[Photographs: Donna Currie]
I wanted to use completely edible items for the whole birdie, so I used slivered almonds for the beaks and chocolate pearls for the eyes. I was a little concerned the eyes might melt and make a mess, but it actually worked. The pearls are chocolate-coated crunchy cereal, so they had some substance. Something more solid, like a peppercorn, would probably work better as an eye, but most folks don't want to bite into a peppercorn. A piece of black olive or a bit of dried fruit could also work. Just look around your kitchen and see what you have that would be edible and suitable!
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves makes 8 rolls, active time 40 minutes, total time 2 hours 40 minutes
Combine water, orange juice, sugar, yeast, and bread flour in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead on low speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add salt and olive oil, and continue kneading until they are completely incorporated and dough is smooth, silky, shiny and elastic, about 5 minutes longer. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle work surface with flour and turn the dough out. Knead briefly, then divide into 8 even pieces. Take one of the pieces and cut off about 1/4 of the dough. Form that smaller piece into a ball. Form the other piece into a teardrop shape.
Make a divot in the fat part of the teardrop-shaped piece, but not too close to the edge as shown in the photo.
Place the ball on top of the teardrop shaped piece on top of that divot you just made.
Place this on the baking sheet, with the pointy end facing the center of the sheet. This will make it easier to work in the face later. Continue until all the birds are shaped. Cover the birds with plastic wrap and set aside until nearly doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
Using a toothpick or skewer, poke holes in the first bird's head where you want the eyes and beak. Insert the eyes and beak, pushing them well into the dough. Keep in mind that they don't all need to be facing straight forward - you can position the faces so they're looking up, down, or to the side.
Continue with the rest of the birds, until all of them have eyes and beaks. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them continue rising until doubled—another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how long it took to get the faces finished. Uncover the birds again, and if the eyes and beaks have started protruding, push them back in again.
Bake until the birds are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Remove the birds from the baking sheet and put them on a rack to cool. If the eyes and beaks need to be pushed back in again, do so while the buns are still warm. Let them cool completely on the rack if you're not serving them right away.
[Photograph: Susan Now]
Hoppers, a Sri Lankan roadside snack are delicate sourdough crepes made with coconut milk and rice flour. Cooked in a high-sided spherical pan, the batter is swirled around during the cooking process making for lacey-crisp edges and a tender center. S.H. Fernando Jr., author of Rice & Curry says that they're a wonderful vehicle for scooping up saucy curries, or if you're a fan of all things eggy, feel free to crack an egg in the middle of one of these guys for a Sri Lankan breakfast of champions.
What Worked: These coconut milk rice flour crepes make for great curry scoopers, and are even better with an egg cracked into the center.
What Didn't: Not quite sure where to acquire that traditional appachatti, the spherical pan used to make hoppers, we subbed in the trusty nonstick and although the presentation wasn't quite as dramatic, they tasted damned fine.
Suggested Tweaks: If you don't have rice flour on hand you can easily use all-purpose.
Reprinted with permission from Rice & Curry by S.H. Fernando Jr.. Copyright © 2011. Published by Hippocrene Books. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.
serves makes 10 to 12 hoppers, active time 30 minutes, total time 3 hours 30 minutes
Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water. Sift flour into a bowl. Add salt, sugar, yeast mixture and mix well to form a stiff dough. Set aside to rise for 2 to 3 hours.
Add the coconut milk and a pinch of baking soda to the dough and set aside for another hour. Mix well.
Oil a hopper pan (or similar spherical pan) and heat over medium flame. Pour in a spoonful of batter and rotate pan so whole surface is covered. Cook until hopper is crispy around the edges (about 2 minutes). Continuing making hoppers, oiling pan after each hopper is made.
Variation: For an egg hopper, after pouring batter into pan, break an egg in the center and cover and cook until done.
[Photographs: Donna Currie]
As always with our Knead the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Fast Breads to give away this week. Enter the contest here.
Tea and crumpets. That phrase is absolutely everything I knew about crumpets before I tried this recipe from Fast Breads. Crumpets are sort of like thin English muffins. Since they're so thin, you don't cut them in half; you simply slather them with butter and eat them as they are. They reminded me of a cross between an English muffin and a pancake.
I love the crunchy hills and tender valleys of an English muffin, but this was an entirely different experience since it's not cut and/or toasted. Instead of serving them with butter as suggested, I preferred mine with jam.
And I don't know if it's traditional, but I found that popping them in the toaster to re-warm them wasn't a bad idea.
What Worked: Another great use for my cast iron pizza pan. And it's always fun to try making something I've never eaten before.
What Didn't: Just like pancakes, the first batch didn't cook as well as the second. Not the recipe's fault, I just wasn't sure exactly about the temperature. Next time I'll know what to aim for, but if you're cooking these for the first time I suggest making one sacrifice crumpet before committing to a whole griddle full.
Suggested Tweaks: I'd cut back on the salt just a tad next time, particularly if I was going to serve it with salted butter.
Adapted from Fast Breads by Elinor Klivans. Copyright © 2010. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves Makes 10 crumpets, active time 10 minutes, total time 1 hour 15 minutes
In a small saucepan, heat the milk, water, and oil over medium heat to about 130ºF on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, and using a large spoon, stir together both flours, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Stir in the hot milk mixture, then stir vigorously for about 2 minutes to form a smooth, thick batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter sit for 45 minutes. The batter will rise and become bubbly.
When the batter has risen, arrange 5 metal rings each 3- to 4-in diameter and about 11/2 in high on a griddle. Spray the inside of each ring and the griddle with flavorless nonstick cooking spray. Heat the griddle over low heat.
Use the large spoon to stir down the batter. Gently stir in the dissolved baking soda, mixing well. Drop about 1/4 cup of the batter into each hot ring; it will spread evenly. Cook the crumpets over low heat until the bottom is browned and a firm skin has formed on top, about 10 minutes. Bubbles will form on the tops as the crumpets cook, and the tops should feel firmly baked and not sticky when touched lightly with a finger. Use tongs to lift off the rings and set them aside. If the crumpets stick to the rings (they won’t if the rings are well greased), jiggle the rings gently with the tongs and the crumpets should release. Turn the crumpets over and cook just until the second sides are firmly set, a minute or less. The insides of the crumpets will be soft. Transfer to a plate and serve, or keep warm in a low oven (250ºF) while the second batch cooks. Before you cook the second batch, gently stir down the batter (it will bubble up and rise while the first batch cooks) and spray the rings and griddle again.
Serve the crumpets hot with butter.
The crumpets can be covered and stored at room temperature for to 2 days. To serve, lightly toast the crumpets, buttered or not, just to warm them, or place them in a single layer on a baking sheet/tray, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and reheat in a preheated 225ºF 1/4 oven just until warm, about 10 minutes.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
As always with our Knead the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Fast Breads to give away this week. Enter the contest here.
I'd never heard of rowies until I saw this recipe in Fast Breads, but as soon as I saw the recipe, I knew I had to try it. The concept is something like a croissant, but with fever folds, and with the dough cut so the butter leaks out during cooking.
These weren't the prettiest buns I've ever made as the layers slipped and slid around, but they were interesting and buttery and soft and crunchy. And did I say buttery? They were most definitely at their best when they were still warm from the oven.
What Worked: Buttery buns? How bad can that be? One interesting here was that the dough is worked with the flat beater instead of the dough hook. I was skeptical, but it worked perfectly.
What Didn't: The recipe warns that a lot of butter seeps out, and it sure does. The buns were literally frying in what was essentially browned butter. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there was a lot of butter left in the pan when I was done.
Suggested Tweaks: I might try this with a little less butter next time, and I might play around with the way they are formed to get a prettier effect.
Adapted from Fast Breads by Elinor Klivans. Copyright © 2010. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves makes 20 rolls, active time 15 minutes, total time 1 hour 30 minutes
In a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix together the flour, salt, and yeast on low speed just until combined. Add the hot water and mix just until all the ingredients are smoothly combined, then beat for 4 minutes. A soft dough will form that will come away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the slightly softened butter into slices 1/4 inch thick. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Pat or roll the dough into a rectangle about 10 by 8 inches and 1/2 inch thick. Drop half of the butter slices evenly over the rectangle. Using a thin spatula and leaving a 1 inch border uncovered on all sides, spread the butter evenly over the dough. With a long edge facing you, fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, and pinch the edges tightly to seal. The dough package should now measure about 3 by 8 inches.
With a long edge still facing you, use a rolling pin to roll the dough gently into a rectangle about 12 by 6 inches. Drop the remaining butter slices evenly over the rectangle. Using the thin spatula and leaving a 1 inch border uncovered on all sides, spread the butter evenly over the dough. With a short side facing you, fold the dough into thirds and pinch the edges tightly to seal. The dough package will be about 4 by 6 inches. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, which will make the final rolling easier.
Line a baking sheet/tray with 1 inch sides with parchment/baking paper. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough gently into a rectangle about 10 by 8 inches and 3/4 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into about 20 pieces each about 2 inches square. (Or, you can cut squares about twice as large and then cut each square into 2 triangles.) Place the squares on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Let the rolls rise until they feel soft and puffy, about 30 minutes. The dough will not rise much. Most of the rising happens during baking. When the dough has risen for 10 minutes, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.
Bake the rolls until they are browned and crisp on the top and the bottom, about 22 minutes. Some of the butter will leak out of the rolls, so they will be baking in the bubbling butter. Let the rolls cool on the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to reabsorb some of the released butter. Transfer the rolls to the rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes, then serve. The rowies taste best if eaten the same day.
The rowies can be covered and stored at room temperature for 1 day. To serve, preheat the oven to 275ºF and reheat the buns, covered with aluminum foil (covering them is important or they will dry out), until warm, about 15 minutes.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
As always with our Knead the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Fast Breads to give away this week. Enter the contest here.
These corn sticks from Fast Breads use just a little bit of flour with a higher proportion of cornmeal. so they have a crisp crust and a soft interior. The recipe is made for use in a corn stick pan, so it probably wouldn't fare well in a regular pan. If you don't have a corn stick pan, there's also a recipe in the book for standard cornbread.
What Worked: The batter filled the pan exactly, which was a pleasant surprise. Usually there's some batter left over from any recipe.
What Didn't: I didn't adjust for high altitude (I'm based in Colorado), so these rose a little too much and the texture could have been better. I'm sure they'd be fine for lowlanders.
Suggested Tweaks: I'm always tempted to add things to cornbread. Some peppers would be nice.
Adapted from Fast Breads by Elinor Klivans. Copyright © 2010. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
Special equipment: corn stick pan
serves Makes 7 corn sticks, active time 10 minutes, total time 25 minutes
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425ºF. Have ready a heavyweight corn stick pan with 7 openings.
In a small pan, melt the butter with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Use a pastry brush to brush the pan openings generously with the butter-oil mixture. Heat the pan in the oven for 5 minutes while you mix the batter.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk, egg, and the remaining 1 tbsp oil and use a large spoon to stir the batter slowly just to combine the ingredients. You will see some small lumps; that’s okay.
Remove the pan from the oven and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each opening. The batter will fill to the rim.
Bake until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a corn stick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. The bottoms of the corn sticks will be browned. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a small, sharp knife and your fingers to loosen the edges of the sticks and carefully remove the sticks from the pan to the rack. Do not turn the pan upside down to release the corn sticks because it could weigh them down and may break them. Serve warm.
The corn sticks can be baked a day ahead, covered, and left at room temperature. To serve, preheat the oven to 275ºF and reheat the sticks, uncovered, until warm, about 10 minutes.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
As always with our Knead the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Fast Breads to give away this week. Enter the contest here.
The problem with cinnamon rolls is that you usually want them hot and fresh first thing in the morning, but a traditional dough needs time to rise. This means either you're going to be kneading dough at the crack of dawn or you're going to be munching cinnamon rolls for lunch.
One solution is to make the dough the night before and bake in the morning. This recipe from Fast Breads takes another approach—the dough is a biscuit recipe, so it doesn't need that rise time.
The resulting dough doesn't have the same chew as a traditional sweet bread. Instead, it's soft and fluffy like biscuits. It's an interesting idea and it gets your sweet rolls on the table in under an hour.
The resulting dough doesn't have the same chew as a traditional sweet bread. Instead, it's soft and fluffy like biscuits. It's an interesting idea and it gets your sweet rolls on the table in under an hour.
What Worked: This came together really quickly, as stated.
What Didn't: For my taste, this was too sweet. However, my other food testers absolutely loved them.
Suggested Tweaks: I'm not sure if the parchment paper lining was necessary. Next time I'd try it without the parchment, and maybe add some nuts to balance the sweetness.
Adapted from Fast Breads by Elinor Klivans. Copyright © 2010. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves Makes 9 rolls, active time 15 minutes, total time 40 minutes
Method: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line a 9-in round pan or baking dish with 2-in high sides with parchment paper.
Make the glaze. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, honey, and brown sugar over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the butter and sugar melt and the glaze is smooth. Pour the glaze into the prepared pan, tilting the pan to spread it evenly over the bottom. Set aside.
Make the biscuit dough. Sift together both flours, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Put about half of the flour mixture into a large bowl. Add the butter, sour cream, and buttermilk to the flour mixture in the large bowl and stir with a large spoon until blended. Add the remaining flour mixture to the large bowl and stir until it is incorporated and a soft, ragged dough forms.
With floured hands, gather up the dough and put it on a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough about 10 strokes: push down and away with the heel of your hand against the surface, then fold the dough in half toward you, and rotate it a quarter turn, flouring the surface as necessary to prevent sticking. The dough is ready when it looks fairly smooth, feels very soft, and there is no loose flour. Pat the dough into a rectangle about 12 by 7 in by and 3/8 in thick.
Make the topping. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry brush, spread the butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-in border uncovered on all sides. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the butter.
Using a thin, metal spatula to help lift the dough, and starting from a long side, roll up the dough, jelly-roll style, pressing the seam to seal. If any dough sticks to the surface, use the spatula to spread the dough back onto the dough cylinder. Pinch the ends to seal. The roll will be about 11 in long. Using a sharp knife, cut the cylinder crosswise into 9 rolls each about 11/4 in thick. Place them, with a cut side up, in the prepared pan, arranging 7 rolls around the edge of the pan and 2 rolls in the middle. Pinch together any edges that separate.
Bake until the tops feel firm and the edges just start to brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a serving plate and peel away the parchment. Serve warm.
The pinwheels can be baked 1 day ahead, unmolded as directed, covered, and left at room temperature. To serve, preheat the oven to 275ºF and reheat the pinwheels, sticky side up, until warm, about 15 minutes.
Choices: Sprinkle 1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries over the cinnamon sugar.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
As always with our Knead the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Fast Breads to give away this week. Enter the contest here.
Every bread baker should have at least one recipe for an artisan-style loaf and this one from Fast Breads fills that bill. Considering it has that long rest in the fridge, this isn't fast from start to table, but it doesn't take a lot of working time. And considering the flavor, it's well worth the wait.
What Worked: Nice crust, correct hole structure, and good flavor.
What Didn't: When adding the water, the first addition indicated that the dough would be wet and sticky and not come away from the bowl, but it wasn't as wet as the recipe indicated. After the second addition of water, it actually needed just a bit more flour to get it back to the point where it would pull away from the bowl. The recipe still worked, but it didn't match the recipe description.
Suggested Tweaks: Next time I might make this as one larger loaf.
Adapted from Fast Breads by Elinor Klivans. Copyright © 2010. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves makes 1 or 2 loaves (depending on shape chosen), active time 1 hour, total time 6 to 8 hours, plus up to 2 days rising in refrigerator
In a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix together the 3 flours, salt, and yeast on low speed just until combined. Add 1 3/4 cups of the water and mix until all the ingredients are smoothly combined, then beat for 4 minutes. The dough will be soft and sticky and will not come away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. The flour will absorb some of the water and the dough will be less sticky.
Fit the mixer with the dough hook, add the remaining 1/4 cup water, and beat on low speed for 6 minutes. After about 4 minutes, the still-soft dough should begin to come away from the sides of the bowl. If it does not, sprinkle in flour, 1 tsp at a time, adding just enough to allow the dough to come away from the sides of the bowl. On a dry winter day, additional flour will probably not be necessary. On a humid day, a small quantity of flour may be needed. The dough should be soft and very pliable.
To knead the dough by hand, transfer it to a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface.
Sprinkle a large, clean bowl with flour and transfer the dough to the bowl. Sprinkle the top lightly with flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch down the dough to press out the air. Divide the dough in half. For a round loaf, or boule, line a round basket or bowl about 8 in in diameter (at the top) with a clean kitchen towel. Dust the liner generously with flour. To form the boule, on a floured work surface, press half of the dough into an 8-in circle. Bring up 4 opposite edges to the center of the circle, and press firmly with a finger to seal them together. Then bring up the remaining 4 opposite edges of the circle—like gathering the edges of a piece of cloth into a sack—so that all of the edges are at the center, and press with a finger to seal. Carefully place the boule, seam side up, in the lined basket. If making 2 boules, repeat with the remaining dough half and another basket. Sprinkle the top surface each loaf lightly with flour, cover each with a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise for 45 minutes. The dough will look puffy and soft, but it will not rise a lot.
To form 1 or 2 baguettes or long loaves, place a heavy cloth (canvas is good) or clean kitchen towel on a rimless baking sheet/tray and flour it, or flour 1 or 2 single or 1 double baguette pan. (The baking sheet/tray makes it easy to move the risen bread and cloth.) On a floured work surface, pat half of the dough into a 6-by-4-in rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise and press the seam to seal. Use your palms to roll the dough back and forth, gently moving your palms along the length of the dough to make a loaf as long as you want. I recommend you make it about 9 in. To taper the ends and leave the middle thicker for a bâtard, increase the pressure as you move toward the ends. Place the loaf, seam side up, on the floured cloth, and roll up the cloth against the long sides of the loaf to support it as it rises. Or, put the loaf, seam side down, in the floured baguette pan. If making 2 long loaves, repeat with the remaining dough half and another baking sheet/tray and cloth or the remaining baguette furrow. Sprinkle the top of each loaf lightly with flour, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise for 45 minutes. The dough will look puffy and soft, but it will not rise a lot.
When the dough has risen for 35 minutes, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 475ºF. Have ready a metal pie pan with a clean rock in it or an empty metal pie pan. If not using a baguette pan, sprinkle a baking sheet/tray with flour.
When the dough has risen for 45 minutes, gently tip the dough in 1 of the baskets onto the prepared pan, or unroll both ends of the cloth and lift one end to roll the long loaf onto the prepared pan. Repeat with the second loaf. The loaves should now be seam side down and at least 2 in. Slide them gently to separate them, if necessary. Using a small, sharp knife, and holding it at a roughly 45-degree angle to the top of the bread, cut a long slash or a crisscross in the top of the round loaves, or a series of 4 or 5 evenly spaced, diagonal slashes along the width of the baguettes. Cut firmly to make each slash about 1/4 in. Sprinkle flour lightly on top of each loaf and re-cover with the kitchen towel. Let rise for 15 minutes.
Put the pie pan on the lowest rack in the oven 5 minutes before the bread is ready to go into the oven. When the bread is ready, sprinkle about 2 tbsp water over the rock to create steam, or sprinkle the same amount into the empty pan. There should be a burst of steam at the beginning and the steam should last for about the first one-third of the baking time. Put the bread in the oven and bake until browned and crusty, about 25 minutes. The bread will rise 11/2 to 2 in during baking. Remove from the oven, immediately slide onto wire racks, and let cool completely.
You may hear crackling sounds as the bread cools, which is good. The cooled bread will have a firm, but not hard crust. The interior will be moist with holes that vary from tiny to about 1/4-in/6 mm in diameter. Use a serrated knife to slice the bread.
The bread can be stored in a paper bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. If the bread is cut, wrap a piece of plastic wrap around the cut end before slipping it into the bag. To serve, preheat the oven to 275ºF and heat the loaf, placed directly on the oven rack, until the crust is crisp and feels warm, about 10 minutes.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
These crackers are not only simple in terms of ingredients, they also take very little time to make, particularly if you use a food processor to do the kneading for you. You can also do the kneading in a stand mixer or by hand.
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!
serves makes 5 dozen crackers, active time 15 minutes, total time 40 minutes
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the bread flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl of food processor until just combined. With processor running, pour the water in through the feed tube as fast as te flour can absorb it. Run processor until dough gathers itself into a ball. Keep processing until dough is smooth and elastic, about 30 seconds longer.
Add walnut butter to the food processor and process until it is incorporated into the dough, and the dough is again smooth and elastic, about 30 seconds total.
Turn out dough onto floured work surface. Using rolling pin, roll to fill as much space on a baking sheet as possible. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, then cut it into 1- to 2-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
Bake the crackers until lightly browned and no longer soft to the touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer the crackers to a rack to cool.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
These would be great for any type of barbecue sandwich, with the added smokiness enhancing the sandwich in a way that a plain bun just couldn't do. Also great for a non-smoked sandwich where smoke would be an asset. Maybe not for the peanut butter and banana sandwich, unless you're likely to add bacon to that combination.
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves makes 12 buns, active time 20 minutes, total time 3 hours
Combine everything water, yeast, buttermilk, rye flour, bread flour, potato flakes, and salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, stir on low speed until just combined (about 30 seconds), cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, knead on low speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and caraway seeds and continue kneading until they are fully incorporated. Cover the dough and let it rest until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
When the dough has doubled, flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Knead it briefly, then divide it into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place them on a single baking sheet that will fit into your smoker (a quarter-sheet pan fits in mine) for pull-apart rolls, or on two baking sheets for individual rolls.
Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and set aside until nearly doubled in size, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your smoker and soak your wood chips according to the manufacturer's directions. Set the temperature for 275°F.
When the dough has just about doubled, uncover it and bake it in your smoker until the dough is lightly golden and cooked through, about 45 minutes. Remove the buns from the smoker, and remove them from the pan to cool on a rack.
[Photograph: Sydney Oland]
About the author: Sydney Oland lives in Somerville, Mass. Find more information at sydneyoland.com (or read eatingnosetotail.com)
Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!
Special equipment: 9- by 5-inch loaf pan
serves makes 8 buchtel, active time 25 minutes, total time 3 hours 30 minutes
Combine yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar and water in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside and wait for yeast to begin to bubble. Once yeast has been activated combine yeast mixture with milk, butter, and beaten egg and mix well.
Whisk together 3 cups and remaining sugar. Pour yeast mixture over flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough forms. Continue to knead with your hands, adding remaining flour as needed until dough comes together and no longer sticks to your hands. Continue to knead another 10 minutes. Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Once dough has doubled in size punch it down and turn it out onto a floured surface. Pat into a large rectangle and divide into 8 equal pieces. Press each piece into a 3- by 5-inch rectangle. Place 1 tablespoon of fruit preserves in the center then gather the dough around the preserve pinching the ends of the dough together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and preserves.
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F. Place filled buchtel into a buttered 9- by 5-inch loaf pan in two rows of four and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes (the buchtel will be pushing against each other). Brush buchtel with beaten egg, then bake buchtel until deep brown and cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
What Worked: While these wouldn't be considered healthy, if you're going to eat cinnamon buns, you might as well add whole wheat. Except for the color, you'd never know these were whole grain buns.
What Didn't: For my taste, they were a little sweet. On the other hand, no one else who ate them had any such reservations.
Suggested Tweaks: Next time, I might add just a small drizzle of the icing to the buns, and reserve the rest for anyone who wants more. Or, a cream cheese-based icing would be less sweet.
Adapted from Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur Flour. Copyright © 2006. Published by The Countryman Press. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves Makes 16 rolls, active time 40 minutes, total time 5-6 hours
To prepare the dough: Combine all the dough ingredients, using the egg yolk and setting the white aside to use in the filling. Mix and knead – by hand, mixer or bread machine – until you have a medium-soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it’s quite puffy, though probably not doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. While the dough is rising, make the filling.
To prepare the filling: Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch, 11-inch-square, 12-inch round or similar-size pan.
To shape the buns: Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Roll and pat it into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin along one large edge. If the filling seems too sticky to spread easily, wet your fingers and smear it over the dough the best you can.
Starting with the filling-covered long edge, roll the dough into a log, turning it so the seam is flat against the work surface. Using a serrated knife or dental floss, gently cut it into 16 pieces.
Place the buns in the prepared pan, spacing them evenly; they won’t touch one another. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow the buns to rise for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. They won’t double in size, but will become about half again as large as they were originally. They should barely touch each other. Near the end of the buns’ rise, preheat the oven to 350˚F.
To bake the buns: Bake the buns, until they’re deep golden brown on top, 25 to 28 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and after 3 minutes, carefully turn them out, upside-down, onto a rack. Place another rack, feet side up, on the buns, and invert them once again, so their tops are up. They’ll be hot and delicate, so be careful. While the buns are cooling a bit, make the icing.
To finish the buns: Beat together the sugar, vanilla, butter, salt and 2 tablespoons of the milk (or cream) in a medium mixing bowl. Beat in additional milk or cream if the icing is too stiff to spread. Spread the icing on the lukewarm buns. Serve immediately, or cool completely, cover, and store at room temperature. Buns will keep well, covered, for several days.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
What Worked: An incredibly tasty bread.
What Didn't: A long list of ingredients might make some people think twice about making this. Pumpernickel flour might not be available at the grocery store.
Suggested Tweaks: I love caraway, so I might add more next time. I'll be trying it with other rye flours, as well.
As always with our Knead the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Whole Grain Baking to give away this week. Enter the contest here.
Adapted from Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur Flour. Copyright © 2006. Published by The Countryman Press. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves makes 1 loaf, active time 25 minutes, total time 5-6 hours
Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Combine the sauerkraut, water, and pickle juice in a blender or food processor, and process until the kraut is finely chopped.
Combine the chopped sauerkraut and its liquid with the remaining ingredients, stirring vigorously to make a crumbly mixture; it won’t hold together. Allow the mixture to rest, covered, for 45 minutes; this will give the flour a chance to absorb some of the sauerkraut’s liquid. After the dough’s resting period, knead it—by hand, mixer or bread machine—until you have a cohesive, very stiff dough. This dough won’t be very elastic; that’s ok. Let the dough rise in a lightly greased bowl for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it won’t rise much at all.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured surface, and shape it into a log. Place the log in the prepared pan, cover the pan with a proof cover or greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaf to rise until it’s crested about 1 inch over the edge of the pan. This will take 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Be aware that this bread has very little oven spring, so what you see when you put it in the oven is pretty much what you’ll get coming out of the oven. During the last part of the rise, preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Uncover and bake the bread for 20 minutes. Tent it lightly with foil and bake until its internal temperature registers 190˚F on an instant-read thermometer, 25 minutes more. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Cool the bread for 30 minutes before slicing.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
What Worked: This was a very simple recipe that resulted in a soft bread that would be a great whole wheat replacement for people who aren't fond of denser loaves.
What Didn't: Whoa. Six ounces of beer! What a dilemma trying to figure out what to do with the other half of the beer.
Suggested Tweaks: Most of the breads I make are free-form loaves—I prefer that crust to the crust that's formed inside a bread pan. Next time around, I think I might make this without a pan and maybe add sesame seeds to the top.
As always with our Knead the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Whole Grain Baking to give away this week. Enter the contest here.
Adapted from Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur Flour. Copyright © 2006. Published by The Countryman Press. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
serves Makes 1 loaf, active time 25 minutes, total time 5-7 hours
Combine all the ingredients, and mix and knead them – by hand, mixer or bread machine – until you have a soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it’s puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
Lightly grease an 8 1/4 x 4 1/4-inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it’s crowned about 1 1/2 inches over the rim f the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread’s rising time, preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Uncover and bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 minutes. The bread is done with it’s golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190˚F. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread for 30 minutes before slicing.
[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]
This is as fuss-free a babka as you can get. But you wouldn't guess it from the results— the dough bakes up into a buttery, cardamon and cinnamon scented loaf rolled around a chocolate filling.
Notes:
About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore and is currently at work constructing her new blog, shophousecook.com .
Special equipment: 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom, instant read thermometer
serves makes one 10-inch babka, active time 45 minutes, total time 24 hours
In medium bowl, whisk together milk and yeast. Whisk in egg yolks, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, and cardamom. Add liquid ingredients to dry and stir to completely combine. Loosely cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature until doubled in size and surface is covered with large bubbles, 2 to 3 hours. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 10-inch tube pan with non-stick cooking spray. In small bowl, combine chocolate, cocoa, and cinnamon.
On a well-floured surface, roll babka dough into a 12 by 16-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over dough. Sprinkle chocolate mixture evenly over buttered dough.
Starting with the long end, gently roll up babka into a cylinder shape. Pinch seam to seal. Place cylinder into prepared pan, seam down and slightly overlapping both ends of cylinder. Brush top with egg and let rest at room temperature about 30 minutes.
Bake until babka is golden brown and set, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center registers, 195°F to 200°F. Cool in pan for 45 minutes. Gently run knife around inside edges to loosen babka and remove babka from pan. Cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours. Serve.
[Photograph: Donna Currie]
What Worked: You know Wheat Thins? Well these do taste better. The store-bought crackers are usually better when topped with something, but these are snack-worthy all on their own.
What Didn't: This makes a fairly small bowl of crackers. There are a lot of crackers in that small bowl, but they're very thin and light, so it's not a lot of cracker volume. ff you're making them for a party, you might want to double or triple the recipe.
Suggested Tweaks: I didn't think these needed any additional salt on top, but next time I might add sesame seeds or flax seeds for both flavor and accent color.
About the author: Donna Currie has been cooking for fun and writing for pay since the days when typewritten articles traveled by snail mail. When she combined those talents in a food column for a newspaper in her area, she realized that writing about food is almost as much fun as eating. You can find her on her blog, Cookistry or follow her on Twitter at @dbcurrie or @cookistry.
Adapted from Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur Flour. Copyright © 2006. Published by The Countryman Press. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
serves about 13 dozen crackers, active time 30 minutes, total time 40 minutes
To make the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, salt and paprika in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix it in thoroughly, using your fingers, a pastry blender, a mixer or a food processor. Combine the water and vanilla, and add it to the flour mixture, mixing until smooth.
Pre heat the oven to 400˚F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
To roll and cut the dough: Divide the dough into 4 pieces; keep the other pieces covered while you work with one at a time. Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin and roll the piece of dough into a large rectangle, which shuld be at least 12 inches square when trimmed. Keep your pin and the surface of your dough evenly floured. Flip the dough frequently to keep it from sticking, but too much flour will make it difficult to roll. Keep rolling until the dough is as thin as you can get it without tearing, at least 1/16 inch thick. Trim the dough to even the edges and use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the piece into squares approximately 1 1/2 inches wide. Transfer the squares to a prepared baking sheet; you can crowd them together, as they don’t expand while baking. Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt, if desired. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Save the scraps under plastic wrap and reroll them all at once just one time.
To bake the crackers: Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. If some of the thinner crackers brown too quickly, remove them and return the remaining crackers to the oven to finish baking. These crackers bake quickly, so watch them closely – even 30 seconds can turn them from golden brown to toast! Remove the crackers from the oven and cool on the pan or on a plate; they cool quickly. These crackers will stay crisp for several days, but are best stored in airtight containers.