Last winter I found this scone recipe on the King Arthur Flour website. I was searching for a way to use some candied ginger I picked up at the store. By the way, if you’re suffering from nausea candied ginger is a great thing to snack on to help ease that queasy feeling. The candied ginger is a slightly sweet and spicy addition to these pumpkiny scones. My favorite part is when a piece of the ginger is on the outside of the scone and it almost becomes caramelized. Mmmm. I doubled the curry powder and added some dried ground ginger to the recipe. I like the spice. The original recipe is very mild so don’t be afraid of the word “curried”.

These are perfect with your morning cup of coffee or your afternoon cup of tea. Trust me I’ve tried them both ways! If you’re really in the pumpkin mood serve these for Thanksgiving breakfast.

CURRIED PUMPKIN AND GINGER SCONE
found at King Arthur Flour

3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry powder I used 1-1 1/2 teaspoons
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter or margarine, cut into eight pieces
1/2 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin or squash (canned is fine)
1 cup buttermilk, plain yogurt or sour cream (low-fat or nonfat is fine)*I used buttermilk

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, curry, turmeric and sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, your fingers, or with an electric mixer, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin or squash and buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream till smooth. Add this to the dry ingredients, stirring till just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and pat or roll* it into a 10-inch square about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick. Cut the large square into 2-inch squares, and transfer them to a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about an inch between scones.

Bake the scones in a preheated 425°F oven for 20 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and serve them warm, or at room temperature. Yield: 25 scones.

* I shaped mine into about a 10-inch circle and sliced into 8 wedges. Baking time remained the same. 

Amish friendship bread is the culinary version of a chain letter. If you don’t bake your friendship bread your friendship with the person who gave you the starter is doomed –ok maybe I am exaggerating a little. I don’t think the Amish are that cruel. Actually according to trusty wikipedia Amish friendship bread may not actually have any connection to the Amish people –Shocking!

My sister-in-law is an Amish friendship bread baking master. I am not sure of the actual number of loaves and muffins she has baked, but I would venture to guess over a dozen. She baked a couple of the traditional cinnamon sugar loaves for a family brunch we had last month. That was the first time I had the bread since middle school/high school when my friend Amber had made it and shared her starter with me. With my starter I wanted to make something different than the traditional cinnamon and sugar friendship bread. The combination of lemon and poppy seeds evoke feelings of happiness for me. I knew if I could pull off a lemon poppy seed friendship bread it would be the perfect way to celebrate Spring.

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD -LEMON POPPY SEED VARIATION

2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.25 oz (1 container) poppy seeds
2 (3 oz) boxes sugar free lemon pudding mix
2 tsp lemon extract
1 c starter*
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c no sugar added applesauce
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients. Mix well. Make a well in the center of the bowl. In another bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mix until just combined.

Pour mix into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing bread from pan and transferring to wire rack to cool completely. ENJOY!

*When you remove your 1 cup of starter for this recipe you will have 2 cups of starter left over. Put one cup into a ziplock bag for your friend and the other one cup you will keep for yourself. You can print off directions for how to feed your starter here.

Dinner rolls are not high on my priority list when I am cooking dinner, truth be told they are more likely an after thought. For example, after I set the food on the table I think to myself, hmm some dinner rolls or fresh bread would really round out this meal. Unfortunately if you do not have any of those “heat to serve” dinner rolls sitting around there is no way to enjoy them with your dinner that night. Like most yeast breads dinner rolls need (I really had to resist typing KNEAD –I love a good pun!) to be a forethought since you have to knead, then let double in size, then shape, then let double in size again, and finally you are able to bake them, all which take plenty of time.

Luckily for me and for you since I am sharing it, I found a recipe which allows you to have piping hot dinner rolls on your dinner table in about one hour from start to finish. This recipe is awesome because I just start it a little bit before I would normally start prepping for dinner. For me it was not a huge change in my cooking routine.

I found this recipe months ago from Holly at Phe/MOM/enon (congratulations on the new babe). She adapted a recipe from My Kitchen Cafe and posted about it in November and I marked it as a recipe that I wanted to try. This is a daily habit of mine. I sit down and read my Google Reader and star all the recipes I want to try some day. Currently I have hundreds of “want to try” recipes marked. I have maybe tried a handful (a small handful) of these recipes. It is such a shame. To fix this problem I have decided that a couple times a month I am actually going to try some of these recipes and share them with you. After all, I would like it if people would try my recipes instead of saying “that sounds good, I will have to try that some day” and some day never comes.

That being said, a recipe from the famous Ree at The Pioneer Woman was also starred. She had made some delicious Buttered Rosemary Rolls using frozen bread dough. Well Ree recently posted about these Rosemary Rolls again which jogged my memory and I knew I had to make them soon. First I tried Holly’s recipe a couple weeks ago only I substituted half of the AP flour for whole wheat flour. My family loved the dinner rolls, and I was happy how quickly they came together. They were so light and fluffy. Fast forward to this week, when we were going to have spaghetti for dinner and didn’t have any frozen garlic bread around. The solution was to combine Holly’s recipe with Ree’s recipe and throw in my own touch. My family really enjoyed the soft, subtly garlic herb dinner rolls with our spaghetti. The garlic flavor didn’t come through as much as I hoped it would, next time I make these I will try doubling the garlic amount or adding roasted garlic instead of minced.

PERFECT DINNER ROLLS
I first saw it at Phe/MOM/enon
1 1/2 cups warm water (11o degrees F)
1 T instant yeast
2 T granulated sugar
2 T vegetable oil (I used Olive Oil)
1 tsp sea salt (I used Kosher salt)
4 c AP flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup & leveled off

HERE ARE HOLLY’S INSTRUCTIONS:

In your mixing bowl stir together water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until creamy.

Add oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat on low speed with the paddle attachment. While still on low speed add 1 additional cup of flour stir until incorporated. Switch to dough hook and add the final cup of flour. Mix until dough pulls away from the bowl, then turn speed up to medium and knead for 5 minutes –or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn dough to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm place until dough doubles in size –about 20-30 minutes.

Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate and press dough into a rectangle. Cut dough in half vertically, then vertically again into thirds so there are 6 equal strips of dough. Cut each strip into fourths so there are 24 equal pieces of dough. Pick up each piece and lightly cup it under your palm on a clean surface. Press lightly and rotate and roll the dough quickly so it forms a ball. If you’re really good you can do one with each hand, thus speeding up the process.

Place each dough ball into a greased 9×13 baking pan in rows of 4 (about 1/2 inch apart). Cover the rolls with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap and let double in size while the oven is preheating to 400 degrees F –about 20 minutes. Brush rolls with melted butter before placing in the oven for a nice golden brown color. Bake for 15 minutes.

HERE IS WHAT I DID:
Since I do not have a dough hook for my mixer, I used my bread machine on the dough setting.

In addition to Holly’s ingredient list I added in 1 T minced garlic. Next time I would add more. The garlic flavor wasn’t as strong as I hoped.

Place all ingredients in your bread machine in the order your machine recommends. Turn the machine on the dough setting, but do not walk away. Allow the dough to knead for about 5 minutes after all the ingredients are incorporated. Once the dough is smooth place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and put in a warm area until the dough doubles in size –about 20-30 minutes.

Once the dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate while carefully pressing into a rectangle.  I followed the instructions from Holly’s recipe for shaping the rolls. Cut dough in half vertically, then vertically again into thirds so there are 6 equal strips of dough. Cut each strip into fourths so there are 24 equal pieces of dough. Pick up each piece and lightly cup it under your palm on a clean surface. Press lightly and rotate and roll the dough quickly so it forms a ball. If you’re really good you can do one with each hand, thus speeding up the process.

Like the Pioneer Woman’s recipe I greased my cast iron skillet with melted butter and placed six rolls in the pan (the other rolls I baked on a regular baking sheet) cover them with a dish towel and let rise for about 20-30 more minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

While the rolls are rising gather:

2T butter, melted
1-2 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 tsp dried oregano
1-2 tsp dried basil
generous pinch of Kosher salt

Mix together the herbs and salt. Paint the melted butter on each roll. Sprinkle a generous pinch of the herb and salt mixture over every roll.

Bake rolls for about 15 minutes until nice and golden brown. Enjoy!

*Sorry for the funky coloring in my pictures. It was dark outside by the time I finished baking, and I don’t have any of that fancy photo editing software.

I found my recipe on a delicious site called Baking Bites. Head over there to check out what other tasty treats Nichole is baking up.

MARBLED CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE
from Baking Bites
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe, medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream (*I used light mayo)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 12-cup bundt pan (12-inch diameter).
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs one by one, waiting until each has been incorporated to add the next. Beat in vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mix and stir to combine. Add in the sour cream (or mayo), followed by the remaining flour mixture.
Remove 1 1/2 cups of batter into a small bowl and stir in cocoa powder.
Pour 2/3 of the plain batter into the prepared bundt pan, top with cocoa batter and spoon the rest of the plain batter on top. Run a knife through the batter gently to swirl.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Serve plain, or dusted with powdered sugar.

*Mayo provides a slight tanginess, and can be found in other chocolate cake recipes.

Is it Autumn yet? Lately I have been craving food that makes me feel warm and cozy. Usually soups and homemade bread seems “too hot” for August, but lucky for me August in Omaha has yielded some wacky weather. This wacky weather has produced days that top out in the high 90s and other days that top out in the lower 70s. It is on these cooler days that I start yearning for Fall. I like living in the Midwest and enjoy the changing of the seasons. Soon we will say goodbye to Summer and hello to Fall. I love Fall. I love wearing flip-flops, jeans, and a hoodie. I love the first bowl of chili. I love turning off the A/C, opening the windows, and cranking on the oven without worrying about over heating my apartment (soon to be house!). I love homemade soup and fresh baked bread.

We have had some thunderstorms roll in the past couple days, and with the rain came cooler temperatures. I have baked six loaves of bread in the last week. I am done buying store bought bread. Before I completely skip the bakery aisle, I need to learn how to make hamburger/hot dog buns and bagels. Earlier this year I made English muffins, which were surprisingly easy. As soon as we get settled into a new house I want to get a sourdough starter going. I am going looking forward to sourdough bread bowls this winter.

Like I said earlier I have baked six loaves of bread in the last week. Three loafs were a dense and delicious white sandwich bread, the other three were a softer honey wheat/flax bread, delicious in its own right. I used both breads for my favorite summer sandwich -the BLT. The white bread recipe came from Susan from A Year in Bread.

EASY BASIC WHITE SANDWICH BREAD
Makes three loaves, about 1 1/2 pounds each

click on the recipe title to go to Susan’s recipe with her more technical directions

4 c AP flour
2 T dry active yeast
2 T white sugar
2 T canola oil
4 c warm milk
6 c bread flour
1 1/2 T salt

Mix together AP flour, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Make a small well in the middle and pour in oil and milk. Mix in 1 c of bread flour at a time, until about 5 c are added. Once the dough became tough to stir I dusted the counter with flour, and dumped the dough out. I began the process of kneading the rest of the flour into the dough for 6 or 7 minutes.

Place the dough back into the bowl to rise for 20 minutes. Turn the dough back onto the counter top, flatten, and knead in the salt for about 5 minutes or until completely combined.

Sprinkle the bowl with flour and place dough in the bowl. Dust dough with flour and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour or so). My favorite place to let dough rise is in the oven with the light on.

When the dough is ready to be divided and shaped, you should be able to stick your finger into the dough and leave an indention.

Turn the dough out onto your counter top once more. I dimpled the dough to get all the air bubbles out.

Divide dough into three equal pieces. Shape into loaves, place into greased bread pan (I used a 8 1/2 inchs x 4 1/2 inches like Susan recommended) and dust with flour.  Cover with damp tea towel and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes.

Bake for 35 minutes in a 375 degree F oven. You want your loaves to be a lovely golden brown. Turn out onto wire racks to cool –bread isn’t done baking once it is removed from the oven –so try to resist the temptation to slice into it immediately, wait until it has come to room temperature. This bread can be put into a freezer bags and frozen for later use. But honestly it is so good, I doubt your family will let any of it go to waste. We turned ours into delicious BLTs.

I like my BLT with a slice of Munster cheese. What a wonderful summer sandwich. Thanks for the great recipe Susan!

Earlier this summer my husband started a new job at What Cheer. One morning the What Cheer crew went into work early, I mean at the office before the birds were chirping early. I knew they were working hard and wanted to make sure they had a breakfast treat to help fuel their morning. I’m a sucker for cinnamon rolls, especially when they are homemade and fresh from the oven. I think I have the best recipe with pudding in the mix. I couldn’t whip up a batch of my cinnamon rolls to share with the What Cheer gang, because they contain gluten.

If I were to deliver a batch of freshly made cinnamon rolls that everyone could eat they would have to be gluten free. Google led me to a gluten free forum that had a promising recipe in one of its discussions. The recipe is from the cookbook Eating Gluten Free. These cinnamon/sticky buns tasted so wonderful you would never know that they gluten free. JH had lived 27-ish years without ever knowing the joy of tasting a warm cinnamon roll. I was so happy to bring these to What Cheer -still warm from the oven. He asked if this is what “real” cinnamon rolls tasted like, and everyone said “YES!” If you have gluten intolerant friends, I beg you to please make these for them. They are wonderful!

I love my cinnamon rolls smeared in with a cream cheese frosting, and planned to do the same with these rolls. That was until I checked in the fridge and alas there was no cream cheese. I improvised with a brown sugar/honey syrup and chopped walnuts. Lucky for me it worked out.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls/Sticky Buns
Recipe from Eating Gluten Free

1 T yeast
3 T warm water
1 cup Sorghum flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 T Xanthan gum
4 T oil (I used canola)
3 T honey
1/2 cup soy milk (I used regular milk)
1/4 t salt
1 egg

for the filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 T cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup sorghum flour (reserve this for kneading)

optional additions:
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins

STICKY BUN TOPPING
3 T butter
1/2 c honey
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c chopped walnuts

Combine the yeast and warm (NOT HOT!) water in your mixing bowl. Set aside to let it do its magic. In a separate bowl, combine the 1 c sorghum flour, cornstarch, tapioca and Xanthan, stir to combine. In a small bowl, combine the oil, honey and milk. Stir into the yeast. Add the salt and the egg.

Turn on the mixer, and gradually add the flour mixture. Once it is all added, mix vigorously for 10 seconds. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. It doesn’t rise a whole lot, like with traditional cinnamon rolls, but you should notice some rise in the dough.

Combine your butter, sugar, and cinnamon for the filling. Set aside.

After the dough has risen, dust your work surface, hands and the dough with the reserved sorghum flour. Knead the dough several times until it is all combined. It seems like a lot to be adding, but it really does soak it all up. If the dough is still really sticky, you may need to add more sorghum flour.

Roll dough out into an 8 x 12 rectangle. Spread the reserved butter mixture over the dough. Roll into a long tube. Slice tube into 1 in individual rolls. Place rolls on a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Cover and allow to sit and rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Make sticky bun topping. In a sauce pan over medium heat melt butter, honey, and sugar until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Pour topping into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the mixture.

Once cinnamon rolls have risen, place in 9 x 13 pan and bake for 15 minutes. Eat them while they are hot. ENJOY!

*I turned the rolls over on a platter and spooned on any left over walnuts and honey syrup.

There is something about buttery cinnamon and sugar encased in a warm dough, slathered with cream cheese that makes you say “AHHHH”. The smell of cinnamon evokes a warm homey feeling for me –and I don’t think I am alone here. Romans used to use cinnamon in their love potions, Egyptians in their embalming rituals, and I used it in the World’s Best Cinnamon Rolls.

I have made several different recipes for cinnamon rolls for the years, all were good, but when I made these I knew I found the recipe that I hope to become famous for –at least in my family. My great grandma Dorothy makes a mean cinnamon roll(I don’t have her recipe, yet), but I would totally take this recipe and do a Bobby Flay style throwdown against her. I mixed the dough and let it rise in my bread machine, before I rolled it out and filled it. These cinnamon rolls are as big as your head and incredibly delicious. I looked through the cupboard and realized I was out of vanilla extract, so I added some vanilla instant pudding and skipped the additional sugar.

THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS EVER
1/4 c warm water
1/2 c milk, room temp.
1/2 c half & half, room temp.
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c butter, softened -divided
1/2 tsp salt
4 c AP flour
1 box vanilla instant pudding mix
1 T rapid rise yeast
1 c brown sugar
2 T cinnamon

You may want to look at your owners manual for your breadmachine, but this is how I did it for mine.

Add the ingredients through yeast in the order listed, use 1/4 c of the butter. I used the dough cycle. Once it was done kneading and rising, roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 18×30 inch rectangle. Mix together remaining 1/4 c butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread this mix over the rolled out dough. Starting at the long edge of the dough, roll up tightly, pinching to seal. Using plain dental floss, slide it under the dough log and slice your rolls every 2 inches.

Line a jelly roll pan with greased parchment paper. Place rolls 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise in a warm place (the oven with the light on is perfect) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Rolls should be touching each other after rising, if not push them together so they are touching.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 c confectioners sugar
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

Mix until smooth and well combined.

Spread on warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy immediately! ENJOY!

Scone, apparently the correct pronunciation rhymes with John, is a biscuit like bread served with tea in England. I think most people in the US know what a scone is because they can find them in the pastry case at Starbucks. Accompanied with a hot cup of coffee or tea, scones make a delicious breakfast. However, if you prefer something super sweet with your coffee, you better opt for a muffin instead (or increase the sugar to 1/2 c). Scones are not super sweet, but with the addition of blueberries and almond extract they do pack a lot of flavor. Start brewing your coffee or tea and enjoy a tasty scone for a quick on-the-go breakfast or a nice sit down brunch.

BLUEBERRY SCONES
Yield: 12 scones

2 3/4 c AP Flour
1/3 c sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 T baking powder
8 T cold butter
1 pint blueberries, dusted with flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract(I think lemon would be good too)
2/3 c half & half

Stir together all dry ingredients. With a pastry blender cut in cold butter, it is alright  if some chunks remain. Stir in blueberries. In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, being careful not to “pop” any blueberries. On a parchment lined cookie sheet divide dough into two rounds. About 6 inches across, 1 inch thick. Moisten the tops of the rounds with a little brushed on milk, and sprinkle with a little sugar. Using a cold knife cut each round into 6 triangles.  Carefully pull the triangles apart, so there is a 1/2 inch space between each. Put cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, bake scones for 25 minutes, or until baked all the way through.  They are delicious served warm. ENJOY!

Others who are talking about scones:

Pinch My Salt: Buttermilk Cranberry Scones
Karina’s Kitchen: Strawberry-Chocolate Chip Scones (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Mennonite Girls Can Cook: Cranberry Scones
Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy: Apple Cheddar Scones Sounds Yummy!
Vegan Eats!: Hungry Girl’s Snazzy Blueberry Scones
101 Cookbooks: Raspberry Mega Scones

Up until a couple weeks ago, I thought English muffins were a magical bread product that could only be produced in commercial bakerys, that the recipe was a secret and baking them would be an impossible task for the amateur baker. I was extremely happy to find out how wrong I had been. Baking or rather cooking English muffins in your home is an attainable goal. Like me, you may be surprised to learn that you do not bake English muffins, instead you cook them on a griddle. I now have no need to purchase store bought English muffins EVER again.  You mix the dough in your bread machine, roll it and cut out the muffins, allow to rest for 20 minutes, and finally cook for about 10 minutes. Can you believe how easy it is? I found my recipe at the home baker’s Mecca… King Arthur Flour.

I love my English muffins twice toasted with butter and jam, or as a breakfast sandwich with egg, ham (sausage or bacon will do) and cheese, or as Eggs Benedict. Mc Donald’s has nothing on me!

ENGLISH MUFFINS
from King Arthur Flour
Makes about 16 muffins

1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) milk, warm
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 to 4 1/4 cups (17 to 18 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the “dough” or “manual” setting. After the cycle is complete, transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out until it’s about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out circles with a floured 3-inch cutter. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Heat a frying pan or griddle to very low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook four muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 7 minutes a side. * Warning: the cornmeal can burn, causing your kitchen to get a little smokie. Make sure to use your exhaust fan if you have a highly senstive smoke alarm.

Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light; if they seem to be cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle.

When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the rest. If you have two frying pans (or a large griddle), you’ll be better able to keep up with your rising

I knew there had to be a pizza dough recipe that was instant. After all, those dough packets I got at the store called for only a 5-10 minute rise time. I wish I could take credit for developing this recipe that has become my “go-to” when we get the hankering for pizza. Erin from Lee Lou  Ann had the perfect recipe I had been searching for. It takes 10 minutes of knead time and 10 minutes of rise time. This allows you 20 minutes to shred your cheese, brown your meat, mix your sauce, preheat your oven, have a beer or a glass of wine, whatever you need to do to get ready for pizza time.

Easy Pizza Dough
(from Always in Season)
4 to 4 1/2 c. flour
2 envelopes fast-rising dry yeast
1 t. sugar
2 t. olive oil
1 3/4 c. warm water (110 degrees)
1 t. salt

Put water in mixer bowl. Add yeast and sugar, stir with fork and let sit until creamy. Add oil and half flour and mix with kneader hook. Add remaining flour and salt, knead for 8-10 minutes. Let rest, covered with towel for 10 minutes. The dough may be punched down, placed in a resealable plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator for 12 hours or frozen at this point; return to room temperature before proceeding.
Divide the dough into 8 portions for 6″ crusts or 2 portions for large crusts. Top with sauce, cheese and other toppings. Bake on pizza stone or cookie sheet at 450-500 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

TIPS FOR PERFECT PIZZA:
* Roll your crust thin and dock (poke wholes) with fork. Brush lightly with olive oil.
* Crank up the temp on your oven. I preheat my oven and pizza stone to 550 degrees F.
* Par-bake your crust for 5 minutes before topping.
* Limit your toppings to no more than four. Too many toppings will make your dough soggy.
* Use sauce lightly. I like to do cheese down first, then meat and veggies, sprinkle of Parmesan and pizza spices
* Once pizza is topped bake for another 8 minutes, or until cheese is melty and bubbly.

If you follow these tips you will have a delicious crispy crust pizza. My husband thinks that this is the best pizza ever! We are looking forward to giving it a try on my in-laws BGE!

My most recent trip to the library I brought home Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. After flipping through it several times I realized that this is a book I need for Christmas (hint, hint). I made only the Master Recipe, in two different shapes: Boule and Baguette. I have renewed the book several times, because there are so many other recipes I want to try. I know soon I will have to return it, it would be so nice to have a copy of my own (hint, hint).

The bread is truly easy to make. It is a wet dough that you store lightly covered in your refrigerator, you pull off a hunk of dough when you are ready to bake. Last month we went over to a friends house for dinner, when I asked what I could contribute to the dinner, I was asked to bring bread to eat with the chili. It was so easy, I grabbed a couple grapefruit-sized hunks of dough from the fridge, shaped into baguettes, let rise and bake. It really took no effort on my part. How wonderful is that? Homemade bread without all the effort. The authors say that the master recipe can be stored for up to 14 days and it will become more sourdough flavored the longer it sits. I can not tell you if this is true, because the bread is so good, I used up all my dough after two days (actually less than 48 hours).

The Master Recipe: Boule
from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Makes four 1 lb loaves
3 c lukewarm (100 degrees F) water
1 1/2 T granulated yeast (I used dry active)
1 1/2 T kosher salt
6 1/2 c unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour, measured with the scoop-and-sweep method

Mixing and Storing the Dough
In a large, resealable food storage container, mix water, yeast and salt. Add in all the flour (no kneading required!). Mix together (I used a strong wooden spoon) until everything is moist. You should be able to mix the dough together relatively quickly. Allow dough to rise in bowl on the counter for 2 hours (up to 5 hours), you could use the dough after this rise if you wanted to. Refrigerated dough is less sticky, so, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Ready to Bake
Cover your pizza peal with cornmeal (I do not own a pizza peal, so instead I use parchment paper). Sprinkle your dough with a little flour. Pull up and pinch off a grapefruit sized (1 lb) blob of dough. Add a little more flour, so the dough won’t stick to your hands. Stretch the dough around to the bottom to make a ball shape, this will take a few seconds to achieve. The end result will be a smooth ball of dough.  Put your ball of dough on the pizza peal to rise for 40 minutes (does not need to be covered).  Twenty minutes before you are ready to bake preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Place your baking stone in the lower third of your oven, and a empty boiler tray on the top shelf. Once the bread is ready to go into the oven, dust the top with flour and make 1/4 in. slash marks in the top with a bread knife.  Quickly transfer bread to pizza stone, and add 1 c hot water to boiler tray. Quickly close the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until bread looks brown and crusty. Cool completely before slicing.

I used Michael Chiarello’s Potato Foccacia recipe for the dough, and instead of topping it with potatoes I used dried thyme, rosemary and cheddar cheese. It was great for dunking into our stew.

For the Dough:

1 envelope active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup lukewarm whole milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt, preferably gray salt

Combine the yeast, sugar, and milk in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 1/2 cup of the flour. Stir well, cover with a towel, and let rest in a warm place for 25 minutes.

Mix in the olive oil, salt, and 1 cup of flour, until well incorporated. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough adheres to the hook. It should remain soft and slightly sticky. Continue mixing for about 6 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Remove from the bowl, shape the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, and put into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a towel and put in a warm place for about 1 hour, to let the dough rise until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a baking sheet.

Lightly flour the dough and punch it down. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 by 10 inches. Brush off any excess flour and transfer to the oiled baking sheet. Brush the dough with olive oil and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

Dimple the dough by poking your fingers into it. Add dried herbs and cheese.

Please don’t lick your fingers until you are completely done dimpling the dough!

Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and the bread is crisp on the bottom. Let cool in the pan to room temperature. Cut into squares, “fingers,” or triangles to serve.

Here Sasha is enjoying all her hard work.

Paula Deen. The Queen of all things delicious. I don’t think I have ever made one of her recipes that I did not love, or see her cook something that did not make my mouth water. Well I take that back, the other day on Paula’s Home Cooking she was making Peanut Butter Cheese Fudge, and my stomach did flip-flops.

I recently made Paula’s Cinnamon Rolls for my husband to take to work, they were a huge success, the pan came back empty. This recipe is a MUST TRY! For me it is a WILL MAKE AGAIN!

Click on the cinnamon roll link to get the recipe.

This month’s recipe is “Pizza Napoletana” from Peter Reinhart’s “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice”. Included in part of the challenge was capturing yourself tossing the dough. I unfortunately do not have a picture of this, so please check out the Daring Bakers blogroll for wonderful pictures of my fellow bakers who have mastered the toss.  We also had to use both a sauce and toppings, but it was left up to our imagination as to what those included.

I know a couple secrets to great pizza is a HOT, HOT, HOT oven and don’t overload the toppings. This is a recipe I want to try when I am at my in-laws place, because they cook their pizzas on the grill. My father-in-law has a BGE (Big Green Egg) and it makes for some amazing pizza. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. However, this dough can not be whipped up on a whim. You need to plan for it, because it takes needs to rest in the fridge OVERNIGHT.

My pizza toppings include: marinara sauce (very little), cheddar cheese, Canadian bacon (ham), pineapple (that has been blotted dry), dried Italian herbs, and fresh shredded Parmesean cheese.

I do want to make a pizza with apples. I have a whole crisper drawer full in my fridge.

~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
* BOTH GF AND REGULAR INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled – FOR GF: 4 ½ cups GF Flour Blend with xanthan gum or 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup corn flour, 1 cup oat flour, 1 ½ cup arrowroot, potato or tapioca starch + 2 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast – FOR GF use 2 tsp
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar – FOR GF use agave syrup
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.
The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

Or

2.  FOR GF: Add the oil, sugar or agave syrup and cold water, then mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

3. Flour a work surface or counter.  Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them.  Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

Or

8.  FOR GF:  On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the number of desired dough balls from the refrigerator.  Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with a gluten free flour. Delicately press the dough into disks about ½ inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil. Lightly cover the dough round with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

Or

10.  FOR GF: Press the dough into the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough).

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.
During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.
You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

Or

11.  FOR GF: Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

Or

12.  FOR GF:  Place the garnished pizza on the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

Or

13.  FOR GF:  Follow the notes for this step.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

I have been loving my local library lately; I think I have been there every week since we moved to Omaha. On one of my more recent trips I picked up Down Home Wholesome by Danella Carter. This cookbook is filled with 300 low-fat recipes. Danella includes little stories with some of the recipes, and with her yeast roll recipe the story said these were her mom’s yeast rolls and whenever they were invited someplace for dinner her mother’s rolls were always requested. Since these rolls were infamous, I had to try them. They were delicious! I even made some mini yeast rolls for my girls to enjoy.

Yeast Rolls
Down Home Wholesome by Danella Carter

1 package active dry yeast
1 T honey
1/4 c warm water
2 c 1% fat milk
2 T butter
4 T sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5 c AP unbleached flour

Dissolve the yeast and honey in the warm water and set aside for 10 min. Scald the milk in a small saucepan. Add the butter, sugar, and salt, and let the mixture come to room temperature in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture. Add flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough is formed. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, about 12 min. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large buttered mixing bowl.

Lightly oil the top of the dough, cover with a plate, and let stand in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until dough doubles in bulk.

Butter two muffin pans. Punch down the dough with your fist, and knead for 3 minutes. Pinch off 24 pieces about 2 inches in diameter. Place each piece into a muffin cup.

Cover and let sit for 45 minutes, or until rolls have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Oil the top of each roll. Bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

My inspiration for this meal came after we took a trip to the library and I checked out several cookbooks; one was this beautiful book entitled “Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World“. As I flipped through the book (several times) I saw a recipe for Silk Road Non; after reading it over and over I thought I could at least give it a try. What fun it would be to make handmade non (also spelled nan or naan), and a whole middle eastern meal to accompany it. I did a little research and completed my menu with muhammara and shish tawook.

Everything turned out so beautifully, in this case my hard work really paid off.  Alex was presently surprised with a delicious meal when he came home from work, and he requested it becomes part of the meal rotation. So shake up your recipe collection and try something naan-traditional!If you need inspiration, head to your local library. Many libraries are stocked with recipe books from around the world.

Silk Road Non
Makes 12 round breads
From: Home Baking

2 tsp active dry yeast
3 c warm water
7 to 9 c AP Flour (or 2 c whole wheat flour, plus 4-6 c AP flour)
1 T salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 c rendered lamb fat melted, (or 4 T unsalted butter, melted)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add 3 cups of the flour (if using whole wheat flour, add it and 1 c AP), a cup at a time, stirring well until a smooth batter forms, then stir for another minute, always stirring in the same direction. If you have the time, cover your bowl with plastic wtap and let stand for 30 minutes, or as long as 3 hours, if more convenient.

Sprinkle on 1 T salt and stir in. Add 3 T of the lamb fat or butter and fold in. Continue to add the flour, a cup at a time, stirring and folding it in until dough becomes too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a clean blow, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until at least doubled in volume, about 2 hours. (For more flavor, set in a cool place to rise for 8 hours, or overnight.)

Place rack in upper third of oven and place a large baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles, if you have them, (or baking sheet) on it. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in half and set one half aside, covered. Cut the remaining dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and then flatten with the floured palm of your hand. With a rolling pin, begin rolling it out into thin rounds about 8 inches in diameter. The dough may resist stretching, so work with 2 rounds at once to give the gluten in the dough time to stretch and relax. Roll out 1 round as far as it will easily go, then work on a second before coming back to the first to roll it out a little more.  As you complete each round, set aside on a lightly floured surface, covered with a towel or with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes before baking.

To shape the breads for baking, warm the remaining 1 T lamb fat or butter until very liquid and place by your work surface, together with a pastry brush and salt. Lightly dust a peel with flour. Place a dough round on the peel, then stamp or prick with center of the round thoroughly and vigorously with a fork, leaving a 1 inch rim. Brush lightly all over with lamb fat or butter, then sprinkle the center with a generous pinch of salt. Transfer to the baking stone, placing it to one side to leave room for another bread. Prepare the next bread, and slide into the over beside the first.

Bake for 5 1/2 – 7 minutes, until well flecked with gold. Place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes or so, then wrap in a cotton cloth to keep warm.

As this post is already incredibly long I will just include links to the other recipes. Mahammara is a red pepper and walnut dip. It is delicious with naan. Mahammara link is here. Also I recommend you roast your own red peppers; I couldn’t believe how easy it was, click here for a how to roast your own peppers tutorial.

Shish Tawook is a marinated and grilled chicken. It is so easy to make and tastes wonderful with muhammara. I used a combination of recipes. The original recipes can be found here and here.

Shish Tawook

1/2 c Plain yogurt (I used sour cream)
1/4 c white vinegar
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
2 T ketchup
2 T yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
2-3 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Stir in chicken pieces, coating all sides with marinade. Cover bowl, and refrigerate overnight. Skewer chicken onto kabobs, grill until cook through.

I am entering my Whole Wheat Banana Sour Cream Bread into a Banana Bread Bake Off hosted by Not Quite Nigella. Do you have an unbelievable banana recipe? You have until May 12th to enter your recipe. So get baking!

Last month I bought a five pound package of whole wheat flour, and have been wanting to use it for baking. This bread is quite dense, so the thinnest slice is very satisfying. I added a 1/2 c of chocolate chunks for a sweet surprise. Getting chocolate in your slice of bread is like winning the lottery, you may get a slice that has none or you may get the mother load. This bread makes approximately 24 slices per loaf with 148 calories per slice. Not too bad for a satisfying snack. I recommend eating this bread plain, it is so flavorful, butter or jams are not needed.

WHOLE WHEAT BANANA SOUR CREAM BREAD
3 ripe bananas, mushed
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c brown sugar
2/3 c fat free sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c chocolate chips/chunks (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Pour into greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Bread is cooked completely when a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing (1-1 1/2 hours) ENJOY!

This recipe has been entered into the Banana Bread Bake Off. Wish me luck!

Last Saturday morning, I made these doughnuts for breakfast. Everyone loved them. I covered our doughnuts with powdered sugar and others with a chocolate glaze. I never knew making your own doughnuts could be so easy. I do not have a lot of prior experience working with doughs (other than cookie dough). This year I have made more batches of various doughs than I ever have before, and am enjoying working with them.

Making the doughnuts was really fun, it is something that you don’t get to do everyday. Sasha was right there in the kitchen wanting to help. After I rolled out the dough she was already using a glass to cut them out. It was a fun mother-daughter activity! I must apologize, I do not have any photos of the fresh doughnuts, we ate them all. Take the time and try this recipe, it was delicious.

Yeast Doughnuts
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 ounces vegetable shortening, approximately 1/3 cup
2 packages instant yeast
1/3 cup warm water (95 to 105 degrees F)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
23 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surface
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying (1 to 1/2 gallons, depending on fryer)Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter or pastry ring and using a 7/8-inch ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 degrees F. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.

* I rolled the doughnuts holes in powdered sugar, immediately after removing them from the oil.

I thought Alton’s doughnuts were so delicious, I used his recipes for Chocolate Doughnut Glaze and Doughnut Glaze. The chocolate was the best. We could hardly wait for the glaze to set before we tasted them.

Chocolate Doughnut Glaze
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.

Doughnut Glaze
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm. Sift confectioners’ sugar into milk mixture. Whisk slowly, until well combined. Remove the glaze from the heat and set over a bowl of warm water. Dip doughnuts into the glaze, 1 at a time, and set on a draining rack placed in a half sheet pan for 5 minutes before serving.

I realized that I was so focused on reducing fat content that I forgot to add the baking soda. OOPS! The bread did not rise at all and was extremely dense, but still very flavorful.

Banana Nut Bread
1 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter **I used 1/4c shortening and 1/4c applesauce
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped pecans
3 large bananas mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In your mixer cream sugar and butter **(shortening and applesauce). Add eggs and vanilla. Slowly add flour and soda. Stir nuts and mashed bananas in by hand. Pour into loaf pan. Bake 1 hour, or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack before serving.

BISCUITS

2 c AP flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 T shortening
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c 7-UP
1/2 c butter

Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit. Melt 1/4 c butter in the bottom of a 9 in round cake pan.

Sift flour, powder and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening, then sour cream. Add 7-UP and mix until it forms a ball (it will do this quickly). Roll out on a floured surface until 1/2 in. thick. Cut out biscuits, re-rolling and cutting the scraps.

Place biscuits in cake pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Take out, pour 1/4 c butter over top the biscuits and turn over. Bake another 7 minutes. Maked 13 biscuits.

The biscuits were served with creamed chicken over top and a side of roasted asparagus.

I found a recipe for sourdough bread starter at the Food Network’s website, I chose Emeril’s recipe to follow. For my broccoli cheese soup, I adapted a recipe from my great grandma Nona. My grandma worked with my great grandma to type all of her recipes into a cookbook, which we received for a Christmas present in 1997. I have referenced it countless times when I need some inspiration for dinner. I am looking forward to getting a cookbook of my great grandma Dorothy’s recipes… hint, hint.

BASIC SOURDOUGH STARTER
from Emeril

3 c warm water (110 degrees F)
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. (If the yeast does not foam, discard the mixture and begin again with a new yeast.)
Add the flour and stir vigorously to work air into the mixture. Cover with a towel let rest in a warm, draft-free place (an oven with its pilot light or light bulb turned on works well) for 8 to12 hours. (The mixture should become very bubbly.) Use immediately or cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Preserving the Starter: Each time you remove a portion of the starter for a recipe, reserve at least 1/4 cup and replace the amount you have taken out with equal amounts of flour and water.
For example, if you remove 1 cup of starter, you must replace it with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk these ingredients into the starter until blended but not completely smooth, cover loosely, and return to the refrigerator.
Also, the starter must be maintained by feeding it every few days. Refresh by removing 1 cup of the starter (give to a friend or discard it) and adding 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk until blended but not smooth. Cover loosely and return to the refrigerator.
If you plan to be away longer than a week, freeze the starter in a sterilized, airtight freezer container. Thaw the starter 2 days before you plan to bake with it. Refresh as indicated above with 1 cup each of flour and warm water. Cover and leave at room temperature 12 hours or overnight before using.
CAUTION: Never keep your starter tightly closed! The gasses expelled by the yeast will build up pressure and may cause the container (such as a glass jar) to burst!

I left my mixture sit for 8 1/2 hours before I began to work with it.

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD
from Emeril

2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups sourdough starter, recipe follows
3/4 teaspoon salt

In an electric mixer with the dough hook, combine the flour, starter and salt, and knead until it no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl.
Place a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and knead gently, removing any large air bubbles. Knead into a small circle, then shape into a tight ball (for bread bowls, separate dough in half and shape into two tight balls), pinching the seams together underneath. Place on a well-floured board or baking peel, seam-side down. Cover with a kitchen towels and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat a baking stone, if available, on the bottom rack of an oven at 400 degrees F. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut a large “X” or cross-hatch pattern into the top of the dough.

Spray lightly with a mister and transfer to the baking stone (or place on a heavy baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal) and bake until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, about 60 minutes. (Sourdough should have a darker crust than other breads, so leave in the oven 5 minutes after you think it is done.)
Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

I brushed my bread bowls with melted butter when they came out of the oven.

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
adapted from great grandma Nona’s recipe

1 bunch broccoli -cut up
1 1/2 c boiling water (I used 1 c chicken stock and the hot water I used to rinse out the soup cans. I filled them 1/4 of the way full and swished them around to get the excess soup out)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c light cream (I had none on hand so I used whole milk)
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz cubed Velveeta
1/2c shredded carrots
1/2 c minced white onion
1 T olive oil

Sautee carrots and onion in olive oil.

Add broccoli, chicken stock, soup(and water), milk, and Velveeta. Simmer on med-lo until broccoli is tender.

Once broccoli is tender, scoop out about 1/2 of the mixture and pulse in a blender a few times. Be careful because the mixture is very hot!

Add back to the pot and stir well. Scoop out the insides of the bread bowl and reserve for dipping. Add the soup to the bread bowl and ENJOY!