Chocolate Hazelnut Babka Bread

I'm a nut for any chocolate bread.  I have to try, so when I stumbled on this recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Babka I had to try my hand at it. I've never had babka, but it looks so good.  If you decide to make this bread, make sure you have about 6 hours for it. Also, I'm not very good at chopping the chocolate, but you can get some Scharffen Berger chocolate that's already chopped and 70% Cacao, which is nearly what the recipe calls for (72%).  This bread is soooo good!

Chocolate Hazelnut Babka

Chuck of thekneadforbread.com

Ingredients   

Dough & Sponge

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups milk

4 teaspoons instant yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

3 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup melted butter

Filling:

1 pound rich dark chocolate- chopped

1 cup toasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup soft butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Drizzle:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts

3 tablespoons milk

Baking Pans: 2 medium (5”x9”) loaf pans, greased

Add 2 cups flour 1 3/4 cup milk and instant yeast. Beat together with a wooden spoon until smooth cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour. 

After sponge has sat for 1 hour, pour into a large clean bowl. Add in melted butter, eggs, yolks and beat with a wooden spoon. Mix in brown and white sugar. Add half the flour and mix. Pour out onto a floured surface and continue to add the rest of the flour and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. You may or may not need to add all the flour. 

Pour a little oil into a clean bowl and place dough in. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour or until double in bulk. 

Place shelled hazelnuts into a zip lock bag and break into pieces. Pour them out onto a cookie sheet and toast at 275 until golden brown about 6-10 minutes then cool. 

Chop dark chocolate (72% cocoa) into small pieces and place in bowl. Mix in soft butter, chopped hazelnuts and cinnamon.

After dough has risen pour out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough in half and set one piece back into bowl and cover. 

Roll out dough into a 16x12 rectangle. Pour half the filling on top leaving a 1/2 inch on all sides. Starting on the narrow end roll dough half way, then roll the other end until they meet in the center. 

Pinch closed, then twist a few times. Do the same with the other piece of dough. 

Place into two 5x9 greased loaf pans. 

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Bake in a pre heated 350F oven for 55-60 minutes. 

Place on a wire rack and cool before removing from pan. 

Mix 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts and 3 tbsp milk then drizzle on top.

Quinoa Whole-Wheat Bread

I had a potluck to go to yesterday, and wanted to find something healthy to bring in addition to the cheesecake "cupcakes" I was bringing.This bread was easy to make and pretty yummy!!!!

Quinoa Whole-Wheat Bread [one medium loaf]

Beth Hensperger

Ingredients      

1 cup whole-wheat flour

½ cup unbleached all-purpose ñour

¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons sunflower seed oil or other vegetable oil

½ cup sunflowers

1 cup water

½ cup quinoa, well rinsed

Baking Pan: 1medium (8 1/2"-x-4 ½") loaf pan, greased

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the quinoa and reduce the heat as low as possible. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl using a whisk, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl using a whisk or electric mixer, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Add the quinoa and sunflower seeds.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients with a large spatula, stirring just until moistened using no more than 15 to 20 strokes.

Spoon the batter into the greased loaf pan. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter and Banana Bread

I found this  recipe online, and I just had to try it! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate together! It sounds perfect! I did alter the recipe a tiny, tiny bit to suit me but nothing significant.  It's definitely good but the banana is overwhelmed by the peanut butter...

Peanut Butter and Banana Bread

From Delish

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 
2/3 cup sugar
3 large ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 5 x 9-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips. It's my understanding that if you coat the nuts and chocolate in flour before adding to the batter, you're making it so the chips don't "float" up while baking.  This helps you have chips and nuts throughout the bread instead of just at the top.  

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat the peanut butter and sugar together until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in the mashed banana and eggs; mix well.

Using a wooden spoon or flexible spatula, stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter–banana mixture, mixing until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula if needed. This part is key for quick breads- just until combined.  If you overstir the batter with the flour in it, your bread won't have the desired texture. Not sure why- I guess the flour gets grumpy!;P

Pour the batter into the pan and gently smooth the top with the flexible spatula. Bake 45 minutes. Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes in the pan.

Remove the bread by running a paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen it, then inverting the pan to release the bread onto a wire rack. Carefully turn the bread right-side up and cool completely. Slice and serve. 

Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and foil; keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. (Like that's possible!!!)

Pao Doce (A Portugese Easter Bread)

Today I tried a new bread, a holiday bread but not one appropriate for December.  It's an Easter bread from Portugal and the Azores.  It's super easy to make and yummy with a nice homemade jam- I had plum on hand.  I found this recipe from Country Living.  I've made this recipe twice- once with safflower because I didn't have any saffron and once with saffron, and let me tell you, it's way better with saffron.  The flavor is way more intense with saffron.

Pao Doce

Country Living

INGREDIENTS   

1/4 teaspoon(s) saffron, crumbled
1 cup(s) warm water
2 package(s) dry active yeast
1/2 cup(s) sugar
2 tablespoon(s) sugar
3-4 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
4 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg

BAKING PANS: 2 medium (9"-x-5") baking pans, greased or Teflon

Steep the saffron in the warm water for 10 minutes in a small bowl. 
 Combine the yeast, the 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup flour and 2/3 cup of the saffron water in a good-sized bowl. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Coat a large bowl with the butter and set aside. Stir the yeast-and-flour sponge down with a wooden spoon and stir in the 1/2 cup sugar, the remaining saffron water, egg yolks, whole egg, and remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to stir until a very sticky dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, form it into a ball, and transfer it to the prepared bowl, turning to coat all sides with butter. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough doubles in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425F. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Form both halves into loaves and place in two pans. Cover with the damp towel and let rise until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.

Bake in the lower third of the oven until loaves are golden and sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.