Joy the Baker » Bread

Super Herb Butter

joythebaker — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:34:12 +0000

Yesterday was a day like any other day.

I woke up thinking about doughnuts and chili fries. Ok… not really. I did, however, make my way to the kitchen, found an open box of cereal, and ate a giant handful of dry cereal with my eyes closed. Then I drank milk. I can’t tell you whether or not I drank straight from the carton or used a glass. That information is classified. Just let me be known that I seem to be a bachelor at heart.

Yesterday was a day like any other day. There was cereal, a bit of beach, eye cream (because I’m obsessed), food, friendship, and curious amounts of butter.

Herb butter. A simple combination of salt and pepper, fresh thyme and chives, fresh (fuzzy) sage and lemon zest.

It all gets smashed into butter. Later I’m going to suggest you put this cold butter inside a hamburger patty. That’s obscene and I apologize in advance.

December 26, 2011. Morning by the beach. If anyone ever makes me live in a frozen tundra land… I’ll hold this dear inside my heart.

December 26, 2011. Brunch with Tracy, Casey, and Cooper (not pictured… obviously). Tracy is cutting her son’s pancake. She’s mom-ing hard.

December 26, 2011. Afternoon butter manipulation and photography. Yes… I shoot on the floor in front of my door sometimes. Just… deal.

What are you going to do with all of this beautiful, herb-y, salty, butter spread?

Bread is an amazing place to start. Toasted? With garlic? Keep talking!

December 26, 2011. You might consider, as I did… placing small pats of herb butter inside ground beef and making butter burgers.

Butter. Burgers. I mean… sweet Lord. The recipe is from Good Meat, a book I am deeply emotional about.

I can neither confirm nor deny my butter burger consumption. A butter burger is not pictured here because that would be entirely irresponsible, and frankly… dangerous.

December 26, 2011. End with a cider. Pear.

Super Herb Butter

makes 1/2 cup butter

Print this Recipe!

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened slightly (you can use salted butter, just leave the extra salt out)

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (depending on how salty you like things)

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme,

2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons lemon zest

3 tablespoons chopped chives

Place butter in a small bowl. Using a fork, mash until softened. Add salt and pepper and mash to incorporate. Add thyme, sage, and lemon zest. Mash to incorporate. Lastly, add the chives and stir to combine. Place butter on a piece of plastic wrap and tighten into a small dish. Chill until ready to use.

Butter will last, wrapped in the fridge, for up to one week.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

joythebaker — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:24:12 +0000

Now is not the time to be thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. Ignore the plastic Christmas trees at Costco… we still have time. We have months. The year is not over yet. We can totally take it easy.

I don’t like New Year’s Resolutions. They’re totally unrealistic, right? I feel like my best intentions of dieting, cleaning, saving money, and being a better human in the world are all flushed down the toilet when I cut people off in traffic while eating doughnuts and throwing money out the window on January 2nd. (Was that a run-on sentence?) ((Don’t answer that.))

Ok. So I don’t throw money out the window. Come on…

Let me get to the point.

I like to make mini resolutions. I make a little resolution, in my crazybrain, each season. Here we are in Autumn… and it’s time to rearrange my goals. I totally nailed my summer goals of wearing bikini tops as bras and keeping my nails done-did. Now it’s time to rearrange.

This Autumn is all about loving hard, giving quality time to others, not texting at dinner, and wearing these friendship bracelets until they fall off my wrist. I keep it simple. It’s usually the simple intentions that influence the larger movements in my life. Trust. I’m not completely superficial.

Do you have some goals you’re going to make this Autumn? Do they have anything to do with living right and making this awesome, yeasty coffee cake!? Say yes! Live right!

As with most good things, this coffee cake starts with a yeasted dough base.

The dough is full of eggs and butter, which make if really easy to work with and knead. It reminds me of a cake/bread hybrid.

Oh… did I mention that we’re making not one, but TWO coffee cakes!? True. It’s we’re going to take the time to work with yeast, let’s just make two cakes and freeze one! Good thinking.

Does this look like the makings of a cinnamon roll with apples? You’re not far off! This coffee cake is like a series of cinnamon rolls that are connected.

Cinnamon apples and streusel fill this cake.

Apple pie meets coffee cake meets cinnamon roll.

Yea. I love you.

Rolled up like a cinnamon roll. Snipped into connected pieces. Shaped like a crooked horseshoe.

Juicy and a little messy. Whatevs.

Even if just a little messy, this cake bakes up like a dream come true.

This spiced, sweet, breakfast cake is a soft and tender play on traditional coffee cake. It’s a bit more time consuming, but it’s pretty simple to roll up two cake rolls, place one on a parchment lined baking sheet to bake, and place the other in the freezer for a breakfast emergency.

This cake screams Autumn comfort. Screams it! Happy screams. From the rooftop!

Oh!

Other yeasty items I want you to be obsessed with:

Lemon Raspberry Breakfast Rolls

Cinnamon-Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Strawberry Balsamic Flatbread

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

makes two loaves

Print this Recipe!

For the Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoon (1 package) active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water, about 105 to 155 degrees F.

big pinch of sugar

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup warm whole milk, 105 to 115 degrees F.

For the Filling:

3 large apples, peeled and cut into small cubes (I used Fuji apples)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

For the Streusel:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

pinch of cardamom

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg and sugar for brushing and topping the dough before baking

To Make the Dough: In a small bowl, mix together yeast, warm water and pinch of sugar. Stir together until yeast is dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes. Yeast will foam up. That’s how you know it’s alive!

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, butter, cardamom, and salt. Blend on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and add eggs and 1 cup of flour. Blend on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated and creamy, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and add 2 cups more cups of flour, foamy yeast mixture, and warm milk. Blend in medium speed until the flour disappears. Mixture will be very wet.

Add 1 1/2 to 2 more cups of flour. Blend until the flour is almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes by hand. Dough will be glossy and just slightly sticky. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rest in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the apple filling and the streusel.

To make the Apple Filling, toss together diced apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, nutmeg and salt. Leave at room temperature and set aside until ready to use.

To make the Streusel Filling:

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cardamom. Add butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture. Break up the butter into the mixture, until thoroughly incorporated and crumbly. Set aside.

Continue on with the Dough:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a large knife or a bench knife to divide the dough in two. Roll each dough piece into about a 10×14-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. Add half of the apple mixture over the apples. Add a bit of the apple juices too. That’s fine.

Starting from the longest side, begin to roll the dough. This isn’t like a cinnamon roll, you don’t have to roll it into a super tight swirl. Fold in about 1 1/2 to 1-inch folds. Keep the seam on the bottom.

Repeat the same steps for the second piece of dough.

Carefully lift roll onto the prepared baking sheet. **Now is a great time to freeze or refrigerate the coffee cake dough for later baking.** Take a pair of clean scissors and slice into the dough leaving about 3/4-inch of dough still attached. Slice at 1-inch intervals. Carefully begin to curve the sliced dough into a semi-circle/horseshoe shape. If some of the apple juices escape, that’s ok Cover with a towel and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle with raw or granulated sugar. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Best served warm with hot coffee. Coffee cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days… or 3 hours.

** If you decide to freeze the dough, place it in the fridge to thaw the evening before you’d like to bake it. Once it’s thawed, slice it according to the above directions. Allow to come to room temperature, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes beyond that. Wash with egg and sugar, then bake.

** If you decide to refrigerate the dough, simple take it out of the fridge, slice according to the above directions. Let come to room temperature, then allow to rise for 30 minutes beyond that. Brush with egg and sugar, then bake.

Almost Vegan Zucchini Bread

joythebaker — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:37:10 +0000

If I could have made a U-turn on the freeway, I would have… that’s how much I didn’t want to go to this party.

The sheer fact that I was forced to drive in a straight line at high speeds is why I made it to this party.

Now… nothing was wrong with the party. It was set to be a perfectly fine evening of good food and tons of people that I didn’t know. Food and new friends? Come on Joy… get into it!

But sometimes it’s just hard to get into it… right?

I tried every trick in my book. I painted my nails pretty. That usually ups my game. I shaved my legs even though I was wearing a long skirt… you know, for inner confidence. I wore my favorite watch. I wore my favorite ring. I washed my car. I said some prayers. I even made this Almost Vegan Zucchini Bread.

I just couldn’t snap out of my recluse/hermit/ohmygod itotally justwant tostayat hhoooommmmeeee tendencies.

So I drove down the freeway to a party.

Guess what?

I had a good time. Yea. Totally. Of course I had a good time.

Guess what else?

I was so so so glad to get home and sneak a slice of this bread and call it dessert.

Real life. Happening.

As you expect, you’ll find the usual suspects in this breakfast bread.

Zucchini. Shredded.

Cinnamon and such.

And then I put buttermilk in vegan bread. No biggie.

Calling something aaaallllmost vegan just makes it totally not vegan. I know. I’m just really down with the fact that this bread is sans butter, sans eggs, and totally has buttermilk in it. I like buttermilk more than I like being vegan.

If you want to go full vegan… buttermilk can totally be substituted for soy milk or water.

Almost Vegan Zucchini Bread

makes one 8×4 or 9×5-inch loaf

Print this Recipe!

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

3 tablespoons ground flax seed meal

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (or soy milk or water, just add about 1/8 teaspoon of vinegar as well)

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flax seed meal, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sugars. Whisk thoroughly, then add the shredded zucchini and nuts (if using).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula. Make sure all of the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan and place in the oven. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Bread will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 5 days.

Vegan Mango Banana Bread

joythebaker — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:13:36 +0000

Was it you who spent last Friday night with a bottle of white wine and a truly GIANT bowl of salty, sweet popcorn.

Did you find yourself 4 hours into a Say Yes to the Dress marathon? Wait… did you cry a little bit?

Was it you who glanced at the random pair of scissors on your coffee table, then took a quick glance at the sleeping cat sitting to your left? Was it you who again glanced at the scissors… then back at the unsuspecting cat? Scissors. Cat. Scissors. Cat.

Wait… was it you who decided to give your poor, helpless cat a summer hair cut?

Was it you who found out that trimming a cat’s hair is actually waaaay harder than it seems?

Was it you left with the kinda silly, lopsided looking cat?

Was that you? Oh. Wait. No.

I guess that was ME. My bad. Honest mistake.

I can’t show you a picture of the cat. It’s downright embarrassing.

Ps. You should also know that I made some fruity, vegan banana bread.

I’m definitely sure that it was me who made it. I’m definitely sure it was me who ate just about the entire loaf.

Oh… also.. the cat licked a slice. He’s a sneaky creature.

Banana bread is a super awesome vegan treat.

It has enough banana, mango, and vegetable fat to keep this bread moist and flavorful, without anything animal-y in it.

I also love the flavor of ground ginger in this bread. The warm spice is nothing but right!

mmm hmm. Bake it.

Vegan Mango Banana Bread

makes one 9×5-inch loaf

Print this Recipe!

3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ripe mango, sliced into chunks

granulated sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in mango chunks.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with extra sugar if you’d like. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean, or with just a few crumbs.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana bread will last, wrapped at room temperature, for up to 5 days… but it’s super delicious eaten within a few days.

Strawberry Balsamic Flatbread

joythebaker — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:15:39 +0000

Am I the only jerk that still orders a medium coffee at Starbucks?

What am I supposed to say?… grande. When it comes down to order time, I always choke. I feel like I’ll sound like a complete tool ordering a grande… but now I realize that I sound more like a tool ordering a medium. I dunno…. it’s just coffee! Can you just give me coffee?

I was at a Starbucks this weekend, saying grande over and over in my head… I was focused. I was on my A-game. Then… I overheard the lady in front of me order some sort of half caf/nonfat/extra foam/iced/capp…. with less than half a pump of chocolate.

I was totally thrown off my game. Why would anyone order an iced cappuccino? With extra foam? What does that even look like? And I don’t think the chocolate croissant you just ordered is doing any favors to your nonfat iced creation. I’m so confused. What are you doing? And Lord! How much did that handbag cost you!? And does anyone really say handbag anymore… or is that like saying pocketbook!? I am old.

…. and then, when my turn came, I ordered a medium…. when all I was trying to do was be a normal person and order a grande.

… and then I went home and made strawberry bread… and that felt right. Then people came over and Whitney brought wine… and it felt even righter (more right, duh).

This bread is like a fluffy flatbread. Is that a thing? It’s like focaccia. That’s definitely a thing.

Let me walk you through this bread…. because I made it and I want you to make it too!

This bread has three rises. Don’t let that deter you. Three rises, but no mixer… does that make things better?

The first rise is yeast, warm water, and a cup of flour. It’s left for an hour to get foamy, frothy, and alive with yeast.

After the first rise, more flour is added… that’s what’s pictured above.

After the first rise, more flour, oil, salt, and sugar are added to the dough. It’s almost ready for the second rise!

But first we add orange zest… because it’s fragrant and delicious.

A little kneading, and the dough is ready for the second rise!

After the second rise, the dough is stretched and rolled out, and placed in a sheet pan.

Let is rise for a short time more and top with olive oil, sliced strawberries, and coarse sea salt.

Oh man. So pretty, right!?

After the bread is baked, it’s topped with goat cheese, balsamic vinegar and fresh mint. Look how fancypants this is! And it’s really not that hard!

The best part is serving it to friends. They’ll freak. I promise.

This bread is somewhere in between sweet and savory. It’s neither and both. It’s an enigma. The dough itself is only slightly sweet, but the added orange zest makes it seem just a touch sweeter. The goat cheese, mint, and strawberries also push this bread to the sweet end of the spectrum… but it’s certainly not very desserty.

I served this bread for brunch with quiche and salad. Win.

Strawberry Balsamic Flatbread with goat cheese and fresh mint

makes 12 squares

recipe adapted from LA Times

Print this Recipe!

2 packages (about 5 teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F)

3 cups of flour, divided into 1 cup increments

3 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup thinly sliced strawberries

coarse sea salt for topping

1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles

good quality balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

1 tablespoon fresh mint, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. I use a fork so I can mash and stir any yeast clumps. Add the flour and blend together until smooth. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

After the mixture has risen, remove the covering and stir in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sugar, and orange zest. Add one cup of flour and stir to blend. Add the remaining cup of flour and salt and work together into a dough.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add up to 1/3 cup more flour and knead. Dough will be slightly sticky, and that’s alright.

Clean out the large bowl and coat with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place dough in the bowl, and flip it over so that it’s entirely coated in oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and knead for just a minute, before pulling and stretching the dough into a 16×9-inch rectangle. I used a rolling pin to help me to this. Place on a greased baking sheet and let rise for 30 minutes.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

When dough has risen, use your fingers to make random indentations in the puffed dough. Drizzle with olive oil. Top with sliced strawberries, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden, crisp and baked through. I rotated the pan once, halfway through baking.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the baking pan, slice into squares with a pizza cutter and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, goat cheese, and fresh mint.

Serve.

This bread is best served within 2 days of baking.

Brown Butter Banana Strawberry Bread

joythebaker — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:34:52 +0000

Can I tell you something about me? This has exactly nothing to do with bananas or butter or bread. Feel free to roll your eyes and skip ahead, if necessary.

I used to be a worrier. Like… a professional worrier. I would worry like it was my job to worry, like I was getting paid mad/crazy/rich person dollars to worry. I wasn’t. I was broke. That fact, in itself, made me worry.

I thought that worry would save me from every possible pain in the world. I thought worry would prepare me for bad things, disappointing things, and crazy unforeseeable things. If I worried about it… it either wouldn’t happen or I’d be prepared for it.

Well… let me tell you: worry is no preparation. It took me years.. YEARS, people…. years, to figure out that worry is just wasted energy.

Let’s be real. I still worry about things. It’s human nature. We have big brains… I’m pretty sure a small portion of them are built to worry.

I worry about earthquakes in the middle of the night when I’m wearing no bra, my ugliest possible t-shirt, and the most embarrassing pair of panties a girl has ever owned. What if there’s an earthquake, and my house falls down, and I have to retreat to my neighbors house in this hideous outfit? Those thoughts usually lead me to find a reasonable pair of pajama pants and I slip on a sports bra. See? Worrier.

But I’m changed my expectations. Instead of worry about the worst, I try to expect the best.

Seriously… what would my day look like if I expected great things instead of disastrous things? I’ll tell you… it’s looks a heck of a lot better. It feels better too. I can drink more coffee without completely spazzing out. Less worry frees me up to jump around in the world, and be silly, and thankful, and wear mint green nail polish, and write pen pal letters, and tell people I love them.

I still worry about earthquakes. Those are scary. But I also expect and welcome not just the good… but the great.

(What? Wait… I’m not talking about trashy reality television? No. I know. It’s weird.)

Do you remember when the strawberry/banana combo really hit its stride? I think it was some time in the mid 90′s… in the Snapple era, that the strawberry/banana craze really got going. I blame smoothies.

But… well, there’s something undeniably good going on here.

Let’s not fight it.

Wait. Remember the Snapple lady? That whole thing was always weird, right?

Let’s get down to the real deal. Bread.

This is banana bread. This is banana bread made exactly 17.845 times more delicious with the addition of browned butter and finely diced strawberries.

Brown butter adds depth, nuttiness, and downright deliciousness. The strawberries help this banana bread feel pretty and celebrate the season. The bread is much more banana flavored than strawberry flavored, but the bits of strawberry add sweet little surprise strawberry flavor bits. I especially love how the strawberries on top get roasted during baking. Slice them super thin so they don’t weigh down the rise of the bread or get too watery.

Sweet bread. It’s comforting, simple, and delicious. If you wanted to slather a warm slice with butter or cream cheese… we’ll, I’d consider you a friend.

I can’t cook without these shoes. It’s just a thing I have.

And in completely unrelated news… these sunglasses look uh-mazing on Alison. Major.

Brown Butter Banana Strawberry Bread

makes 1 9×5-inch loaf

inspired by The Amateur Gourmet

Print this Recipe!

6 ounces unsalted butter, melted and browned to just over 1/2 cup of butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain yogurt (any fat content) or buttermilk

1 1/4 cup mashed banana (from about 3 medium bananas)

1/2 cup diced strawberries plus 1 strawberry very thinly sliced, for topping

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Butter will begin to foam and crackle as it melts. When the crackling subsides, the butter will begin to brown. Swirl the pan as the butter cooks. When the butter browns and begins to smell nutty, remove the pan from the flame and transfer the butter to a small bowl. Taking the butter out of the hot saucepan will stop the butter from overcooking and burning. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt or buttermilk. Whisk in the mashed bananas. When butter has cooled, whisk in the browned butter.

Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients. Fold together, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to reveal any hidden pockets of flour. Fold in the diced strawberries. Fold together ingredients, but try not to over stir.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and top with thinly sliced strawberries. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 15 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Bread will last 4 days, well wrapped at room temperature. This loaf also freezes well.

Whole Wheat Garlic Knots

joythebaker — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:26:58 +0000

I turned lip liner into a pencil I use to write silly notes on my bathroom mirror.

I turned an outdoor fire pit into an herb garden.

I turned a toothbrush into a bike cleaner.

I sometimes turn my desk into my bed… by simply falling asleep at it.

I can turn my bathroom sink into a cat bath.

Turn breakfast into dinner? I’ll do that. Yes.

Turn whole wheat pizza dough into twisty garlic knots!? That’s a heck-yes. That’s a win.

What’s your favorite part about garlic knots?

My favorite part is the garlic knottiness (not a word, now totally a word).

(I know the above picture doesn’t match completely. Let’s just let that be ok. Ok?)

Warm, yeasty bits soaked in garlic, butter, and olive oil.

Whole wheat flour adds a nice heartiness, nuttiness, yumminess.

Doesn’t knotted dough look pretty? I like this.

Oh! I should tell you that this dough also doubles as an AWESOME PIZZA CRUST! Roll it out. Don’t slice it into strips, and top with sauce, cheese and toppings.

Warm bread tossed in garlic, butter, olive oil, and parsley. This is where goodness happens.

Whole Wheat Garlic Knots

inspired by this delicious looking pizza.

makes about 10 garlic knots

Print this Recipe!

1 package active dry yeast, about 2 1/2 teaspoons

1 cup warm water (just warmer than body temperature)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons sugar

For the garlic mixture:

4 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar with warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is frothy. That means it’s alive and ready to go.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours and salt. Create a small well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the yeasty water and add oil. With a fork, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. If the dough is too sticky, add more all-purpose flour. Dough should be slightly sticky, but not stick to your hands too much.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place dough in a large greased bowl. Flip the dough over to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel, and leave to rest in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until the dough is doubled in size. At this point, you can make the garlic knots, or let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight. Just bring the dough to room temperature before rolling it out.

When ready to prepare the garlic knots, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 10-inch by 10-inch square. Roughly…. it doesn’t have to be perfect. Use a pizza cutter to slice 10 1-inch stripes. Tie a knot in the center of the dough, and wrap the ends under and around the knot. This doesn’t have to be perfect either… just make sure that the dough is all tucked into itself. Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place dough knots on prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown.

While bread bakes, in a large bowl whisk together minced garlic, butter, olive oil, parsley and salt. When rolls come out of the oven, immediately toss them in the garlic butter mixture. Toss until coated and remove from the butter bowl. Serve rolls warm.

Rolls are best served the day they’re made, but will last for 3 days if well wrapped. Just reheat in a piece of foil in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

joythebaker — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:21:38 +0000

I’m sorry. I know it’s Monday morning and you probably came here for some pretty pictures of food that you could glance at, and then move on with your day… and here I go thrusting warm, soft cinnamon sugar bread in your face.

It’s not fair. I know it’s not fair. I know that now you’re craving cinnamon rolls, and cream cheese frosting and chili fries and hot dogs. I am too… and I already ate half of this warm bread.

You don’t deserve this sort of torture.

This bread hits all the comfort spots in my soul. It’s yeasty and soft. It’s filled with cinnamon and sugar. AND! You pull it apart in sheets. And you eat it… all. Eat it all. Make this. Make it and eat it all. Make it and eat it all all all all all… then the torture will be done.

I’m sorry and you’re welcome and I love you.

Let’s start at the beginning. We’re making a yeasted dough, rolling it out flat, covering it in butter, cinnamon and sugar, and slicing it into little squares. The squares are then stacked into a loaf pan and baked.

I did this all without the use of a stand mixer and dough hook. I stirred and kneaded by hand… it was way easy.

This dough can be made and left to rise , then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning. The cold dough is a bit easier to roll out than room temperature dough… but I made this recipe without chilling the dough overnight, and I had success.

This is the dough just before it’s left to rise. It looks a little wet, right? Yea… this is a bit of a sticky dough. Try to resist loading the dough up with a ton of flour… it should be sticky.

After the dough has rested and risen for an hour, I knead it in a few tablespoons of flour. It’s soft, and no longer sticky… and just a little pillow of heaven.

This is the part in the bread process where you can wrap the dough and place it in the fridge to rest overnight. Once you’re ready to work with it, let the dough sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before rolling out.

I worked with my dough right away. I rolled it 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long. Then I slathered it with browned butter, cinnamon, and sugar.

I can’t even deal.

I sliced the dough, vertically, into six long strips. I stacked em. I sliced em into six little stacks of dough squares. I drooled a little.

This is the dough stacked into a greased and floured 9×5-inch loaf pan… then I prayed for the patience to wait for this dough to rise again.

After 30 minutes in the oven… oh man…. bread heaven.

I carefully took the bread out of the pan while still warm. It sunk and oozed just a bit, but it was so delicious warm. Incredible. Warm pull-apart yeasty sugar dough. I don’t know what other words you want me to say.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Makes: one 9x5x3-inch loaf

Recipe adapted from HungryGirlPorVida

Print this Recipe!

For the Dough:

2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ounces unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

In a large mixing bowl (I used just the bowl of my stand mixer) whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted. Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract. Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula. Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter. The eggs will feel soupy and it’ll seem like the dough and the eggs are never going to come together. Keep stirring. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes. The mixture will be sticky. That’s just right.

Place the dough is a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. *The dough can be risen until doubled in size, then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning. If you’re using this method, just let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling. Set aside. Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned. Set aside. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Set that aside too.

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out. The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long. If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long… that’s okay. Just roll it as large as the dough will go. Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough. Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture. It might seem like a lot of sugar. Seriously? Just go for it.

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips. Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again. You’ll have six stacks of six squares. Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book. Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown. The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw. A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto a clean board. Place a cake stand or cake plate on top of the upside down loaf, and carefully invert so it’s right side up. Serve warm with coffee or tea.

I think this bread is best served the day it’s made, but it can also we wrapped and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

joythebaker — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:09:39 +0000

Listen up dearhearts.

I made banana bread with peanut butter in it.

It’s a good idea and you should totally jump on this bandwagon.

I like the word bandwagon. It makes me want to wear bellbottoms.

You don’t really need a lot of convincing when it comes to this bread, do you?

Three things are working in this loaf’s favor: peanut butter, banana and flaxseed meal. Oh! Butter too. That’s four things.

This bread is super moist with a slightly crunchy top and crunchy peanut bits baked in. Peanut butter and banana are a combination as old as time so this bread just makes sense… don’t you think?

Now, if you wanted to add chocolate chips and a splash of bourbon.. I want to marry you.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Makes: one 9×5-inch loaf

recipe adapted from CookingLight

Print this Recipe!

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup plain or vanilla fat free yogurt

1/3 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 large eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal (I’ve also baked this bread without the flaxseed meal… because I forgot to add it, and the bread was still moist and delicious)

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, flaxseed meal, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon and ground allspice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, yogurt, peanut butter and melted butter. Whisk in eggs and sugars. Blend mixture until no sugar lumps remain.

Pour the wet mixture into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold together with a spatula until no more flour bits remain. Fold in the chopped nuts as well. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and cake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before running a butter knife along the edges of the pan and inverting the bread onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This bread lasts, well wrapped at room temperature,for up to 4 days. It is also great to store, well wrapped, in the freezer.

Whole Wheat Molasses Bread

joythebaker — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 07:40:20 +0000

I had some pictures taken this week…. the kind of pictures where I had to pretend to be an actress with glossy lips and curled hair.

The kind of pictures where you have to look surprised and pleased and over the shoulder and don’t do that weird thing with your lips and open your eyes wider and tuck that crazy hair under the less crazy hairs and what the heck are you doing with your chin and please stop that…

Those kind of pictures.

Dumb.

Know what I learned? My forehead is huge.

When I was a kid my Dad made fun of me for having a huge forehead (thanks dad… it’s your fault anyway!), and I had assumed that I had grown into my large upper face region. I was wrong. Totally disproportionate. I’m reconsidering bangs. Please don’t tell my Dad…. the last thing I need is for that whole thing to start up again.

I tell you about my large forehead because it has everything to do with this loaf of bread.

Where my forehead is disproportionate to my face… this bread, with its six simple ingredients, is totally proportionate to… itself.

Wait.

See what I did there?

Forehead and bread.

Proportions are very important in a loaf as simple as this. The ratio of flour to liquid and leavening lends a distinct texture… in this case, darn near perfect.

This beautiful loaf is somewhere right between sweet and savory. There’s no sugar beyond the dark molasses. But lemme tell ya… just the molasses adds a really lovely and deep flavor.

Whole wheat flour and cornmeal lend to the savory aspects of the bread and give this loaf a great nuttiness and just a bit of crunch. I could totally see serving this bread with a hearty vegetarian soup for dinner or a cup of tea for breakfast. I spread my with Nutella. Duh… delicious. Then I spread it with cream cheese and my head just about exploded. Perfect.

Whole Wheat Molasses Bread

makes one 8×4 or 9×5-inch loaf

recipe from the New York Times

Print this Recipe!

1 2/3 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup molasses

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8×4 or 9×5-inch loaf pan. Non-stick baking spray works well too.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt and baking soda.

In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk or yogurt and molasses.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold to combine. The batter will be slightly thick, but not dry. Spoon batter into prepared pan and place in the oven. Bake loaf for 45 minutes to an hour. Depending on how evenly your oven bakes, you might want to rotate the loaf in the middle of baking. Be careful though. Don’t manhandle it too hard or it might deflate.

When a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, remove the loaf from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes in the loaf pan. Run a butter knife along the sides of the pan and carefully invert onto a wire rack.

Loaf will keep, well wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Serve with cream cheese, jam, salted butter or nutella.