Cinnamon Star Bread

I saw this recipe from King Arthur Flour and had to do it!! It looks amazing! I had my doubts that I could make one that looked as delicious as theirs but I had to try! Now I didn't do it exactly they way they suggested; I made some changes. I actually think it looks pretty good! So here's what I did do.

2 cup flour

½ cup instant potato flakes

¾ cup warm milk

¼ cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp yeast 

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Mix together the flour, potato flakes, milk, butter, vanilla, yeast, sugar, and salt.
2. Knead until a soft, smooth dough forms.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 60 minutes, until it's nearly doubled in bulk.
4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces.
5. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
6. Beat the egg.
7. Shape each piece into a ball, cover the balls, and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.
8. On a lightly greased or floured work surface, roll one piece of dough into a 10" circle. (My circles were only 8".)
9. Place the circle on a piece of parchment, brush a thin coat of beaten egg on the surface, then evenly sprinkle with ⅓ of the cinnamon-sugar, leaving ¼" of bare dough around the edge. (I used way less cinnamon-sugar.)
10. Roll out a second circle the same size as the first, and place it on top of the filling-covered circle.
11. Repeat the layering process — egg, cinnamon sugar, dough circle — leaving the top circle bare.
12. Place a 2½" to 3" round cutter (I used a lid) in the center of the dough circle as a guide.
13. With a sharp knife, cut the circle into 16 equal strips, from the cutter to the edge, through all the layers. (I started by doing quarters and then bisecting each section until I had 16 pieces.)
14. Using two hands, pick up two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice so that the top side is facing up again.
15. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough so that you end up with eight pairs of strips.
16. Pinch the pairs of strips together to create a star-like shape with eight points.
17. Remove the cutter/lid.
18. Transfer the star on the parchment to a baking sheet.
19. Cover the star and let it rise until it becomes noticeably puffy, about 45 minutes.
20. While the star is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.
21. Brush the star with a thin coat of the beaten egg.
22. Bake it for 12 to 15 minutes, until it's nicely golden with dark brown cinnamon streaks.
23. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
24. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
25. Store any leftover bread, well wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for several days.

Yankee Oatmeal-Molasses Bread

I loooooove molasses, and while for many fall might mean pumpkin spice, for me it means molasses. So I looked around for a molasses recipe. Yankee! Oatmeal! Molasses! When I found this, I knew I had to try it. It is delicious! The recipe includes a glaze and a sprinkle of oats for the top. I did do that (and it is a yummy glaze!), but I don't think it was necessary and won't do it next time. 

from Bon Appétit

½ cup packed old-fashioned oats

¾ cup boiling water

1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)

2¼ tsp yeast

6 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp butter, room temperature

1¼ tsp salt

4½ cup flour

glaze

1 tbsp melted butter mixed with 1 tsp molasses

1 tbsp old-fashioned oats 

1. Place ½ cup oats in large bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook; pour ¾ cup boiling water over. 
2. Let stand 30 minutes (water will be absorbed and oatmeal will be very soft).
3. Pour 1 cup warm water into 2-cup glass measuring cup. 
4. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. 
5. Mix molasses, 2 tablespoons butter and salt into oat mixture in bowl.
6. Mix in yeast mixture.
7.  Add enough flour, 1 cup at a time, to form medium-soft dough, mixing at medium speed until well blended, about 3 minutes. 
8. Turn out dough onto floured surface. 
9. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is too sticky, about 5 minutes. 
10. Form dough into ball and put in a greased bowl.
11. Cover bowl and let rise for 1 hour.
12. Punch down dough; turn out into floured surface and knead 3 minutes. 
13. Form into 8-inch-long loaf. 
14. Transfer to a greased loaf pan and cover.
15. Let for about 45 minutes.
16. Preheat oven to 400°F.  
17. Bake the bread for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350°F. 
18. Bake for 25 minutes longer. 
19. Make the glaze by melting the butter and mixing in the molasses.
20. Brush the top of the bread with the glaze; sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats over. 
21. Bake for about 10 minutes longer. 
22. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 10 minutes. 
23. Turn out brad onto rack; cool completely. 

Honey Ricotta Stuffed Buns

Adapted in part from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart

These sounded delicious to me and so I had to make them. Beware! They take a long time to make!! So while they are good, I didn't feel the flavor was worth the time it took to make them.

For the filling:
¼ cup Marsala wine (or fruit juice)
½ cup golden raisins
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons honey, or to taste

For the starter:
½ cup unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
½ cup milk, at room temperature

For the dough:
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon honey
3¼-½ cups unbleached bread flour
1¼ teaspoons salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for an egg wash

1. Soak the raisins in the wine for at least 2 hours.
2. Drain well, and mix into the ricotta with the honey.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. To make the starter, mix together the flour, yeast, and milk in a bowl.
4. Cover and let stand at warm room temperature for about 45 minutes.
5. To make the dough, whisk the eggs and honey into the starter.  
6. Add the flour and salt, and mix until all the flour is moistened.  
7. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
8. Gradually work in the butter, adding about 1 tablespoon at a time.  Let each piece of butter incorporate before adding the next one.
9. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and clears the sides and bottom of the bowl.  If the dough sticks to the sides or bottom, add additional flour by spoonfuls until the correct consistency is achieved.
10. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and shape the dough into a round ball.  
11. Transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides of the dough with oil.  Cover until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.  Twenty minutes before shaping the buns, set the ricotta filling out at room temperature to take the chill off.
12. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, pressing gently to deflate.  
13. Divide the dough into 16 even pieces, shaping each into a round ball.  
14. Cover loosely and let rest for 10 minutes.  
15. Lightly grease a large baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.
16. Using a rolling pin or your hands, flatten each piece of dough to a flat round. 
17. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling in the center. Pull the dough up and around the filling, pressing firmly to seal the seam.
18. Transfer the bun seam-side down to the prepared baking sheet, and cover loosely. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
19. Cover and let the buns rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
20. Gently brush each bun with the egg wash, taking care not to deflate.  
21. Bake the buns at 400º for 15-20 minutes, or until well browned, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even browning.  

Doughnut Bread Pudding

Yesterday was the last day of classes for me, and my tradition on the last day is to just play UNO with my students. So I did play UNO with my students, but unlike normal, I brought doughnuts to class. I only had a dozen and 3 dozen students, so I quartered all the doughnuts. Happily I had enough doughnuts- in fact so much so that I had leftovers. What to do? As I biked home, I decided to make a bread pudding out of the doughnuts!

doughnut pieces
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1. Put the doughnut pieces in a loaf pan. My pieces covered the loaf pan about 1-inch deep.
2. Scramble two eggs.
3. Add one cup of milk to the eggs.
4. Pour the egg-milk mixture to the loaf pan.
5. Let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!!

Cherry Bread

from Martha Meade

When I was going through my grandmother's recipes, I really wanted to try this recipe! It looked so good to me. The recipe said, “‘Best surprise we’ve ever had!’ your family will say, when you pack cream cheese sandwiches made with Cherry Bread in their lunches. Nice to serve with salad luncheons too!” Well, I finally made it and while I haven't had it with cream cheese, I have to say, it's good! Kind of cake-y! YUM! 

1 cup pitted, canned red cherries (well drained and chopped) [I used fresh cherries that I pitted and quartered.]

1 tbsp lemon juice [I didn't have any, so I skipped this step.]

¼ cup butter

⅔ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2½ cups sifted flour

3 tsp baking powder

1½ tsp salt 

½ cup milk

1. Mix the cherries and lemon juice.
2. Let stand while preparing batter.
3. In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. Add the egg.
5. Beat until well mixed.
6. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
7. Add half the milk to the creamed butter mixture.
8. Add half the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture.
9. Add the remaining milk to the creamed butter mixture.
10. Add the remaining flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture.
11. Stir until the batter is smooth.
12. Blend in the chopped cherries.
13. Place the batter into a greased and floured 9x5x3-inch bread loaf pan.
14. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes.
15. Let stand overnight before slicing. 

Babka

From Bernard Clayton

I love Babka and thought I would try this one. It was very good, but it took nearly the whole day and I don't feel the raisins, nuts, or poppy seeds added a whole lot. 

sponge

2 cup bread flour

4½ tsp yeast

½ cup nonfat dry milk

1¼ cup hot water (120°-130°)

dough

½ cup sugar

1tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2½ cup bread flour, approximately

½ cup butter, softened

filling

1½ cup almond paste

almond paste

1½ cup whole blanched almonds

1½ cups sifted powdered sugar

1egg white

1tsp almond extract

¼ tsp salt

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, melted

1cup raisins, plumped in brandy

1 cup slivered almonds or broken walnuts

topping

½ cup butter, melted

2 tbsp poppy seeds

2 medium loaf pans (8"-x-4"), greased and lined with waxed or parchment paper

1. First make the paste for the filling by grinding the almonds, a portion at a time, in a food processor or blender.
2. Combine with the powdered sugar, egg white, almond extract, and salt. Work into a stiff paste. Refrigerate in an airtight container or plastic bag. The paste must be thoroughly chilled before it can be rolled under your palms-about 2 hours.
3. Make the sponge by string together the sponge ingredients with a wooden spoon for 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave at room temperature to allow the sponge to form and ferment, about 2 hours. The sponge will double in bulk.
5. Remove the towel and stir down the sponge.
6. Measure in the sugar, salt, cardamom, and vanilla. Stir vigorously to blend.
7. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating each into the batter, which will begin to pull away in sheets as it is beaten-this is desirable.
8. Add 1½ cups flour to the mixture and beat with a wooden spoon or flat beater until it has been absorbed into the batterlike dough.
9. Drop in the butter, a small portion at a time, beating until it is mixed into the dough. (This is a little challenging.)
10. Add flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form a dough that is quite soft yet elastic. It will have had enough flour when it can be turned from the bowl and be pushed or worked without sticking to your hands or the work surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour, if necessary. The soft almost rubbery texture is unlike most bread doughs.
11. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with a towel, and put aside to double in volume, about 1½ hours.
12. Punch down the dough and turn it onto the floured work surface.
13. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. With your hands and a rolling pin, form each dough piece into an 8"-x-14" rectangle, ¼" thick. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes before continuing.
14. Spread each rectangle first with half the almond paste and then with half the melted chocolate.
15. Sprinkle on the raisins and nuts.
16. Lightly press these into the dough with the palms of your hands or the rolling pin.
17. Roll up the dough, lengthwise, as for a jelly roll. Pinch the seams tightly to secure. Put the seams under and with the rolling pin roll each length of dough 2 or 3 times, lightly.
18. Twist each length of dough 6 or 8 turns, and allow the twist to rest for a few moments to adjust to its new shape.
19. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle generously with poppy seeds.
20. Cover the loaves with wax or parchment paper and put aside to rise to slightly less than double in volume, about 1 hour.
21. Preheat the oven to 350° 20 minutes before baking.
22. Bake until each twist is a deep brown, about 45 minutes.
23. Halfway through baking, open the oven and turn the pans around to equalize the heat. If the crusts seem to be browning too quickly, cover with a length of foil or brown sack paper.
24. Remove the loaves from the pans with care for they are fragile while still warm. Allow to cool before cutting.

Plymouth Bread

This bread comes from Bernard Clayton. It caught my eye because it has both molasses and cornmeal. It is delicious! It came out with a perfect crusty crust and a delectable soft center. I sliced it when it was still warm and the butter that melted on it as I spread it on was a perfect complement to the bread. He says it freezes well, but I don't imagine ever wanting to freeze. It's too yummy not to eat right away!

2½ cup water

½ cup yellow cornmeal

2 tbsp butter

½ cup molasses

2 tsp salt

2¼ tsp yeast

4-5 cup bread or all-purpose flour, approximately

1 tbsp milk (optional)

1. In a saucepan bring the water to a boil and very slowly pour the cornmeal into it, stirring all the while. This is important to keep the mixture smooth and free of troublesome and unattractive small balls of congealed meal. Boil over a medium heat for 5 minutes. 
2. Remove the pan from the burner, and add the butter, molasses, and salt. Put aside to cool.
3. Pour the cooled cornmeal mixture into a mixing or mixer bowl. Add the yeast and blend for a minute. Gradually add 2 cups flour and beat. Stir in additional flour with the spoon, and then by hand, until a rough mass is formed. If slack or sticky, add up to ¼ cup more flour and work it into the dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead.
4. Place the ball of dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel and leave at room temperature until it doubles in volume, about 1 hour.
5. Punch down the dough. Knead briefly to press out the air bubbles, and divide into 2 pieces. Press each piece into a flattened oval, fold in half, pinch the seam, plump into shape, and place in the pans.
6. Cover the loaves and let rise until doubled in volume, 45 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 350° 20 minutes before baking.
8. Bake until the loaves are nicely browned, and tapping the bottom crust yields a hard, hollow sound, about 1 hour.
9. Remove the bread from the oven. A brush of milk across the crust will give the loaves a nice soft glaze. 

German Sour Cream Twists

from Bernard Clayton

This recipe sounded delicious and it is! I really enjoy this recipe. I didn't use as much sugar as the recipe calls for but it's so good. It's flavorful and flaky. 

3½-4 cup all-purpose flour, approximately

1 tsp salt

2¼ tsp yeast

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

2 egg yolks, room temperature

½ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla

sugar

1. Measure 2 cups flour into a mixing or mixer bowl and add the salt and yeast. Stir to blend.
2. In a saucepan heat to lukewarm and stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolks, butter, and shortening. Add the vanilla.
3. Form a well in the flour and pour in the liquid to make a thick batter. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon.
4. Add flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form a rough, shaggy mass that can be lifted to the work surface to knead. Knead for 5 minutes. Add sprinkles of flour if the dough is wet with oil.
5. The dough is so buttery that there is no need to grease the bowl beforehand. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with a towel, and set aside to double in bulk, 1½ hours.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball.
7. Liberally sprinkle sugar on the work surface and on the ball of dough.
8. Roll out the dough to an 18" length, occasionally sprinkling on sugar.
9. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and then into quarters. Roll out the dough again into a rectangle 18" long. Sprinkle with sugar.
10. With a pizza cutter or knife held against a yardstick, cut the rectangle into lengths 1" wide by 4" long for the larger twist. Twist each piece and place 1" apart on the prepared baking sheets.
11. Cover the twists with a towel and set aside to become puffy and raised, about 1 hour.
12. Preheat the oven to 375° about 20 minutes before baking.
13. Uncover the twists and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Place in the oven and bake until lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
14. Immediately lift the twists from the baking sheet with a spatula, otherwise the sugared bottoms will stick and never part from the pan in whole pieces. Place on a metal rack to cool.

Maple Syrup-Graham Bread

This bread comes from Bernard Clayton. I so love maple syrup bread so when I saw this I had to try it. I was a little surprised it was a quick bread, but that's okay! I did halve the original recipe. I find that two loaves of quick bread is often a little too much to have in the house if it's just the two of us. 

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 egg, room temperature

¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature

¼ cup sour cream, room temperature

½ cup + 2½ tbsp maple syrup

1 loaf pan, greased, lined with greased wax paper

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.
2. In a large mixing bowl blend together the white flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Stir in the whole-wheat flour.
4. In a small bowl beat the eggs and blend in the buttermilk, sour cream, and maple syrup.
5. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.
6. Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
7. Place the pans in the oven and bake until the loaves test (and look) done, about 1 hour. A metal skewer or cake testing pin inserted in the center of a loaf will come out dry if the loaf is done.
8. Remove the bread from the oven. Turn the pans on their sides and gently tug on the paper to pull the loaves out. Allow the loaves to cool before slicing.
9. There is a pleasant sweetness about this bread, especially when simply sliced and spread with sweet butter. Good, too, served with fruit.

Pain Noir

This bread comes to be from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. I love chocolate bread so I had to try this one! It has a really good taste especially paired with a cheese. I've tried both cheddar and Camembert and found them both delicious. However, it didn't rise much at all. I'm not sure if that's normal or not.

¼ cup cornmeal

½ cup boiling water

⅓ cup cold water

1 package dry yeast

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

½ tablespoon butter

½ cup molasses

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

⅓ cup instant potatoes flakes

⅔ cup whole-wheat flour

½ cup rye flour

½ cup all-purpose flour (sort of)

1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 tablespoon water

coarse salt (optional)

1. Stir the cornmeal into a pan containing the boiling water. 
2. Stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth. 
3. Add the cold water gradually, stirring constantly. 
4. When the mixture has cooled somewhat (110°), stir in the yeast.
5.  In a small saucepan over very low heat melt together the chocolate and butter., allowing it to cool to lukewarm.
6. In a large mixing bowl combine the cornmeal and chocolate mixtures and add the molasses, salt, caraway, and mashed potatoes. 
7. Beat together with a heavy spoon or in an electric mixer for 2 or 3 minutes, until smooth.
8.  Add the whole-wheat flour and stir or beat for 2 minutes. 
9. Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside to rest for 1 hour while the dough ferments. 
10. Add the rye flour. Stir to form a shaggy ball of dough that can be lifted to the work surface. 
11. Use a dough blade to turn, fold, and knead the dough, because it is very sticky to work, for 8 minutes.
12. Add liberal sprinkles of white flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface and your hands. It will gradually become elastic even though sticky. 
13. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat the ball, cover with a towel, and put aside in a warm place to double in volume, about 75 minutes. 
14. Turn back the towel, punch down the dough, re-cover, and let it rest for 15 minutes. 
15. Turn the dough onto the work surface and shape into a round loaf. 
16. Place the loaf on a baking sheet prepared with cornmeal. 
17. Cover and let rise until almost double in volume, about 45 minutes. 
18. Preheat the oven to 375° 20 minutes before baking. 
19. Brush the loaf with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse salt. 
20. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for 35 minutes more, or until the loaf tests done. It will sound hollow when the bottom crust is tapped with a forefinger.   
21. Place the loaf on a metal rack to cool before slicing. 
22. Excellent served with cheeses.

War Bread

This bread comes from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. According to Clayton this bread had been "a farmhouse loaf in New England kitchens for more than 150 years." This makes me think it was a bread from before the Civil War. At any rate I quite like it!! I like the hit of cornmeal in the bread. I'm actually thinking I'll try it again in the future but with less white flour.
 

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tablespoon butter

⅓ cup molasses

1 tablespoon salt

3 cups boiling water

1 package dry yeast

5 to 6 cups bread or all-purpose flour, approximately

1. In a large bowl combine the rolled oats, cornmeal, whole wheat, shortening, molasses, and salt.
2. Pour in the boiling water, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to 120°-130°.
3. Sprinkle the yeast on the batter, and blend.
4. Stir in the white flour, ½ cup at a time, first with the spoon and then by hand. The dough will be somewhat heavy and dense and will not have the elasticity of white dough. Nevertheless, the dough will form a shaggy mass that cleans the sides of the bowl.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with the rhythmic motion of push-turn-fold until the dough has become smooth. Sprinkle on more flour if the dough continues to stick to the work surface or your fingertips.
6. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel.
7. Put in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
8. Punch down the dough and knead for 30 seconds to press out the bubbles.
9. Divide the dough into 3 pieces.
10. Shape into balls, and let them rest on the work surface for 3 to 4 minutes.
11. Form each loaf by pressing a piece of dough into a flat oval, roughly the length of the baking pan.
12. Fold each oval in half, pinch the seam tightly to seal, tuck under the ends, and place in the pan, seam down.
13. Cover the loaves with a towel and leave until the center of the dough has risen to an inch above the edge of the pan, 50 minutes.
14. Preheat the oven to 350° 20 minutes before baking.
15. Bake the loaves in the oven until they are nicely browned and test done, about 1 hour.
16. Remove the bread from the oven and turn from the pans. Place on a metal rack to cool.

Cardamom Bread

I was really hoping this would be an exciting bread. It sounded interesting a looked amazing when it came out of the oven, but honestly- I found it bland.

1 tbsp water

½ cup milk

2 tbsp butter (room temperature)

1 egg (room temperature)

2¼ cup bread flour

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp ground cardamom

1½ tsp yeast

1. Combine the yeast, 1 cup flour, salt, sugar, and cardamom.
2. Combine water and milk and heat to 120º to 130º F.
3. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, combine dry mixture, liquid ingredients, and butter in mixing bowl for 4 minutes on medium speed.
4. Add egg and beat for 1 minute.
5. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook until smooth and elastic (about 5-7 minutes).
6. Place the dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top.
7. Cover; let rise for an hour.
8. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles.
9. Divide dough into 3 parts.
10. Roll each piece into a 16-inch rope; line up ropes one inch apart on a greased cookie sheet.
11.  Braid loosely; pinch ends together and tuck under.
12. Cover; let rise until indentation remains when touched.
13. Brush with milk and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
14. Bake in preheated 375º F oven 20 to 25 minutes.