Category: Breads

Corn Bread/Cake

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A couple weeks ago, Jason and I went to a church dinner catered by LaVerle Ward, who some of you know.  She was the former Relief Society president in my ward until she and her husband moved, but thankfully they are still close by and we get to see them sometimes.

She’s a FABULOUS cook!  I was raving about her corn bread that she served that night a couple of weeks ago and she sent me the recipe.  She granted me permission to post the recipe here, and you all are so lucky!

I have always had a problem with corn bread being either bland or dry.  This is neither of those.

In a bowl:
Melt ½ c. margarine (1 square)

Then  add and mix:
2 eggs
¾ c. sugar
6 heaping Tbs. cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
1 c. milk

Pour into 9×9 greased pan. Bake at 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Homemade Hamburger Buns or Potato-Buttermilk Rolls

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hamburger-buns
So, lest it appears that all my family eats is bread and dessert, I feel as though I should say that I am constantly trying to get fruits and veggies down us in any way, shape or form. It’s just that I get the most excited about making new breads and desserts, hence the high population on my blog. This week’s task was to find a good hamburger bun recipe. Last time I bought hamburger buns, I felt a little like we were eating soft-ish cardboard. Not pleasant. So, this was the first recipe I found that claimed it was a great bun. And it is. I made them two days ago, and we just finished the last of them for lunch today–they are very light and moist and made my mediocre burgers taste terrific (well, it was a combination of the buns and the raspberry chipotle barbeque sauce).

Hamburger Buns or Potato-Buttermilk Rolls
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Baking

1 c. mashed potato (peel and cook 1 large russet or use reconstituted potato flakes–the easier option!)
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. buttermilk (you can also squeeze 1 1/2 T. lemon juice into milk and let it sour for 5 minutes before using)
2 packages yeast (4 1/2 t.)
6 c. all-purpose flour (can substitute up to 2 c. with whole wheat flour)
2 T. sugar
1 T. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened or melted

Combine 1/2 c. water and yeast in a small bowl, stir, and let foam for 5 minutes.

If using a mixer: Combine mashed potato, buttermilk, remaining 1 c. water, sugar, salt, butter and 2 c. flour, attach the dough hook and mix for 1-2 minutes. Add the yeast mixture. Continue to add the remaining flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl, but still sticks to the base. Knead with the hook for 5-7 minutes more.

If doing by hand: Combine mashed potato, buttermilk, remaining 1 c. water, sugar, salt, butter and 2 c. flour and stir until shaggy. Add the yeast, stir, and then continue to add the remaining flour, stirring as long as you are able, 1/2 c. at a time. Using your hands, add the rest of the flour, then flip the dough onto a counter, place the bowl on top of it, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Then, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, 5-7 minutes.

Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for one hour. Line two baking sheets with parchment or cooking spray. Turn out dough onto a counter, let deflate, then divide into 16 pieces (the recipe says to only make 12 hamburger buns, which I did, and they were huge! I would definitely divide the dough into 16 for rolls or buns, and I’m sure they will still be quite sizeable). Shape any way you want (for buns, pull the sides of the roll under and tuck into the bottom of the roll, creating a nice, taut dome), then place on baking sheets. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for another 30-40 minutes (the more rise time, the airier the roll). Preheat the oven to 375.

Before baking, dust the rolls with flour or brush with egg yolk+1 t. water and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool slightly before serving.

Hooray for a good bun!

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

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This is a terrific addition to any meal, especially Italian. This recipe comes from the New Best Recipe, although I’ve adapted it to use potato flakes (I have quite a few of those on hand). The result is terrific–very moist and flavorful. You can also experiment with different toppings: sliced olives, sundried tomatoes, different herb assortments, parmesan cheese, etc. It’s definitely a repeater!

Rosemary Focaccia Bread with Olive Oil

3 1/2 c. flour (can substitute up to 1 1/2 c. with whole wheat flour)
1 c. warm water
1 1/2 t. yeast
1 1/2 t. salt
1 c. mashed potatoes (either from flakes or previously cooked and mashed)
2 T. olive oil plus more for the pans

In a standing mixer or small bowl, combine 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. water and the yeast. Cover tightly with plastic and let stand for 20 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring on the low setting, and then, with the paddle attachment, knead for 5 minutes, until the dough comes together and is smooth.

Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for one hour, until puffy and doubled. Meanwhile, prepare a 10 x 15″ rimmed cookie sheet pan by generously greasing it with oil (alternately, you can place the dough on a larger pan and stretch it to app. 10 x 15″). With wet hands (the dough will be sticky), turn the dough onto the cookie sheet. Spread it as well as you can (you may have to let it rest 15 minutes, covered, and then stretch it some more), and then cover it again with plastic wrap and let double, about 45-60 minutes.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Right before baking, with wet fingers, makes dents in the dough to hold olive oil and herbs (you can use the tips of your pointer and middle finger). Then drizzle olive oil and fresh rosemary on top of the bread (or any other fresh herb, or parmesan cheese, or olives or sundried tomatoes, etc.) and sprinkle with coarse salt, to your taste.  Bake for 23-25 minutes, until the bread is browned.

Serve warm from the oven.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins

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I’ve been on a bit of a chocolate fix lately–which actually isn’t too typical and may have something to do with images of Valentines, being 31 weeks pregnant, or whatever. So, for the first time, I actually wanted to bake something like unto Costco’s chocolate muffins. Strange craving, I know.  I tried this recipe from the Joy of Cooking and it is terrific. All the muffins were all gone within 2 hours of coming out of the oven, so a definite success  (the morning glory muffins I made last week lasted the whole week. Que ce que c’est? I ended up eating almost all of them). I didn’t post a picture because my mint chips exploded (too old? the brand?) and the appearance was not worthy of documentation, despite their taste. Incidentally, the only difference I found when comparing this recipe to popular chocolate cupcake recipes, was that cupcakes had 2 eggs, and sometimes 4 T. more of butter.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I substituted this for 1/3 c. dutched cocoa)
1 3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 c. milk with 1 T. lemon juice, set aside to sour for 5 minutes)
1 t. vanilla
8 T (1 stick) butter, softened
1 c. light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 c. chocolate chips (mint chips work great too)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners. Melt 2 oz. of chocolate and let cool (do this for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave in a glass bowl, or on low heat on the stove).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda and salt (and cocoa, if using instead of chocolate above).  In another small bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamed and then add the brown sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes. Add the egg, and beat for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the bowl afterwards. Then, stir in the chocolate until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Stir just until combined.

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups, being as equal as possible. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the middle of the oven, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan, and then remove to a rack to cool completely. You may want to double this recipe.

Soft, Buttery Dinner Rolls

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I’ve been trying to decide what rolls to make for Thanksgiving dinner, and because I don’t want to be baking on Thanksgiving Day, I decided to bake my rolls early and freeze them (I will heat them in the oven right before serving them–this works like a charm). I knew I wanted a roll that was a little sweet, so I revamped my Aunt Barbara’s Sunday roll recipe, which, as you can see, has a bit of sugar in it. But, with a little updating, this recipe really works. The roll is soft, buttery, and a little sweet–not the type of thing for every day, but just what I wanted for Thanksgiving.

Buttery dinner rolls, lightly browned

Soft, Buttery Dinner Rolls

1 1/4 c. warm water
2 1/4 t. yeast
1 t. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. salt
2 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
grated zest from one orange, or two clementines

Combine the yeast, 1/4 c. warm water, and the teaspoon sugar in a small bowl, stir and let bubble. Melt the butter on the stovetop or the microwave, and then add the remaining cup water as well as the sugar and stir. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the salt and 4 cups of flour. Mix with the paddle, then add half the butter mixture and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the two eggs, then add the remaining butter mixture. With the mixer on low speed, add the yeast, and then knead on medium speed, adding the 1/2 c. flour (and more, if necessary) a little at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and only a small amount remains attached to the bottom of the bowl. Add the orange zest. Continue to knead with the paddle attachment for 5 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds, until the dough comes together and forms a nice, round ball. Place in a well greased bowl, covering tightly with plastic wrap and let raise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

After the first rise, turn the dough onto a floured surface, and cut the rolls depending on your style. This recipe makes about 24 rolls. Some basic roll shapes are knots, Parker-House Style (folded in half), and simply rounded  (I found a helpful, illustrated .pdf on the matter, which is particularly helpful if you’re a first-timer. It’s much easier to shape rolls when following an illustration! I’ve attached the pdf at the end of the post). For my rolls in the above photo, I rolled the dough out with a rolling pin, and cut dough into circles. I then basted the top of each circle lightly with a little melted butter, placed three circles on top of each other, then folded it in half and placed it in a greased muffin tin (I wanted them to look like Nayborhood Bakery Rolls from the Bakery in SLC–it kind-of worked!).

Once you have shaped the rolls, cover them loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise until double in size, about 30-45 minutes. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375. Remove the plastic wrap, and bake the rolls for 10 minutes. Remove the rolls from the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool, or serve warm, with your favorite jam.

Shaping Dinner Rolls

Steakhouse-Style Mini Brown Bread Loaves

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So, about two years we went to dinner at a Steakhouse in Draper, and they served us these enchanting little brown bread loaves. They were a little sweet, a little on the dense side, and a perfect pairing with butter. Since then, I’ve been trying to recreate them, basing my experiments on a recipe from King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking book. This is what I’ve come up with; I have to admit that I can’t really remember what the original tasted like, but these look about the same and I imagine they taste comparably good :). They do take longer than most yeast bread to rise (does cocoa powder slow yeast?), so make sure to plan accordingly.

Mini Brown Bread Loaves

1 c. warm water
6 T. butter, melted
1/3 c. honey
4 1/2 c. flour (you can substitute half for whole wheat flour, if you want)
scant T. salt
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. dutch-process cocoa
1 egg
2 1/2 t. yeast

Stir yeast and warm water together and let foam, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine butter, honey, salt, sugar, cocoa, egg, and 1 1/2 c. flour in a standing mixer. Mix with the dough hook for one minute, add the yeast, and combine for another minute. Then, add the flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until the dough comes together, and pulls from the side of the bowl. Continue to knead in the mixer for another 5-7 minutes.

Turn the dough onto the counter and knead by hand for about 30 seconds. Place in a deep, greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 2 hours (it will look poofy, but might not fully double in size).

Turn the dough onto the counter and divide into 8-10 pieces. Shape each piece into long, oval rolls (about 5″ x 2″) and place on a baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 1 1/2-2 hours. Again, they might not fully double in size, but will definitely have grown.

Half an hour before baking, preheat your oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes (they will be slightly brown on the bottom or read 200 degrees F). Slice like sandwich bread and serve with soft butter.

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

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This filling accompanies the Sweet Dough recipe and comes from the Best Make Ahead book. The Orange Cinnamon Roll recipe is my own variation.

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. butter, melted

Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and cloves in a small bowl. After the first rise of your dough, press the dough out to about 12″ x 16″.  Brush the dough with the melted butter and spread the cinnamon filling across the inside, leaving a 1″ border along the two long edges. Roll the dough up, jelly roll style, from long edge to long edge, and pinch the edge closed. With a sharp serrated knife or with a string, cut the dough into 12 rolls. Place into a buttered dish, and let rise an additional 45-60 minutes, until doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I tried my Aunt Barbara’s filling, and the results were good, but didn’t taste too much different than this easier filling above. However, they did have a nice orange flavor. So, for a sweet roll with orange in it, I would recommend this,

Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Before rolling out the dough, combine in a small saucepan
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 t. grated orange peel

Bring to a boil for two minutes, then pour into an 9 x 11 baking dish. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, complete the cinnamon rolls with the filling above, but add an additional 1 t. grated orange peel to the filling. After you have cut the cinnamon rolls, place on top of the syrup and allow to raise. Finish as specified above.

Frosting

Either of the above recipes go well with this frosting:
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. whole milk
Beat the ingredients with a mixer until combined, adding more/less powdered sugar to get your desired consistency. Frost the rolls after they have cooled slightly.

Sweet Dough (for Cinnamon or Sunday Rolls)

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There’s a little tradition at our house of making cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning’s General Conference. Instead of Aunt Ruby’s recipe, I went back to the other recipe I’ve used, which doesn’t stay as moist as Aunt Ruby’s, but has a lighter texture and crumb. So, I’m posting it as an alternative if you, too, want to try something else (this is also in response to Kerstin’s comment on Aunt Ruby’s rolls a long time ago). Note: this recipe is a conglomeration of the Best’s Make Ahead Sweet Dough and my Aunt Barbara’s Sunday Rolls. The higher amount of sugar and butter are from Aunt Barbara’s recipe, the lower amount is from the Best’s, which surprisingly was the main difference in the two recipes.

Sweet Dough (for Cinnamon Rolls)

2 1/4 t. yeast
1/4-1/2  c. sugar (see note)
1 1/4 t. salt
4 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. powdered milk (or use 1 c. milk, warmed to about 110 degrees in lieu of the dry milk and water)
6-8 T. butter, melted
3 eggs
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)

In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, combine yeast, salt, 4 c. flour, sugar, and powdered milk, if using. In another small bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the butter and water. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the egg mixture to the flour. When combined, turn the mixer to medium speed, and knead for 10 minutes, adding up to 1/2 c. flour after 5 minutes, if the dough is really sticking and is not coming off the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for about 30 seconds, then place in a deep, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to raise for 2 hours in a warm spot.

You can either then place the bowl in the fridge overnight, or you can push the dough down, shape it, allow it to raise a second time, and bake. Mine is going in the fridge tonight, and I’m trying two different fillings for the morning, so I’ll report how they each go.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

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Oh Yum! This is from the September 2009 issue of Gourmet. They are a piece of cake (no pun intended..)

 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 lb zucchini, coarsely grated (1 cup)

1 (6-oz) package semisweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350 F with rack in middle. Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Divide among lined muffin cups and bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out to cool completely. 

***The first time I made these I substituted apple sauce for half of the oil. The second time I substituted apple sauce for all the oil. Both are great alterations.

**Make sure you spray the muffin liners with PAM so they are easy to remove from your healthy but satisfying treat.

Strawberry Muffins

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I modified this slightly from a recipe on a Stonyfield Farm yogurt container. When I made them the first time, I forgot the sugar, and that worked fine. The second time, I used vanilla flavored yogurt, which has plenty of sugar, and so left it out (and left out the vanilla too). But I include it here since muffins are supposed to be sweet, right?

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar (optional)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt, lowfat or regular

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)

Mix eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour, sugar and baking soda. Toss strawberries in the flour mixture, then add egg mixture and stir. Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.