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Soft Pretzels with Roasted Jalapeño Cheese Sauce

Soft Pretzels with Roasted Jalapeño Cheese Sauce

These pretzels are best eaten when they are freshly made. So to make them for a crowd, make the dough then form and freeze the pretzels in advance of your party. This will also give you a good opportunity to double or triple your dough in case you need a lot of pretzels. Instructions for boiling and baking from the freezer are below.

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees F) pretzel
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
22 oz. all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 oz. unsalted butter, melted
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
2 T. butter, melted
Pretzel, Kosher, or course sea salt

2 small jalapeño peppers
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (not package pre-shredded cheese – shred your own)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt
To make the pretzel dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed for 10 seconds. Switch to the dough hook and add the flour and butter. Mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Place a barely damp towel over the dough and the formed pretzels to prevent them from drying out while you form the other pretzels. At this point, you can freeze the formed pretzels on the baking sheets. Once completely frozen, transfer them to a large zipper bag and continue to freeze until you need them. Use within 2 months. To make the pretzels: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an wide 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan. If you’re freezing your formed pretzels, skip this step now and continue with it when you’re ready to boil and bake your pretzels from the freezer. Using a flat spatula, gently lower the pretzels into the boiling water and boil them for 30 seconds. If boiling the frozen pretzels, add them to the water directly from the freezer – do not thaw them – and boil for a total of 45 seconds. Depending on the size of your pot, boil 2 to 4 pretzels at a time. Remove the pretzels from the water using the spatula, drain as best you can over the pot, and place them on the baking sheets. Brush the top of each pretzel with some melted butter and sprinkle with the pretzel/Kosher/sea salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. If the pretzels were frozen, bake for an extra 1 to 2 minutes. Lightly brush pretzels with the remaining melted butter immediately after you remove them from the oven. Serve warm.

To make the cheese sauce: Set the jalapeño on a baking sheet and roast under the broiler until blackened on all sides, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you roast them over a gas burner on the stove, turning with tongs. Place the jalapeños in a heatproof bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to cool for 15 minutes then with a paper towel, peel and discard the blackened skins off leaving just the fleshy peppers remaining. Slice, remove and discard the seeds, and roughly chop the peppers. Set aside. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the chopped jalapeños to coat with the butter. Whisk in the flour, coating the peppers, and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk until no lumps of flour remain. Stirring constantly, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the shredded cheese until all of the cheese has melted. Stir in the cilantro and add a pinch of salt, if needed. Serve warm. The sauce can be kept warm for 15 to 20 minutes over very low heat on the stove, stirring occasionally. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave on medium power at 30 second intervals.

Sweet and Savory Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Puff Pastry Straws

Sweet and Savory Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Puff Pastry Straws

Sweet-and-Savory-Cheesy-Bacon-Wrapped-Puff-Pastry-Twist-1511 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded (or a mix of your favorite cheeses)
26-30 pieces thin cut bacon (or 18 pieces of thin cut bacon sliced in half lengthwise)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced (may sub sage or thyme)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. Open one sheet of puff pastry on a cutting board. Brush the surface lightly with some of the beaten egg. Sprinkle with your desired amount of cayenne pepper (I did 1 teaspoon per sheet of puff pastry). Sprinkle surface with 1/2 cup of cheese to evenly cover entire surface. Dust a rolling pin lightly with flour and then roll the rolling pin over the cheese to gently press the cheese into the puff pastry. Cut the puff pastry into long 1/2-inch-wide strips and then take each strip, fold in half and pinch the ends together. Now gently twist each strip several times. Take a piece of bacon and wrap it around the twisted pastry and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry and bacon until everything has been used. Add the brown sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper to a shallow bowl or pie plate and toss well. Now carefully take each bacon wrapped pastry one at a time and dip it through the brown sugar mixture, using your hands to coat all over the twist. Place each twist back on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining twists. Bake the twist for 30 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. My bacon took 50 minutes to cook, but it was on the thicker side. I would start checking them at around 30 minutes and then every 5 to 10 minutes after that to make sure they are not burning. Once the bacon is cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes. Then use a spatula to carefully lift the twists off the baking sheet. Serve!

Green Onion Sesame Rolls

Green Onion Sesame Rolls

scallionbunsFor the Dough:
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
1 egg
2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

For the Filling:
Several stalks of green onion
1-2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Egg wash (1 egg beaten with water)
Black and white sesame seeds to garnish

Dissolve the sugar in warm water and sprinkle yeast on top. Let rest for 10 minutes or until foamy. Combine and mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, egg, and butter to the dry mixture. Mix the dough until it comes together. Move the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for several minutes until dough is smooth. Add additional flour as needed. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow it to double in size, roughly one hour. (You can also refrigerate the dough overnight, but make sure to let dough sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to warm up before rolling). Punch the dough with your fist. Roll the dough into a rectangle of approximately 1/3 inch thick. Spread the olive oil and sesame oil onto the dough. Sprinkle the salt and green onion evenly over the dough. Roll and cut the dough into 16 pieces. Line two loaf pans with parchment paper and place 8 rolls into each pan. Cover the pans with a damp cloth and let the rolls rise in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes. Brush the rolls with the egg wash and sprinkle the tops with black and white sesame seeds. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a roll comes out clean. Serve with dinner or enjoy as a snack!

No-Knead Olive Bread

No-Knead Olive Bread

Basic No-Knead Bread

5 cups flour (or flours) of your choice
1 T. yeast
1 T. salt
1 to 2 cups water

Roasted Garlic and Black Olive Bread
to the basic recipe add:

1 cup pitted black olives
1/3 cup peeled roasted garlic cloves; about 1 head roasted garlic

Combine all ingredients except water in a large bowl. Add water and mix with one hand, adding water until the dough just barely forms a ball and there are no little dry bits hanging out in the bowl. Depending on how moist the olives and garlic are, the amount of water can vary from 1 cup to 2 cups. This dough should feel too wet to knead and like biscuit dough in moisture content. Cover the bowl with a layer of plastic wrap; and let the dough rise at room temperature overnight, until the surface of the dough has risen and is flat, not rounded. For those who have worked with traditional kneaded dough, this will look like a disaster. Just wait, it will be fine. Place a Dutch oven (an oven proof pan with a lid) into the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Shape the dough into a round boule by tucking the dough loosely under itself; place the loaf in a bowl lined with parchment paper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise again until doubled, another 45 minutes to 1 hour. Slash the tops of the loaf with a sharp knife and transfer the parchment paper and dough to the hot Dutch oven and cover with the hot lid. Bake until the exterior is golden brown and the bottom is firm; about 50 to 70 minutes (no peeking for at least the first half hour). Remove from both the oven and the Dutch oven and let cool before slicing.

Roasted Garlic Bread

Roasted Garlic Bread

4 Cups bread flour (or 2 Cups bread flour and 2 Cups whole wheat flour)
1/2 Tsp. instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
1 1/2 Tsp. salt
2 1/4 Cups room-temperature water
2 whole heads of garlic
1 T. olive oil (for roasting garlic)
Pinch of salt (for roasting garlic)
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting loaf

To roast garlic, slice the very top of the head off, revealing all the individual cloves. Then wrap each head in foil and drizzle in a tiny bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Wrap these little packages up and bake them at 350 degrees until the garlic is really fragrant and tender, about 30 minutes. If you want to test them, you should be able to easily slide a knife into a clove with almost no resistance. Let the roasted heads of garlic cool for a few minutes and then you can squish out each clove of garlic from the papery stuff. For bread dough, combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add the roasted garlic and mix it in with your finger tips to make sure it’s evenly distributed. Add water and stir until blended; dough will be really wet and saggy. It’ll smell like roasted garlic though which is a good thing and you should be able to see tiny pieces of garlic in the dough. Cover this with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 14-18 hours. When its surface is dotted with bubbles, the dough is ready. At this point you need to form the loaf. Basically, just lightly flour a counter and pour the dough onto the surface. Gently fold it over itself a few times and then form it into a rectangular loaf. Sprinkle a clean towel with a good layer of cornmeal or semolina flour and lay the loaf on the towel, seam side down. Dust with additional corn meal or semolina. Cover this with another clean towel (or just fold the towel over onto the loaf). Let it rise again for about 2 hours. Dough should have more than doubled in size. At least a half hour before dough is ready, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Put a 5- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Put the lid on the pot and cook it for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook the loaf for another 15-20 minutes until the loaf is a deep dark brown. Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing into it.

Gruyere Popovers

Gruyere Popovers

2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Coarse salt
6 large eggs
Unsalted butter, softened, for pans
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese (3 ounces)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together milk, flour, and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk in eggs (mixture will be lumpy). Heat two 6-cup popover pans in oven for 5 minutes. Generously brush cups with butter. Fill each cup a little more than halfway with batter. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out popovers. Serve warm.

Cherry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Cherry Muffins with Crumb Topping

6a00d8341c63d853ef00e54f1411958833-800wi1 C. all-purpose flour
3 T. light brown sugar
2 T. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C. canola oil
3/4 C. whole milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pitted sweet cherries (try to use 2 cherries per muffin)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 18 muffin cups with paper or foil liners or spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray. MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING: In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the melted butter, then pinch the mixture until it forms pea-size clumps. MAKE THE MUFFINS: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and canola oil and beat with a handheld electric mixer at low speed until combined. Beat in the whole milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and beat at low speed until the batter is smooth. Stir in the cherries. Spoon the batter into 18 of the cups, filling them about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top of each one and bake for about 30 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

DSC_050913 eggs
2 C. grated zucchini
2 C. sugar
1 C. vegetable oil
1 T. vanilla
2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 C. chocolate chips (I used the darkest one I could find)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat the eggs until foamy. Beat in the sugar and vanilla. Mix in the zucchini and oil. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins and bake until golden and muffins spring back to a light touch. About 15 minutes.

Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast Sticks

Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast Sticks

brazilian-cheese-bread2 cups finely grated fresh Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups sour manioc starch (povilho azedo)
3/4 cup manioc starch or sweet manioc starch (povilho doce)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of black pepper

1. Place the Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor. Add the eggs and yolks and blend until you have a smooth paste, about 1 minute. Place the two types of manioc starch and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Place the milk, water, and oil in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Immediately pour the milk mixture into the starch mixture, all at once, and turn the machine on at low speed. Mix until the dough is smooth and the starch is completely incorporated, about 2 minutes. Pause the machine and add the cheese-egg paste, scraping it directly into the manioc starch mixture. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, and black pepper, and mix the dough at low speed until it turns a pale yellow, about 10 minutes. You are trying to develop the structure of the dough by kneading it slowly. The dough should feel a bit sticky and moist. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat your hands with olive oil (or flour them with manioc starch), pinch off walnut-size pieces of dough, and roll them between your palms. Alternately, you can use an ice-cream scooper to make 1-inch balls. Place them on the parchment, leaving 1 1/2 to 2 inches between the rolls. Bake the cheese rolls in the oven until they puff up and are lightly golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. To ensure even cooking, rotate the pan once during baking time. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the rolls in a basket lined with a napkin. Serve immediately, while they are still at their warmest and chewiest.

Corn & Rye Muffins

Corn & Rye Muffins

1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. rye flour
1/2 C. stone-ground cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
2 to 4 T. sulfured molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs or 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
1 C. milk
1/3 C. corn or canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin pan. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wets in another, then combine both of them and stir together quickly. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake until they’ve risen and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

French Toast Breakfast Muffins

French Toast Breakfast Muffins

528309_597620340249616_2136955186_n1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg (preferably room temperature)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk

Topping (option: cut topping in half*)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium-large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir just until combined, but still a bit lumpy. Do NOT over mix; over mixing will ruin the texture of the finished muffins. Also? Don’t over mix the batter. Finally, don’t over mix. Scoop batter into muffin tins that have sprayed with cooking spray. Using a large ice cream scoop, I got 8 medium-large muffins out of this batter; I think you could get 10-12 muffins by distributing the batter a little less generously. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they just start to turn a bit golden at the edges. For the topping, mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another small bowl. Dip the warm muffins in melted butter (you can dip just the top, but it’s even tastier to dip the whole muffin!), then dip/roll the muffin in cinnamon sugar.

Rainbow Cookies

Rainbow Cookies

cookie_rainbow_main2 large egg
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar (5-1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons lemon zest, from 1 lemon, freshly grated
2-1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
1 teaspoon large egg white , lightly beaten
Food coloring: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple

 

Place eggs in small saucepan, cover with 1 inch water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill small bowl with ice water. Using slotted spoon, transfer eggs to ice water and let stand 5 minutes. Crack eggs and peel shell. Separate yolks from white; discard white. Press yolks through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl.

Add sugar and lemon zest to a bowl. Use finger tips and rub the mixture until in resemble pale yellow wet sand.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar mixture, salt, and cooked egg yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl and beater with rubber spatula. Turn mixer to low, add vanilla, and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer; add flour and mix on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Using rubber spatula, press dough into cohesive mass.

Divide dough in six equal portions; add food coloring to each piece and mix to achieve desire color. Roll each portion, on a piece of plastic wrap, into a long strip about 3 x 11 inches, 1/4 inch thick. Wrap each strip with the plastic wrap and chill until firm, about an hour.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place purple dough on a cutting board and brush with egg white. Place blue dough on top of purple and brush with egg white. Repeat with remaining dough in the order of green, yellow, orange and red (see photos). Using chef’s knife, trim edges and slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rectangles. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets. (If dough is too soft when slicing, chill it for an additional 20-30 minutes.)

Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using thin metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Gina’s Banana Bread

Gina’s Banana Bread

Gina’s Banana Bread

 

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light butter, softened

1 2/3 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/4 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

 

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar & butter in a bowl, beat with a mixer at med speed until well blended. Add banana, milk, sour cream, and egg whites, beat well. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stir well. Add flour mixture to banana mixture, beating until blended. Spoon batter into 4 (5X21/2-inch) mini-loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 45 mins or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

Note:  To make a 9 inch loaf, spoon batter into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 mins or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Focaccia of Forgiveness and Release

Focaccia of Forgiveness and Release

2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary

In your standing mixer bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes until foam appears. Mix the flour and salt together in a separate bowl. Turn mixer on with hook attachment and slowly add the flour mixture into the yeast mixture. Pour in 1/3 cup olive oil. Once the dough comes together, remove from the mixer and knead for another 10 minutes. Form the dough into a round and place in a oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn’t form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil. Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto the counter and stretch the dough out on the sheet pan. It should be about 1/2 inch thick. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then sprinkle your rosemary and sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Lilac Scones with Rhubarb Curd

Lilac Scones with Rhubarb Curd

LILAC SCONES

3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling (or use turbinado, on top)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbs. salted butter, well chilled
1 cup full-fat buttermilk, well shaken
1 cup of lilac blossoms

Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Over bowl, cut butter into small bits, dropping them into the flour mixture as you go. Work butter and flour together with fingers, until butter is about pea-sized at its largest. Add your lilac blossoms, removed from the stems (no green part). Give buttermilk a good shake, then pour into the flour-butter mixture, and fold together until you can pull the dough into a rough ball (mix as little as possible). Dust surface with clean flour and roll out to a half inch of thickness. Cut into triangles and place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with coarse sugar (turbinado is best) and a few more blossoms if you wish, and bake until golden at the edges, around 12-16 minutes. Eat when warm out of the oven.
RHUBARB CURD

3 cups chopped rhubarb
A handful of strawberries for colour and flavour (otherwise, the curd can be quite yellow from the yolks – I also used a few drops of beet juice to add rosiness)
Juice from one small lemon (around 2 tbsp)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

7 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
Pinch of sea salt

Put the rhubarb, juice of half a lemon, sugar and water in a small pot and simmer gently until rhubarb is soft. Blend into a smooth puree.

Whisk egg yolks, remaining sugar, and salt in a double boiler until warm. Gradually add the rhubarb puree, stirring vigorously between each addition. Do not allow the mixture to boil or the eggs will curdle (yuck! rhubarb omelette!)

Once the consistency is rich and thick, remove from heat and gradually add butter, stirring until melted. Cool the curd and bottle up in jars. Refrigerate.

Pie Crust

Pie Crust

Pie Crust

1/3 – 1/2 C. Shortening
1 C. Flour
Dash of Vinegar

1 C. Flour will make a single pie shell. Use 2 C. flour for two crust pie.
Pie Crust (Double-Crust Pie)

2 C. All-Purpose Flour
½ tsp. Salt
2/3 C. Shortening or Lard
6-7 tsp. Cold Cold Cold Water

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over part of the mixture; toss it gently with a fork. If you over-toss/mix, the dough will be tough. It should be moist enough to hold together, but not wet. Push that to the side of the bowl. Repeat until all the dough is done. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, flatten one ball of dough with your hands. Roll dough with rolling pin from center to edge, forming a circle about 12 inches in diameter. The dough will not usually be uniform in color. It normally has small white striations from the shortening. It is good to keep the rolling pin VERY cold. Transfer the dough by rolling it carefully around the pin, then un-rolling it into your 9” pie pan. Do not stretch. Trim around edge if necessary.

Chocolate Soufflés

Chocolate Soufflés

1 C. chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (6 oz.)
2 T. milk or whipping cream
4 large eggs, separated
6 T. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Powdered sugar
Sweetened whipped cream

Lightly butter four ramekins (2/3-C. size, deep or shallow). Set ramekins in a shallow, 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Combine chocolate and milk in a microwave-safe bowl; heat at full power (100%) in a microwave oven at 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted and smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute total. Let stand. In a large bowl, with a mixer at high speed, whip egg whites until they form a dense foam, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle in C. of the sugar and beat until whites hold short, distinct peaks, 1 to 4 minutes. Scrape into another bowl. In mixer bowl, whip egg yolks at high speed until they begin to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 T. sugar and continue beating until yolks are very thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add melted chocolate and beat until well blended. Add about a third of the egg whites to egg yolk and chocolate mixture, and beat slowly to mix well. Fold in remaining whites until fairly well incorporated. Scoop soufflé mixture equally into ramekins; mixture can mound above rims, but make sure it’s not dripping over edges. Bake in a 375° oven until soufflés are puffy and dry on the surface, about 8 minutes for very soft centers, 10 minutes for creamy centers, and 12 minutes for firm centers. Transfer ramekins to plates and rub powdered sugar through a fine sieve onto soufflés. Offer whipped cream to top soufflés.

Cheese Cake & Apricot Pastries

Cheese Cake & Apricot Pastries

15×12 inches sheet of Puff Pastry
½ package Cream Cheese
¾ cup well drained Ricotta cheese
1 egg
â…“-1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Apricot Jam (or any thick jam)
Egg Wash
1 egg
1 T. water
¼ – ⅓ cup sugar

Mix cream cheese with sugar, until smooth. Add fresh cheese, egg & vanilla extract. Stir everything until well combined. Cut frozen puff pastry into 3 in x 3 in squares. Put 1 full tablespoon of cheese filling right in the middle. Top with 1 teaspoon of jam. Place in the freezer until the filling is well frozen. About 1-2 hours. When ready to serve, heat oven to 400F. To make the egg wash – whisk the egg & water. Brush the sides of the pastry with the egg wash. Sprinkle sides of each pastry with about 1 teaspoon of sugar. Work quickly so the pastries do not thaw. Transfer squares to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, placing them 1 inch apart. Bake for 15+ minutes, until tops and bottoms are golden in color. If the tops are browned but the bottoms have not baked through, put on lower rack and cover the top with foil, until the bottoms bake through. Allow to slightly cool and serve right away.

Sweet & Savoury Dandelion Rosemary Shortbread

Sweet & Savoury Dandelion Rosemary Shortbread

2 cups brown or white rice flour
1 cup organic, unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup organic sugar of your choice
1/4 cup emmental cheese (Swiss cheese – You can substitute sharper hard cheeses, but watch the salt! If you go for parmesan or asiago, then skip the sea salt)
1/4 cup dandelion petals & greens, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely-chopped rosemary
black pepper to taste
sea salt to sprinkle on top

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar and honey until light & fluffy. Add in dandelion petals and chopped leaves. Be sure to remove the green sepals. I just pinch them until petals pop out. Mix in just until combined. Stir the rice flour into butter mixture in 2 additions. After the first addition, stir in the emmental cheese, rosemary and a bit of fresh ground black pepper (to taste). Stir in the 2nd addition of flour to make smooth dough. Roll the dough in waxed paper to form a firm cylinder. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C) Slice your cylinder of gorgeous, dandelion/rosemary/pepper-flecked dough into 1 inch thick rounds (*note* in the photo the cookies are thinner – I was running short on dough and needed A LOT of cookies for an event, so I cut them thinner and reduced the time) using a sharp knife and place a good 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes—rotating your pan half-way through. Keep a keen eyeball on them during the last few minutes. You want them just golden. The cookies will be very delicate when they first come out of the oven. Spare yourself some heartache and let them cool on the cookie sheet. When cool, transfer them to…your mouth.

Green Chile Cheddar Braid Bread

Green Chile Cheddar Braid Bread

1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 C. warm water
1/2 C. milk
1/4 C. soft butter or margarine
3 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
Green Chile Filling (recipe below)
1/2 C. grated cheddar cheese

1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 tsp. butter
2 C. cheddar cheese, grated
1 can diced green chile

In a large bowl of electric mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Blend in milk, eggs, butter, sugar, salt, and cumin. Blend in 2 C. flour, 1 C. at a time. Beat on medium speed of mixer 3 minutes, scraping bowl often. With heavy duty mixer (Kitchen Aid with Dough Hook or wooden spoon) blend in remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto floured board, and knead until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn over, and cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hrs. Meanwhile, prepare Green Chile Filling. When dough has risen, punch down and turn out onto floured board. Roll to a 9 X 30-inch rectangle. Crumble filling over dough to within 1 inch of edges. Starting from long side, roll up tightly. Moisten edge with water and pinch together firmly to seal. Using a floured sharp knife, cut roll lengthwise in halves. Carefully turn cut sides up. Loosely twist the two strips together, keeping cut sides up. Transfer to greased and floured baking sheet, and shape to a 10-inch circle. Pinch ends firmly together. Let rise in warm place, uncovered, until puffy looking, about 45-60 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 C. cheddar cheese and bake 5 minutes longer, until browned. Makes 1 10-inch twist. Green Chile Filling: Sauté onion and garlic in butter until soft but not browned. Cool. Mix in cheddar and chiles. Cover and chill.

Basic No-Knead Recipe

Basic No-Knead Recipe

5 C. flour (or flours) of your choice
1 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 to 2 C. water

to the basic recipe add:

1 C. pitted black olives
1/3 C. peeled roasted garlic cloves; about 1 head roasted garlic

Combine all ingredients except water in a large bowl. Add water and mix with one hand, adding water until the dough just barely forms a ball and there are no little dry bits hanging out in the bowl. Depending on how moist the olives and garlic are, the amount of water can vary from 1 C. to 2 C.. This dough should feel too wet to knead and like biscuit dough in moisture content. Cover the bowl with a layer of plastic wrap; and let the dough rise at room temperature overnight, until the surface of the dough has risen and is flat, not rounded. For those who have worked with traditional kneaded dough, this will look like a disaster. Just wait, it will be fine. Place a Dutch oven (an oven proof pan with a lid) into the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Shape the dough into a round boule by tucking the dough loosely under itself; place the loaf in a bowl lined with parchment paper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise again until doubled, another 45 minutes to 1 hour. Slash the tops of the loaf with a sharp knife and transfer the parchment paper and dough to the hot Dutch oven and cover with the hot lid. Bake until the exterior is golden brown and the bottom is firm; about 50 to 70 minutes (no peeking for at least the first half hour). Remove from both the oven and the Dutch oven and let cool before slicing.

Picnic Bread

Picnic Bread

Somewhere between a baguette and ciabatta, this versatile bread is excellent alongside winter soups, topped with asparagus as a spring tartine, or slathered with butter and homemade jam in the early morning. We call it picnic bread because we build a giant sandwich from a loaf and slice it up to take along on picnics.

2 1/4 C. room-temperature water
3 C. all-purpose flour
2 C. whole wheat flour
1 T. active dry yeast
1 T. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

In a large bowl, add the water, flours, yeast, and salt and stir well with a strong wooden spoon until the dough is fully combined. There should be no dry flour spots in the dough, and it will be tacky and shaggy but should partially pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free towel. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and let it rise for 8 to 24 hours, until bubbly and at least doubled in size. The longer the rise time, the more complex the flavor development will be. Line a sheet pan with lightly greased parchment paper. Set aside. Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface and divide the dough into 2 pieces. Fold and gently roll each piece into a long cylinder several inches shorter than your sheet pan. Place the dough cylinders on either side of the pan, lightly dust them with flour, and cover them with a damp lint-free towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours in a warm place, or until the loaves are doubled in size. While the loaves are rising, move an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush each loaf with a bit of oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cut three or four long, diagonal slashes along each loaf with a serrated bread knife and transfer the sheet pan to the oven. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and crunchy on the outside and sound hollow when you tap them, about 30 minutes. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool completely.

from: The Hands On Home

Dinner Rolls

Dinner Rolls

Crumble one cake of yeast into a bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups lukewarm milk and stir until yeast is dissolved. In mixing bowl, cream 1/2 cup shortening. Gradually add 2 T. sugar and 2 tsp. salt. Sift 5 cups flour. Add 1 cup to mixing bowl, beat well. Add 1/2 cup yeasted milk. Beat well. Repeat until all flour and yeasted milk is used, beating between each addition. Continue to beat until dough is smooth, scraping bowl often. Cover with damp cloth and allow to rise in warm area (80 degrees) until double in bulk, about one hour. Punch down, stirring with a spoon. Drop by large spoonfuls into lightly greased muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full. Cover and let rise again, about 20 minutes to double. Bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Makes 30 rolls.

Cranberry Fruit Bread

Cranberry Fruit Bread

2 C. Flour
1 C. Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 Egg
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Nuts
1/4 C. Shortening
3/4 C. Orange Juice
1 T. Orange Zest
1 C. Cranberries, coarsely chopped

Sift dry ingredients together. CUt in shortening, combine orange juice and rind with well beaten egg. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to dampen. Carefully fold in chopped nuts and cranberries. Spoon into greased loaf pan. Spread corners and sides slightly higher than the center. Bake in 350 degrees for about one hour.

Corn Muffins

Corn Muffins

1 C. Flour
1 C. Corn Meal
2 T. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking Powder
2 Eggs, well beaten
1 1/4 C. Milk
3 T. melted Shortening

Mix all wet ingredients and stir until well blended. Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients all at once. Stir till just blended, batter may be slightly lumpy. Pour into greased muffin pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. (If cooking in 8×10 pan, increase cooking time to 25-30 minutes)

Paraguayan Cornbread

Paraguayan Cornbread

2 tsp. butter or margarine
6 oz. jack or muenster cheese, grated
1 tsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
11⁄2 C. canned corn, save some liquid
1 small onion, chopped fine
11⁄2 C. yellow cornmeal
3 eggs, separated
2/3 C. milk
5 tsp. oil

Set oven at 400 degrees. Cover bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tsp. butter. Scatter parmesan over the butter. Set aside. Put corn into blender or processor with a tsp. or 2 of liquid from can. Blend until it becomes a smooth puree. In a large bowl, combine corn puree, cornmeal, milk, 1/4 C. oil, grated jack or muenster and salt. Mix thoroughly. In heavy skillet, heat remaining tsp. oil over moderate heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often for 4-5 minutes until soft and transparent but not brown. Scrape onions into cornmeal mixture. In a small deep bowl, beat egg whites until they form stiff but- still-moist peaks. In a separate bowl, beat yolks. Fold yolks into whites, then into corn mixture. Spread into baking dish. Dot top with bits of rest of butter. Bake 45 minutes.

Cornbread

Cornbread

1 1/2 C. Yellow Cornmeal
1 C. Flour
1/3 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 C. Milk
1 T. Baking Powder
2 Eggs
6 T. melted (but cool) Butter
8 T. melted (but cooled) Shortening

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Beat the eggs lightly, stir in melted butter and shortening and add milk. Pour into dry ingredients and beat together until smooth; do not overbeat. Lightly butter an 8 x 12 shallow baking pan and pour in the batter. Bake in center of the oven for about 30 minutes or until the bread comes slightly away from the sides and it is golden brown.

Comté and ham wafers (Sablés au Comté et au jambon)

Comté and ham wafers (Sablés au Comté et au jambon)

These wafers are savory and a bit salty, which makes them ideal to serve with drinks before dinner. A baker once confided in me that restaurant owners requested that he increase the quantity of salt in his bread because it prompted the customers to drink more. You didn’t hear it from me, but because of the ham and cheese, you might want to plan on having plenty of beverages to accompany these.

8 tsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
2 tsp. chopped fresh chives, or 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 1/22 C. (coarsely grated Comte cheese, or another sharp, firm cheese, such as aged Gouda or Cheddar
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. cornmeal or fine polenta
1/2 C. crumbled or finely chopped ham chips, from about 2 slices

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, by hand), beat the butter, pepper, salt, and chives on medium speed until smooth. With a chef’s knife, chop the grated cheese into small bits; add them to the butter mixture. Stir in the flour and cornmeal. Add the ham, and mix until the dough comes together. 3 Divide the dough in half and roll each half on a lightly floured surface into a 7-inch (18cm) log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. The unbaked dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 2 months. To bake the sables, preheat the oven to 350°F (i8o°C). line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. With a sharp chef’s knife, slice the sables 1/4-inch (.75cm) thick and place them cut-side down on the baking sheets evenly spaced. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets on the racks of the oven midway through baking, until the sables are golden brown on top. Let cool and serve. The sables can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Gram’s Good Buns

Gram’s Good Buns

Combine 1/2 C. scalded milk, 1/4 C. shortening, 1 T. sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Cool by adding 1/2 C. water. Add 1 cake yeast, dissolved as directed. Blend in 1 egg and 3/4 C. chopped browned onions. Add 3 C. flour, mix well. For round buns, roll to 1/2” thick and cut into rounds with 3 1/2” cutter. For square buns roll out into a 9 x 12 square and cut into 12 3” squares. Place buns on greased baking sheet and allow to rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees 15 minutes.

Aunt Velma’s Pumpkin Bread

Aunt Velma’s Pumpkin Bread

3 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
1 C. Salad Oil
2 C. Pumpkin
2/3 C. Water
3 1/2 C. Flour
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Salt
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 C. Chopped Nuts or Raisins

??? Only list of ingredients. No instructions on how much it makes, what pans to use, temperature or time to bake ???

Troller’s Cookbook Zucchini Bread

Troller’s Cookbook Zucchini Bread

3 Eggs
2 C. Sugar
2 C. peeled, grated Zucchini
3 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Oil
3 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 C. chopped Nuts

Combine eggs, sugar, zucchini, vanilla and oil. Sift together Flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, beating until just mixed. Stir in nuts. Divide equally between 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees one hour.

Roasted Garlic Swirl Bread

Roasted Garlic Swirl Bread

2 medium whole garlic bulbs
2 tsp. olive oil
1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
1 C. warm water (110° to 115°)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2-1/2 to 3 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. minced fresh sage or 2 tsp. rubbed sage
2 tsp. minced fresh marjoram or 3/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. butter, melted

Remove papery outer skin from garlic (do not peel or separate cloves). Cut top off garlic bulbs; brush with oil. Wrap each bulb in heavy-duty foil. Bake at 425° for 30-35 minutes or until softened. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze softened garlic into a small bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and 1 C. flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, add the sage, marjoram and rosemary to the reserved roasted garlic. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Spread garlic mixture to within 1/2 in. edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam and ends to seal. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place loaves seam side down on pan; tuck ends under. With a sharp knife, make several slashes across the top of each loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks; brush with butter. Yield: 2 loaves (10 slices each).

Yield: 2 loaves. 10 slices each
Serving size: 1 slice
Calories: 84
Fat: 1g
Fiber: 1g

Wheat Bread

Wheat Bread

2 1/2 C. warm water
2 T. active dry yeast
2/3 C. sugar
2 3/4 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. potato flakes
2 3/4 C. white flour
1 tsp. salt
2 T. vinegar
2 T. oil
1/4 C. nonfat instant dry milk

Mix the yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add sugar, whole wheat flour, white flour and blend well. In the following order add salt, dry milk, oil, vinegar and potato flakes until it turns into a dough, add flour as needed. Dough is ready when tacky to the touch. Knead for 12 minutes. Cover and let rise for approximately one hour. Punch down and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise for about half hour or until about double in size. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Can also be baked in a cast iron Dutch Oven with briquettes

Fresh Plum and Lime Custard Hand Pies

Fresh Plum and Lime Custard Hand Pies

1 1/4 C. chopped plums
2-4 T. sugar (see note above)
1 T. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Enough pie dough for one double crust pie
8-10 T. lime curd (about 1 T. per pie)
1 egg, lightly whisked
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine plums, sugar and corn starch; set aside. Roll pie dough to about 1/8″ thickness in one or two rectangles (two is easier to manage; they do not need to be perfect rectangles). Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut strips that are about 4″ wide and 10″ long (again, these are rough measurements that don’t need to be exact). Place about a T. of lime curd in the middle of the strip, about 2 1/2″ from the bottom edge. Pile a spoonful of plums on top and fold each strip in half, making a hand pie that is roughly 4″ wide and 5″ long. Line up the three cut edges and crimp closed with a fork. Transfer finished hand pies to a parchment lined baking sheet. Add a splash of water to the egg and whisk some more to make an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash over the top of each hand pie. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow pies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Serve warm or keep for up to 2 days on the counter or up to 4 in the refrigerator.

Pantry Friendly Roasted Garlic Bread

Pantry Friendly Roasted Garlic Bread

4 C. bread flour (or 2 C. bread flour and 2 C. whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp. instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 C. room-temperature water
2 whole heads of garlic
1 tsp. olive oil (for roasting garlic)
Pinch of salt (for roasting garlic)
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting loaf

To roast garlic, slice the very top of the head off, revealing all the individual cloves. Then wrap each head in foil and drizzle in a tiny bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Wrap these little packages up and bake them at 350 degrees until the garlic is really fragrant and tender, about 30 minutes. If you want to test them, you should be able to easily slide a knife into a clove with almost no resistance. Let the roasted heads of garlic cool for a few minutes and then you can squish out each clove of garlic from the papery stuff. For bread dough, combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add the roasted garlic and mix it in with your finger tips to make sure it’s evenly distributed. Add water and stir until blended; dough will be really wet and saggy. It’ll smell like roasted garlic though which is a good thing and you should be able to see tiny pieces of garlic in the dough. Cover this with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 14-18 hours. When its surface is dotted with bubbles, the dough is ready. At this point you need to form the loaf. Basically, just lightly flour a counter and pour the dough onto the surface. Gently fold it over itself a few times and then form it into a rectangular loaf. Sprinkle a clean towel with a good layer of cornmeal or semolina flour and lay the loaf on the towel, seam side down. Dust with additional corn meal or semolina. Cover this with another clean towel (or just fold the towel over onto the loaf). Let it rise again for about 2 hours. Dough should have more than doubled in size. At least a half hour before dough is ready, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Put a 5- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Put the lid on the pot and cook it for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook the loaf for another 15-20 minutes until the loaf is a deep dark brown. Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing into it.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Soft Pretzels:
1 1/2 C. warm water
2 T. light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
3 oz. unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 C. all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
3 quarts water
1/2 C. baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 T. cold water
Coarse sea salt

For the cheese sauce:
½ T. unsalted butter
½ T. all-purpose flour
½ C. milk
8 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated

For the Pretzels: Combine the 1 1/2 C. water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 T. at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands. Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and carefully add the baking soda. It will boil over, so add slowly and be careful! Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 oz. each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce. To make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. *If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a tsp. vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

1 1/4 C. coarsely ground cornmeal
3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/3 C. whole milk
1 C. buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 T. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and eggs. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter, reserving about 1 T. for the skillet later on. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.

Tomato-Cheese Bread for Cameron

Tomato-Cheese Bread for Cameron

1 C. lukewarm water
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 C. (11 1/2 oz.) bread flour, divided
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. tomato powder
1 tsp. salt
1 generous C. (4 oz.) coarsely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tsp. olive oil

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine water, yeast, sugar, and one C. the bread flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. Add the remaining flour, oregano, tomato powder, and salt. Knead with the dough hook until the dough cleans the side of the bowl and starts becoming elastic. Add the olive oil and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic and is no longer sticky. Add the cheese and knead just until it is incorporated. You don’t want to knead so much that the cheese disintegrates into the bread. It it’s a little unevenly distributed, that’s fine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and sprinkle some cornmeal on a baking sheet. Flour your work surface and knead the dough briefly before you form it into your preferred shape. Put it on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. When the dough has risen, slash it as desired, then bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until nicely browned. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

Carrot Snack Sticks

Carrot Snack Sticks

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup carrot, very finely shredded and thin
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the first four ingredients and stir to combine. Using your hands, add the carrots to the flour mixture coating the carrot pieces with flour. Add the oil and work with your hands to bring the dough together. (You really have to be patient with working this dough together so that the flour absorbs the oil. If you are concerned that it is not coming together, just add 1 extra tsp of oil to the dough and work it with your hands forming a ball until it comes together.) Form the carrot parmesan dough into a flat rectangular disk and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes then roll out 1/2 inch thick on parchment paper or a dry clean surface. Using a knife, cut the dough into sticks, 2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide. Bake on a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes. Cool and serve.

Panisse Puffs (Panisses Souffles)

Panisse Puffs (Panisses Souffles)

Do not open the oven door while they are cooking; your panisses won’t turn out well. Since they’re very easy to make and best right after they come out of the oven, I recommend serving the panisses right away. A popover pan with 2 x 2-inch-deep (6cm) molds works perfectly. You can use standard size muffin pans; the panisses won’t rise as dramatically, but they’ll still be delicious. Due to the batter’s tendency to stick in muffin pans, spray the molds well with nonstick spray right before pouring the batter, or use clarified butter.

2/3 C. (75g) chickpea flour
1/3 C. (45g) all-purpose flour
1 C. (250ml) whole milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg white
1 tsp. salted or unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing the mold
3/4 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1/44 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with the oven rack in the middle position. Put a popover pan on the oven rack and have a baking sheet ready. Combine all the ingredients in a blender until completely smooth. Remove the popover mold from the oven and set it on the baking sheet. Brush the insides of the popover molds lavishly with melted butter, being careful since the pan is quite hot. Quickly divide the batter among the molds, put them in the oven, then decrease the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake for 35 minutes, until puffed up and brown. Serve immediately, while warm.