Category: Yeast

Pumpkin Spice Swirl Sweet Rolls

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This recipe comes from Beth Hensperger’s Bread for All Seasons. I remembered it in November, when I was using a

So fall.

lot of pumpkin, and really loved the results. It has the softness that sweet rolls made with potato have, but the spice filling is remarkable. I topped these rolls with a drizzle of icing, mostly for appearance. Alternately, you can make this dough into a loaf of swirl bread, which I haven’t done, but I’m sure it would be fantastic.

Pumpkin Spice Swirl

1 T. active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. warm buttermilk
1 c. pumpkin puree
3 T. granulated sugar
3 T. corn oil
1 egg
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 T. salt
6 1/4-6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Sweet Spice Streusel
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
grated zest of one orange
1 t. cinnamon
pinch each of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
4 T. unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Spiced Cinnamon Sugar
1 1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
1 1/2 t. nutmeg
1 t. cloves
2 T. unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about ten minutes.

2. In a large bowl with a whisk or in the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm buttermilk, pumpkin puree, the 3 T. sugar, oil, egg, orange zest, salt and 2 c. of the flour. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1 c. more of the flour. Beat 1 minute longer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 c. flour at a time, until a soft dough is formed that just clears the sides of the bowl, switching to a wooden spoon as necessary if making by hand.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and springy, about 3 minutes, adding only 1 T. flour at a time as necessary to prevent sticking. Place in a greased deep container, turn once to coat the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 -1 1/2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the sweet spice streusel. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and flour. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter pieces until coarse crumbs are formed. Alternatively, use a food processor to combine the ingredients. Set aside.

5. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and divide into two pieces, then pat each piece into a long rectangle, about 8 x 12 inches. To make the spiced cinnamon sugar, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and spices. Brush the surface of each rectangle lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Starting from the narrow end, roll up jelly-roll fashion to form a fat-loaf shaped. Pinch seam together to seal completely. Slice each log into 6-8 rolls (depending on how big you want them). Place rolls on two greased cookie sheets, and let rise app 45 minutes. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Sprinkle the top of each roll heavily with a portion of the sweet spice streusel. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the rolls are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove to rack to cool.

Homemade Pretzels

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With a month-old baby, I’m starting to be back in the kitchen a little, and this week’s greatest success (by far) were these homemade pretzels from Everyday Food. I

I thought they turned out beautifully!

thought these were unbelievable, and I loved that I could use half the dough for pretzels, and the other half for pizza (dinner). I made the chocolate variation, and right out of the oven, I thought these pretzels tasted a lot like pain au chocolat–with no butter, I might add. Definitely a fun treat!

Homemade Pretzels

Ingredients

Serves 8

  • 1/2 recipe Basic Pizza Dough, or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, thawed if frozen (Martha’s recipe is below, but probably any recipe would work, especially if it has a little sugar in it)
  • All-purpose flour, for work surface
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts or 1/2 cup chopped chocolate or 2 tablespoons fennel seed
  • olive oil, for bowl and baking sheet
  • 3 tablespoons baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (like Demerara or Turbinado, but don’t stress if you don’t have this)

Directions

  1. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface; sprinkle with nuts, chocolate, or fennel seed. Gently knead to incorporate. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour.
  2. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope. To shape dough into pretzels, form each dough rope into a U-shape and twist ends twice. Fold twisted end down and pinch to secure (see below). Transfer pretzels to an oiled baking sheet and let rest 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add baking soda. In batches, boil pretzels until puffed and slightly shiny, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack to drain. Return pretzels to baking sheet; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature. (To store, keep at room temperature, up to 2 days.)

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients

Makes 2 pounds

  • 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

Directions

  1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.

Moist 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

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This is a great recipe for several reasons. One, you might be sick of multigrain bread every week (me). Two, you can use ALL whole

So, this loaf is only about 50% whole wheat, but it works both ways!

wheat if you want to (think “getting rid of barrels of wheat in my basement”). Three, it has no fat in it, which when I’m on my pendulum swing towards better diet, I really appreciate. Plus, it’s delicious. I promise. It’s  a pretty wet dough, but it will still rise and cook well, and it makes 3 loaves, which is a good-sized amount. A word of caution, though: there’s a little too much dough in this recipe to mix in a standard Kitchen Aid, so either 2/3 the amounts or turn it out by hand and knead, if applicable (or be willing to clean the Kitchen Aid  after you’re done mixing because it gets up into the spring thingy–that’s what I usually opt to do).

Margo’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. powdered milk
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. honey
1 c. mashed potatoes (or reconstituted potato flakes)
1 c. applesauce
2 eggs (ohh–I guess there is a little fat; I forgot about these)
1/2 c. wheat gluten (this is optional–you can buy this in the Health food store/aisle–Arrowhead Mills makes some. It helps the bread rise better and if you’re using 100% whole wheat, I would recommend using it).
2 T. salt
9 c. whole wheat, approximately (I usually do 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white)

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 c. of the warm water with a pinch of sugar in the bottom of a mixing bowl. In five minutes, add the remaining water and the rest of the ingredients through the salt, plus 2 c. of flour. Mix (by hand or mixer) for 1-2 minutes until creamy, then continue to add the remaining flour 1/2 c. at a time until the dough comes off the side of the bowl (adding the flour should take about 3-4 minutes). Knead the dough by mixer or by hand, 5-6 minutes in a mixer, 10-12 minutes by hand. This is a wet dough, so you may find yourself adding more flour. When the dough is smooth if you brush your finger across it but sticky when you touch directly, and it comes together in a good ball, place it in a greased container and let rise until doubled, 1 1/2-2 hours.

Turn the dough out and divide into 3 parts. Form each section into a rectangle, then starting at the shorter end, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the ends. Place the pinched side on the bottom of a greased (or cooking sprayed) bread pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise again for 1 hour. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350. You can dust the loaves with a little flour before throwing them into the oven (see pic) or not. Bake the loaves for 38-45 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.

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.

Quick, Slightly Sweet & Buttery Dinner Rolls

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I tried this recipe because I frequently think, “it would be great to have rolls tonight,” at about 4:00 in the afternoon. So, it’s much too late to start something. This recipe, also taken from America’s Test Kitchen 2009 annual, takes about 70 minutes from start to finish–ideal for someone like me. The appearance resembles cupcakes a bit (not the prettiest roll I’ve ever seen), but the flavor got a “This tastes like Grandma Nielson’s rolls” from Rex.  If this doesn’t mean anything to you, but you’ve eaten at the Arctic Circle in Delta, UT during the ’50s-’80s, then you’ve had a Grandma Nielson roll. If that still doesn’t mean anything, give these a try. Grandma’s rolls are great.

Quick, Slightly Sweet & Buttery Dinner Rolls

2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 1/4 t. yeast (one packet)
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 egg
6 T. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Keep at 200 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Grease a muffin tin. In a medium-sized, oven safe (glass or ceramic) bowl, whisk 1 1/4 c. flour, salt, yeast, and sugar. Add water, egg, and butter, and whisk together until smooth, about two minutes. Add remaining cup of flour, and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap (spray with Pam), and place in warmed oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove dough (it should have doubled) and turn the oven on to 375 degrees. Deflate the dough and then using an ice cream scoop or large batter spoon, fill each muffin tin about 1/2 full. Place greased plastic wrap over the surface, and let sit for 15 minutes. Then, bake for 14-16 minutes, until browned.

For a better appearance, make an egg wash: combine an egg yolk with about a teaspoon of water, whisk together, and then brush onto the tops of the rolls right before baking.