the touch. This will effect the length of time your bread takes to raise. I suggest that you find a warmer place to let your bowl of dough raise than on the granite.

 

I hope you give this recipe a try, it really is fun and once you

get over the "nervousness" of bread making, you can use this

recipe to make PIZZA DOUGH and a million

other things........come on, be brave!!

FLOUR TORTILLAS

I've been on a "learning how to make flour tortillas" kick all week; I don't know how many different recipes I've tried, but it has been a lot of fun and even the "least attractive" tortillas were delicious and (very much) worth the effort (they are worlds better than the ones at the store!!)

Most tortilla recipes require the same basic ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, lard or shortening and hot water. Where the recipes differ is in technique and that is something that just takes practice;I found some GREAT tortilla making tutorials on "You Tube", those people have it down to an art!!!

3½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons Crisco or lard (see note)
1+ cup very hot water (see note)

Mix the dry ingredients and cut the Crisco or lard into the flour with a pastry cutter until you get what looks like corn meal (same technique as you would for pie crust).

Make a depression in the middle of the dry ingredients and slowly add the HOT water a little at a time, mixing in the dry ingredients as you go. Stir until everything comes together then knead it by hand (or stand mixer) for 2 minutes.

Cover and let the dough rest for an hour. Shape the dough into ping pong ball size balls, cover again and let rest for 15 minutes. This will make them easier to roll out.

Roll the tortillas out on unfloured counter. It's hard to get them perfectly round at first, so don't worry about that; they taste great no matter what their shape is.

What IS frustrating is how thin you need to roll them; roll them as thin as possible. The tortillas in the photo above were rolled thin enough that I could see the color of my counter through the dough, and yet, when you cook them, they don't stay that thin; keep that in mind.

To cook them, heat a cast iron pan (I like to use my electric skillet) to about 375° to 400° DO NOT USE OIL at this stage. Put the tortilla on the hot surface. As soon as you see little bubbles appearing in the tortilla (it will depend on how thick you rolled them), turn it over. You want the little bubbles to turn light brown, so watch your heat and raise/lower it if necessary; if the tortillas super-puff up, just gently press on them with the flat of your spatula. Don't over-cook them or they will get brittle.

Place cooked tortillas in a clean warm towel. You can use them right away or wrap them well and keep them in the fridge for up to a week; you can also freeze them.

I hope I haven't scared you off because home made tortillas are seriously delicious. Your first batch won't be beautiful, but don't let that discourage you. It really is fun (get the kids to help!!) and each  batch comes out prettier than the last.

NOTE: The recipes I found called for lard or shortening (Crisco). I don't have lard in my pantry, but I had great results with butter flavored Crisco. I even made some with real BUTTER and they were great too. Some recipes call for vegetable oil, but I haven't tried that yet.

NOTE: Don't be afraid to add a little extra hot water to get a nice smooth dough. I live in a very dry climate and I had to add almost an extra 1/4 cup of hot water. You want your final dough to feel soft and pliable but not sticky.

NOTE: Recipe makes 8 burrito size tortillas or 12 regular/small size tortillas.

NOTE: I like the idea of making little tortillas for our youngest grandchildren!!

HOME MADE PANKO CRUMBS

Panko (breading) crumbs are the absolute best for many, many recipes. I recently used them to turn "ho-hum" shrimp into "Wow, these are GREAT" shrimp.  I've heard of people using Panko in meatloaf and meatballs (I haven't tried that yet) as well as a ton of other recipes.

My biggest problem with panko bread crumbs is that they can be expensive AND they are NOT something I routinely keep in my pantry.  That's why I was thrilled to make this discovery!!

Panko bread crumbs are different from standard bread crumbs because they are a made from SHREDDED bread, not bread crumbs.  With that in mind, I FROZE 4 slices of regular (cheap) sandwich bread. I  then cut the crusts off and cut the resulting "squares" of sandwich bread in half.  I then stacked them up and fed them through the SHREDDER in my food processor.  This is what they looked like:

 

They were light and fluffy, just like
commercial Panko crumbs!!

I then sprinkled them evenly over a dry cookie sheet, gently spreading them as thin as I could and baked them in a pre-heated  300° oven for about 10 minutes.  Actually, they were dry in 8 minutes, but I let them stay in their for a couple more minutes to be sure.  Just don't let them turn color.

This "recipe" will make about 1½ cups of crumbs, so if you double the recipe, make sure you bake it on two cookie sheets so the crumbs can spread out and dry properly.

 

 

I'm thinking of making whole wheat panko crumbs next!!

EASIEST BREAD STICKS EVER !!

If you have a stand mixer, these bread sticks practically make themselves!! Just throw everything in the stand mixer at once, and let it mix for 3 minutes, let it raise for an hour, shape them then let them raise again and bake... that's it!!

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, put

2/3 cup warm milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons of yeast

Stir it up just a little (with a spoon), then add

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons butter (room temperature)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

Put your paddle blade on, and mix for three minutes on medium low speed, it should look like this (the walls of the bowl should be clean)

Take the dough out of the bowl and spray the bowl with some vegetable spray and put the dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap and then a dish towel, and let it raise for an hour. It won't get huge because there is only 2 cups of flour, but it should be nice and puffy

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll them out to (about) the diameter of your thumb.  Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or just a lightly greased sheet) a few inches apart and lightly spritz them with vegetable spray. Cover them with plastic wrap and gently lay a THIN kitchen towel over the plastic wrap.

Let them raise for about an hour, then remove the plastic wrap and bake them in a pre-heated 375 oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown, then remove them and brush them with butter. Some times I brush them with butter and then roll them in Parmesan....Mmmmmm. Serve hot!!

 

NOTE: I'm sure this recipe would work very well in a bread machine as well.

INDIVIDUAL YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

On VERY special occasions, my British mother used to make roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. She baked the pudding in a 9" x 9" pan and I can still picture the huge golden "puff" coming out of the oven. Of course, it always collapsed by the time she brought it to the table, but we all thought it was SUPPOSED to look like that and we eagerly dunked chunks of the tasty treat into mom's deliciously perfect beef gravy; Mmmmmm, I can still taste it.

Recently, I decided to make a couple of changes to my Yorkshire pudding recipe. First, I made them into individual puddings and secondly, I decided to serve them with roast chicken and gravy, so I added a little poultry seasoning and onion powder  into the batter; what a nostalgic treat!!

 This recipe is fool proof as long as you follow it closely.

The cooking times for these individual Yorkshire puddings work well if you bake them in one of those over-sized cupcake pans, I believe they are called Texas size muffin pans; a popover pan will work well also. If you use a standard cupcake pan, you'll have to reduce the cooking time.

Put your UNGREASED pan in a COLD oven and then preheat the oven and pan to 425.

While your oven/pan is preheating, whisk together:

3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder (not onion salt)
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning  (if you use chicken gravy)
1 cup of milk (see note)
1 tablespoon melted butter

NOTE: If I have whipping cream, I put about ¼ cup of whipping cream in a measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with 2% milk...if I have no cream on hand, I just use 1 cup of 2% milk.

After the above ingredients are whisked together well, add one cup of all purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring measuring cup and level off with straight edge). Whisk everything together until it looks very smooth and creamy. Let batter sit at room temperature while your oven preheats.

Working quickly (so your pan doesn't cool off) take your pan out of the hot oven and spray each cup with vegetable spray. Put a small chunk of COLD butter (roughly ½ teaspoon but the exact size is not crucial) (see note below) into the bottom of each hot cup (don't wait for it to melt). Fill each cup half way full.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 325 (don't open the oven door) and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove puddings from pan and poke a tiny hole (I use a toothpick) in the bottom of each popover to relieve a little steam (not totally necessary if you are going to eat them right away).

The inside of the Yorkshire pudding is full of light batter with holes, which is perfect for holding butter and gravy.

NOTE: Traditionally, you are supposed to pour the batter over hot beef fat  in the bottom of each muffin cup, however, I couldn't bring myself to do that (and besides I was serving them with chicken), so I used butter and it works great.

NOTE: If you are serving these with roast beef, omit the poultry seasoning and add whatever seasoning you like.

NOTE: This recipe makes six generous Yorkshire puddings.

SUNDAY MORNING FLUFFY BISCUITS

I have been biscuit "challenged" for many years, so when I'm in a hurry, I usually resort to a tube of commercial rolls and try to jazz them up, but they are pretty unmistakable (and getting expensive!!). 

The last few years, I've tried out a lot of biscuit recipes, in hopes of finding the perfect one; one that is flavorful, light, fluffy and EASY............here is my latest success...YUM!!!

Made with baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk AND yeast, these biscuits are light and fluffy. Hot out of the oven with butter and honey, they are a winner!!!

In a small bowl, mix 1 packet of dry active yeast, a pinch of sugar and ¼ cup of warm water (set aside). After a few minutes, it should be foamy like this:

2½ cups of all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of white sugar
6 tablespoons Crisco flavored shortening
1 cup buttermilk (see note)

Stir dry ingredients together and then cut in the shortening until it is about the size of small peas. Stir in the dissolved yeast and buttermilk. Mix well, but do not over mix. Turn out onto floured board and roll to ¾” thick. Cut with a 3” biscuit cutter. Place on parchment paper and bake in preheated 400° oven for 12-14 minutes or until nice and golden. Brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven; they make fantastic breakfast sandwiches!!

NOTE: No kneading needed.

NOTE: This recipe does not work as well if you use butter instead of shortening. I use butter flavored Crisco in all my recipes that call for shortening.

NOTE: Don't be tempted to use your food processor when cutting in the shortening, it will process the shortening to much, it is better to have larger pieces of butter than super fine. I use my pastry cutter.

NOTE: Do NOT add all of the buttermilk at once. Add about 2/3 of it and see if that is enough. Personally, I think 1 cup of milk is too much, but everyone’s flour is different. Just flour your board enough so that the biscuits are not sticky.

NOTE: If you don’t have parchment paper, spray your pan with vegetable spray.

NOTE: Don’t use a twisting motion when you are cutting your biscuits. It seals off
the edges and they won’t raise very high.

CHEESE PUFFS (Gougeres)

Your guests will think you are a whiz in the kitchen when you serve these cheese puffs, but they are quick and easy to make and oh so good!!

Made from a basic cream puff dough and grated cheese, these bite size treats are FULL of air pockets and have a crispy-cheesy outer crust.  You can eat them right out of the oven, or get imaginative and fill them with anything savory.

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne pepper (or more if you like)

1 cup all purpose flour

3 large eggs at room temperature

½ teaspoon paprika (not the spicy kind)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind)

1½ cups grated Gruyere cheese (see note)

coarse salt to sprinkle on top (see note)

Combine the milk, butter, ¼ teaspoon salt and cayenne in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, remove it from the heat and add the flour all at once (mixing like crazy with a sturdy spatula) until the mixture comes together like this:

Return the pan to the heat and cook over medium heat for about a minute to dry out any excess moisture (stirring).

Remove from heat and put into a food processor and let it cool for five minutes. After the five minutes, process the dough for about 5 seconds. Add the paprika and eggs (one egg at a time) mixing well after each egg.

Remove from food processor and let dough cool for about 10 minutes. Mix in grated cheese and stir just enough to mix well.

Using a measuring tablespoon, scoop out a LEVEL TABLESPOON of the dough and push it off of the spoon (with your finger) onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet (try and keep the puffs as round as possible (but it isn’t critical).

Place them about 2” apart. Top each puff with a pinch of Parmesan and just a mini-pinch of coarse salt (see note below). Bake at 375° for 30 minutes (watch them the last 2 or 3 minutes so they don’t get too dark).

Serve warm or at room temperature. Just as soon as they come out of the oven, pierce the side of the puff with the tip of a small knife (to let any steam escape), this will keep them crispy longer.

Click on this photo to get a better look at the interior of the puffs

 NOTE: Make sure you have everything ready to go before you start making these puffs (cheese grated, flour measured, etc.) so that the liquid volume doesn’t boil away while you are grating your cheese, etc.

NOTE: Let the batter cool a little before you add the eggs so they don’t cook when they hit the hot dough.

NOTE: Lets talk about cheese. You can use any cheese you want but your results will vary significantly, depending on what kind you use.  The dough will puff up best when you use a hard, dry cheese.  If you use a wet cheese, like cheddar, your puffs MIGHT try to deflate when you take them out of the oven. They will still taste good, but they might not be crispy.

NOTE: If you are going to use the traditional Gruyere cheese…note that there are several different kinds of Gruyere. You want the dry hard one, not the semi-soft one.

NOTE ABOUT SALT: The recipe calls for a pinch of coarse salt on the top of each puff, but we don’t care for that…the Parmesan and Gruyere are pretty salty already.

This sounds like a lot of hassle, but once you make these, you will see that they are a snap and I have only one warning…they are addictive!!

BROWN AND SERVE DINNER ROLLS

This recipe is just in time for the holidays and could not be easier. The dough goes together in the stand mixer (or bread machine) and only has to raise once. PARTIALLY bake the rolls (for about 10 minutes) then freeze them for later use.

When it's time for dinner, pop them into the oven and finish baking them (no need to defrost). You'll know they are done when they turn golden.

This technique insures great FRESH yeast rolls at ALL dinners. It is also a HUGE TIME SAVING RECIPE during busy holidays; it makes a dozen rolls. As "Empty Nesters" it is nice to be able to bake just two or three rolls.

 

2 cups all purpose flour (divided) (see note)
1 envelope dry active yeast (I use 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter

Mix 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Heat the milk, water and butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or just until it is "baby bottle warm". Add it to the flour mixture and beat with mixer for 2 minutes.

Add another 1/4 cup of flour and beat on high for another 2 minutes. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

NOTE: This recipe calls for 2 cups flour (total), but it takes me 2+ 1/2 cups. Since the moisture content of flour is always different (brand to brand and climate to climate), I suggest that you put in the 2 original cups of flour and then see how the dough looks. If it's still very sticky, add a little more flour.

Knead the dough (with dough hook or by hand) for about 8 minutes; at the end of 8 minutes, the dough should come away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.

Cover with plastic and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into balls.  Place in greased cupcake pans. Mist the top of the rolls with vegetable spray and cover loosely with plastic. Let rise until double (this dough rises very quickly and it only takes mine 30 minutes to rise).

Bake at 375 for 16 to 20 minutes (if you are going to eat them right away)or until golden brown. If you are going to freeze them as Brown and Serve Rolls, only bake them half way; cool then freeze.

Just before you serve these rolls, and while they are still hot, brush with butter.

EASY ENGLISH MUFFINS

I have always loved English muffins; I love all of the nooks and crannies that hold creamy butter and jam or a dab of melting peanut butter. They are very easy to make and they make wonderful breakfast sandwiches (they freeze well too!!).
2 packets dry active yeast (I use 2 tablespoons)
½ cup warm water
½ cup warm milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg
3 tablespoons honey
2 cups all purpose flour
1 whole wheat flour
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon salt

Mix the flours, salt and raisins together and set aside. Whisk the egg into the cold milk and then add the water, oil  and honey. Warm this mixture in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off (bring it to the same temperature you would for a babies bottle). Stir in yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

Pour this mixture into a stand mixer (can be done by hand also) and add the dry ingredients. Knead this dough for about 5 minutes or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for an hour. Dough should double in size.

Turn dough out onto counter (I do not flour the counter) and roll to ½” thickness. Cut muffins with a 4” cutter (or drinking glass). Place each muffin on a square of wax paper to rise. This will help you transfer the muffins to the frying pan. Let the muffins raise for an hour before you cook them.

The muffins are cooked on a DRY electric frying pan (no grease) or a cast iron skillet. The recipe does not say specifically what temperature to cook them at, it just says medium low for 7 minutes each side. I have found that they cook nicely at 300° on my electric griddle. Serve warm right from the frying pan or  cool on a wire rack and then slice in half and toast.
NOTE: Since everyone’s frying pan and stove temperatures are different, I suggest you try a single muffin and see how quickly it browns before you cook the whole batch.
NOTE: Hold onto the edges of the wax paper square as you gently lift the raw muffin from the counter. Turn the muffin over and gently peel of the wax paper and gently lay the raw muffin on the griddle.

NOTE: Do not grease the frying pan, they will NOT stick. If you are worried about it, or if you don't have a good non-stick pan, you can use a light sprinkle of corn meal on the cooking surface.

SWEET DINNER ROLLS

This is an "oldie, but a goodie" recipe for a sweet, buttery, dinner roll for your Easter holiday. This recipe can be made ahead of the holidays, partially baked and then just tossed in the oven, to finish baking, just before the big dinner. They are delicious, easy to make and freeze beautifully.

½ cup warm water
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup warm milk
1/3 cup soft butter
1 package of dry yeast (see note)
1 egg (room temperature if possible)
3¾ cups all purpose flour

Heat the water and milk until warm (I use the microwave). Put it into the large bowl of a stand mixer and stir in the sugar and yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes (it should get foamy). After 10 minutes, add the salt, butter, egg and 1 cup of flour, mix well.

Continue adding the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time. Stop your stand mixer every once in a while and scrape down the inside of your bowl and turn the entire dough mixture over (this insures that all of the flour gets mixed in completely and evenly).
Remove the dough from the bowl and spray the bowl with cooking spray. Return the dough to the bowl and spritz the top of the dough (a little) with more cooking spray (so the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the dough). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the warmest part of your kitchen for an hour to raise. Keep in mind that marble counters are not the warmest place to keep your bowl of dough.

After an hour, or after the dough has doubled in size (whichever comes first), push the air out of the dough with your hands. Roll out 12" "ropes" of dough and tie a knot in the middle, like this:To complete the "knot", tuck one loose end under the roll and bring the other loose end over the top and tuck it inside of the original knot, place in greased muffin tins. They will look like this:
Spritz the top of the rolls with (just a little) cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap again. Let them raise until they are double in size (35-45 minutes).

If you want to partially bake them (they will be like brown & serve rolls), bake in a preheated 325 oven for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely (then freeze). When it is time to use them, defrost them for about 15 minutes, then bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 8-10 minutes.

If want to bake them right away (after they have risen in the pans), bake in preheated 350 oven for 12-15 minutes (depending on how hot your oven runs, just keep an eye on them after 12 minutes).

NOTE: I buy bulk yeast, so, when a recipe calls for a package of yeast, I just use a tablespoon (that is a little extra, but works well).

THE ULTIMATE POPOVER

I have been playing around with popover recipes for a while now, so I thought I would "get serious" and buy a popover pan. The pan makes a huge difference, not so much in the taste, but in appearance and how big the air bubbles are inside of the popover. These popovers could not be easier or cheaper to make, and they are such a treat, hot out of the oven with honey butter or strawberry jam!! If you do not have a popover pan, see note at the end of this post.

This recipe is fool proof as long as you follow it closely. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. I put my popover pan in the oven while it preheats (do not grease before you preheat).

While your oven/pan is preheating, whisk together:
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of milk (see note)1 tablespoon melted butter

NOTE: If I have whipping cream, I put about ¼ cup of whipping cream in a measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with 2% milk...if I have no cream on hand, I just use 1 cup of 2% milk).
After the above ingredients are whisked together well, add one cup of all purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring measuring cup and level off with straight edge). Whisk everything together for about 30 seconds or until it looks very smooth & creamy.
Take the popover pan out of the hot oven and spray each cup with vegetable spray. Put a small chunk of chilled butter (roughly ½ teaspoon but the exact size is not crucial) into the bottom of each hot cup. Fill each cup half way full (makes six big popovers).

Bake popovers at 425 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 325 and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove popovers from pan and poke a tiny hole (I use a toothpick) in the bottom of each popover to relieve a little steam (not totally necessary if you are going to eat them right away).

 NOTE: If you do not have a popover pan, you can use 6 ounce (oven safe) custard cups (I used the clear Pyrex ones, for a long time, with great success). I placed them all on a cookie sheet for easier handling. The popovers will not get quite as tall (as they do with a popover pan) but they taste every bit as good.

Someone from outside the USA wrote and asked me what a popover pan was, so here is a photo. As you can see, it is almost like a cupcake pan, but the cups are a lot deeper and spaced far apart so the hot air can circulate around each cup.

THREE MINUTE MICROWAVE CORNBREAD

When I first found this little recipe that promised fresh corn bread in 3 minutes, I thought "no way". Well, I'm here to tell you "yes way"...it is excellent!!

You won't get the brown crunchy part of corn bread that a lot of people love, but, HEY!! THREE MINUTES!! The taste and texture is surprisingly good and when you weigh the benefits of serving hot corn bread in a snap, well...I will definitely be using this recipe often!!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup corn meal
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix everything with a whisk and pour into a greased microwave safe baking dish. I used a 6 x 6 x 2 baking dish.

Microwave on high for 3 minutes. If your microwave doesn't have a carousel, then manually rotate the dish half way through the cooking cycle.

 
NOTE: I used a 1000 watt microwave and it took exactly 3 minutes. If your microwave is different than that, you may have to adjust the cooking time.

NOTE: I used cooking spray inside of the baking dish and the cooked corn bread removed very easily.

THE BEST BANANA-PINEAPPLE BREAD I'VE EVER EATEN!!

I've tried, literally, dozens of banana bread recipes, over the years, and this one is, by far, the BEST I've ever eaten. It is quick and easy (one bowl); it is moist from the 2 cups of mashed bananas and some crushed pineapple, it is sweet from brown sugar and has just a hint of cinnamon and coconut extract. You have to try this one!!

 In a large bowl, whisk together:
3 large eggs
1¼ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract (don't leave out)
2 cups of ripe mashed bananas
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple drained
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar

After it is well mixed, stir in:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix well with wooden spoon and pour into two greased 8" x 4" x 2" loaf pans. Bake at 350F for 60 minutes or until toothpick tests clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing to wire rack. Wrap hot banana bread in plastic wrap and let it cool.

 Hubby loves this bread toasted and slathered with butter!!