Milk and Honey White Bread

This bread is up there on my list of favorites!


Taken from:
 http://theslowroasteditalian.blogspot.com/2011/07/milk-and-honey-white-bread.html

4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packets)

2-1/2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)

1/2 cup honey

6 tablespoons butter, melted + 2 tablespoons reserved for greasing bowl and butter top

1 tablespoon kosher salt

7 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add yeast, warm milk and honey.  Swirl with your fingers or a spoon to dissolve the yeast.  Allow to sit until the yeast starts to bubble and becomes aromatic, about 5 minutes. 

Add butter, salt and 4 cups of flour, mix on low using dough hook, until smooth.  Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and shape into two loaves. Place in greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350° for glass and dark pans (375° for light metal pans).  Brush tops with melted butter.

Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 

Makes 2 loaves.

Monkey Bread

Make this.  No seriously,  Make it.  

Recipe taken from Smitten Kitchen - the best food blog out there.

Dough
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted)
1 cup milk, warm (around 110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (also around 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise, instant or bread machine yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons table salt

Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar (CI advises against dark brown, which they feel imparts too strong of a molasses taste; I suspect it wouldn’t bother me)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick or 4 ounces), mleted

Cream Cheese Glaze
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus extra if needed
2 tablespoons milk, plus extra if needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Get oven and pan ready: Adjust oven rack to medium-low position and heat oven to 200°F. When oven reaches 200, turn it off. Butter Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.

Make dough: In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.

To proceed with a stand mixer, mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. (The dough should be sticky but if it is too wet to come together into anything cohesive, add an additional 2 tablespoons flour.) Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball.

To proceed by hand, mix flour and salt in large bowl. Make well in flour, then add milk mixture to well. Using wooden spoon, stir until dough becomes shaggy and is difficult to stir. Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and begin to knead, incorporating shaggy scraps back into dough. Knead until dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Shape into taut ball and proceed as directed.

Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a tablespoon of neutral oil. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with more cooking spray or oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

Make brown sugar coating: Place melted butter in one bowl. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a second one.

Form the bread: Flip dough out onto floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces. I found it helpful to immediately separate them from the rest of the “grid” or they quickly reformed a big doughy square in 64 parts.

Roll each piece of dough into ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. (I found a fork to be helpful for this process.) Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams (something I didn’t do, but should have) where dough balls meet as you build layers.

Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.

Bake bread: Remove pan from oven and heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel might begin to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. (The reason for the “might” is that CI says that it should, but mine did not bubble, leading me to bake mine for an extra 5 to 10 minutes, during which it still did not bubble but go the dark crust you see in the photos. Next time, I’d take it out sooner.) Cool in pan for 5 minutes (no longer, or you’ll have trouble getting it out) then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Make glaze: Beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth and light. Add milk and vanilla and this is where you can kick me because I completely forgot I was a food blogger for a minute there and know I added a touch more milk and sugar but did not write down how much. I have some nerve! Just taste and adjust — you’re looking for something that tastes equally tangy and sweet, and texturally thin enough to drape over the bread but thick enough that it will not just roll off completely.

Drizzle the glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Lemons and blueberries are a match made in heaven.  Add them to a semi sweet muffin batter and they're out of this world delish.  No jokes, these will be the BEST muffins you've EVER had!!!!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (in my opinion the best cooking blog out there)

Yield: 14 large or 56 miniature muffins


1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (from two large lemons)
1T lemon juice
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 container fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 14 standard muffin cups (or 56 minis) with paper liners. Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.  Carefully fold in blueberries, as to not break them up.

Divide batter among muffin cups, about 2/3 full.  Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes (baking time was on the shy side of 20 minutes for mini muffins).

Devour.                In about 2 seconds.               Seriously.                They're that good.

Pretzel Rolls

taken from CHOW

1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
Vegetable oil
6 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda

1. Place warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Set aside to rest until mixture bubbles, about 5 minutes. (If the mixture does not bubble, either the liquid was not at the correct temperature or the yeast is old.)

2. Place flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk briefly to break up any lumps and combine. Once yeast is ready, fit the bowl on the mixer, attach a dough hook, and dump in flour mixture. Mix on the lowest setting until dough comes together, then increase to medium speed and mix until dough is elastic and smooth, about 8 minutes.

3. Form dough into a ball, place in a large oiled mixing bowl, and turn dough to coat in oil. Cover with a clean, damp dishtowel, and let rest in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, coat paper with vegetable oil, and set aside.

5. Once dough has risen, punch it down and knead it on a floured, dry surface just until it becomes smooth and springs back when poked, about 1 minute.

6. Divide dough into 8 pieces and form into oblong rolls. Place rolls on the baking sheet and cut 4 (2-inch) diagonal slashes across the top of each. Cover with a damp towel and let dough rise in a warm place until almost doubled in volume, about 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425°F and bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.

8. Once rolls have risen, stir baking soda into boiling water (water will foam up slightly). Boil two or three rolls for 2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, remove rolls, drain, and place on the baking sheet, cut side up.

9. Sprinkle well with salt, and repeat with remaining rolls.

10. Once all rolls are ready, place in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot.

Mama B's Banana Bread

Heat oven to 350 degrees

1 1/2C flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/8tsp cinnamon
1 egg
3 overripe, mashed bananas
3/4C sugar
1/4C canola oil
1tsp finely grated lemon peel
1tsp finely grated orange peel
**optional** 1/2C walnuts, toasted pecans or chocolate chips

1. Combine dry ingredients.

2. Add egg, bananas, oil and peels. Mix well.

3. Fold in nuts and/or chocolate chips.

4. grease loaf pan. Pour batter.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Store covered at room temp for 4-5 days.

** This makes amazing French toast! Slice thick, batter and cook on griddle. Top with butter and Nutella. Seriously?? Ahhhhhh.

Potato Focaccia "Cupcakes"

Potato Focaccia Cupcakes
From La Fuji Mama

Adapted from The Wednesday Chef
Makes 12 cupcakes
1 medium Yukon Gold potato
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 tsp. active dry yeast
A pinch of sugar
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for salting water
2/3 cup warm water
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (the kind packed in oil), drained and chopped
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse sea salt

1. Wash the potato and place in a small saucepan along with enough water to cover the potato by an inch. Place the pot over high heat, covered, and bring to a boil. Add a handful of kosher salt to the water. Simmer until the potato is tender when pierced with a knife, around 20 minutes. Drain the potato and let it cool. Peel the potato and mash finely with a fork. Set aside.

2. Put the yeast in a large mixing bowl along with a pinch of sugar. Add the warm water in a thin stream over the yeast, using a fork to help dissolve the yeast entirely. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes.

3. Pour the flour into the yeast mixture and stir with a fork, then add the mashed potato, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and dried oregano. The dough will be relatively thick and shaggy. Use the fork to incorporate the potato into the flour. Add sun dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and begin to knead the dough by hand. It will come together quite quickly. Knead against the bowl for a minute or so, until it is relatively smooth. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered with a kitchen towel, in the bowl for an hour.

4. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners and spray over the top with cooking spray. Divide up the dough into 12 equal balls and gently tug and pat each ball into a cupcake liner so that it fits into the liner.

5. Sprinkle a small pinch of coarse sea salt over the top of each cupcake and then drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil, and let rest for another hour.

6. While the focaccia is resting, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cupcake pans in the oven and bake for 17-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool on a rack.

Onion Herb Cheese Frosting
1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Mix everything together and let sit at least 2 hours in the fridge before using.

Spread generously over focaccia cupcakes.

Katie's French Bread

From La Fuji Mama

Makes 2 large loaves

1 1/2 Tbsp. or 2 packets (1/4 oz./7 g each) dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 cups hot water
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
5 - 6 cups all-purpose flour

1. Dissolve yeast, warm water, and sugar in a small bowl.
2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine hot water, granulated sugar, salt, and oil. Add 3 cups of flour to the mixture in the large bowl/mixer and mix well. Stir in yeast mixture.
3. Add 2 - 3 cups more flour and mix until well blended. (At this point your dough will still be quite sticky). Leave in bowl and let rise for 1 hour, mixing a few strokes a couple of times during the hour.
4. Divide dough into 2 (or 3 if you want smaller loaves) pieces. Roll out each piece on a floured surface into the length desired then roll up length wise like a jelly roll.
5. Put on a greased cookie sheet, sealed side down, and tuck the ends under. Slash the top diagonally across the top every couple of inches with a sharp knife. Brush with egg white. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let loaves rise 30 more minutes.
6. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

NO-Knead Bread

3C flour
1/4tsp instant yeast
1 1/4tsp salt
1 5/8C tepid water*
cornmeal for dusting

Combine flour, yeast and salt in bowl. Add water. Use your hands to mix ingredients. Dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at least 12 hours, up to 18 hours at room temperature. Dough is ready when surface is dotted with bubbles. Flour a work surface and place dough on it. Fold dough over on itself once or twice. Recover with the plastic and let rest for 15 minutes. Coat ball of dough with cornmeal, cover and let rise for about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place dutch oven in oven while preheating. Carefully place dough in Dutch oven and bake covered at 450 degrees for 24 minutes (this is the perfect time in my oven). Uncover and bake for an additional 4 minutes. Loosen edges with butter knife and place on cooking rack immediately.

To add dry ingredients (herbs, nuts, dried fruit etc), do so in the first step with flour, yeast and salt. To add perishable ingredients (cheeses etc), add when folding dough, being careful to not overwork dough.

My fav: Asiago (1/2C) and black pepper
Others: Herb
Parmesan herb
Walnut, dried cranberry and dried apricot (my sister's fav)
Cheddar cheese (add 1/3C cheddar cheese powder (in bulk spice section) and fresh grated cheddar cheese (Keith's fav)
Cinnamon brown sugar (2tsp cinnamon, 1T brown sugar) -makes the BEST french toast!