Danish Pastry Dough and Rolls

 I have loved baking and eating Danish pastries for many years.  I think I first made them in the early 1980's and still love to make them.   There are many recipes out there, but this is one that works best for me.   Most recipes for laminated dough calls for rolling the butter into large sheets, but I have found that the way I make them here is a lot easier and also a bit less fiddly.   As for fillings, the sky is the limit, so go wild.   I do recommend that you not use something that is very liquid when heated, as it tends to run everywhere.  If you want a fruit filling, I would recommend something that is cooked and very thick, like a pie filling.   I particularly like cherry pie filling and spring for the one with extra fruit.   A very thick fruit butter would work well, too.   Another good recommendation, are the Solo brand fillings. 

  When I was very young, I remember my mom, Aunt Evelyn and Grandma Casey making Danish pastries in Grandma's farm kitchen.   It was probably fall or winter, as it was too hot to do much baking in the summer.   I have a feeling it was probably baked in Grandma's wood burning cook stove.  And I am also sure it was made with home made butter from Grandma's cows.    I remember how tender and flavorful they were.   They usually had fillings of apricot, pineapple or peach preserves.   We would sit around all evening, eating Danish, the adults drinking coffee and playing Pinochle.   This is not my Grandma's recipe, but still a good one in spite of that.   I hope when you make them, you will make some memories of your own.    

Danish Pastry Dough

5 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp dry yeast, instant works fine

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp softened butter

l lb of softened butter

Mix together the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the liquids with the tablespoon of butter. Mix and knead until it forms a smooth and elastic dough. If dough is too soft, use up to another cup of flour, but don't make it too firm. Cover tightly and refrigerate about 30 minutes. It will not rise much. Remove from the bowl and place on a well floured counter top and roll out to about a 9x18 inches. Smear the softened butter in a thick all over 2/3 the rolled out dough. Fold the dough the unbuttered portion of dough over half of the buttered section, then the other buttered 1/3 of dough over that, like folding a letter. Place in a container or wrap carefully in plastic wrap or foil. Gently place in the coldest part of your fridge about 30 minutes. Unwrap dough and, starting from the narrow side, roll out again to about 9x18 inches. Fold again like before, cover and chill another 30 minutes. Repeat at least once more. After the final roll and fold, chill for 2-3 hours before using.

When ready to bake, cut dough into three pieces. Roll out about ¼ inch thick rectangle and cut into squares. Fold the corners into the center and press the points firmly in the center. Place on an ungreased baking sheet or line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easier clean after baking. Allow to rise about 45 minutes or until puffy. Form a depression in the center for whatever filling you wish to use, place about a teaspoon of filling in the hole, then bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees, for about 20 minutes. When lightly browned, remove from the oven and place on a rack, then glaze. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Options: For another way to add the butter layer to the dough. Slice cold butter into thin slices, then place the slices of butter on 2/3 of the rolled out dough, fold and roll as above.

Fillings: Cream cheese... 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, beaten with 1 egg yolk, about half a cup of powdered sugar, ½ tsp of vanilla extract and a couple drops of almond extract (optional). Beat until smooth.  Pie filling of your choice.  Apples cooked with brown sugar and cinnamon until very thick.A good thick jam.

Roll out dough, sprinkle heavily with brown sugar and cinnamon, then roll up and cut into slices. Bake after rising.

Top any of the rolls with a powdered sugar glaze as you desire or you can just sprinkle with powdered sugar.    If you wish, you could could also sprinkle a butter, sugar and flour streusel on top of your filling of choice before baking. 

 

 

 

Homemade Pancake Syrup

This morning I was craving French toast, so went to make some. But, horror of horrors, I had no syrup. I remembered my mom making it with brown sugar and water, then some maple extract, so tried making it myself. It turned out pretty good. I used half brown sugar and half water, simmered until it thickened a little bit, added some pure maple extract and gave it a taste. It really wasn't bad, better in fact than many of the maple flavored pancake syrups from the store. I used dark brown sugar and the molasses flavor was a bit stronger than I would have liked, so light brown would probably be better. While isn't the real thing from a good friend who makes maple syrup, it was better than store bought. A good thing to keep in mind when you are needing something like this.

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. pure maple extract (or to taste)

Simmer sugar and water about 10 minutes or until thickened a little bit, remember, as it cools it will be thicker. Remove from heat and add extract. Cool to the temperature you want, I like a warmed syrup with my pancakes, waffles or French toast. You can substitute other flavors for the maple, vanilla works well I'm told.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

Finding a recipe for a gluten free bread that isn't hard and dry or extremely crumbly is always a crap shoot.   Most just don't stand up to what most of us are looking for.   I finally found one that did, even though I did make a few tweaks to it that made it a bit easier.   The ingredient list is short, another plus, and it truly does make a good tasting loaf that slices into slice that hold together well enough to use for sandwiches.   The taste is pretty darned good, too.     My brother in law, Gary, says it makes very good toast and even French toast.  

2 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix, the 1:1 kind, I like Krusteez
1 1/4 cup hot milk
2 eggs
3 tbsp sugar or honey
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1tbsp quick rise yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 packet unflavored gelatin

Grease and then sprinkle with gluten free flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.   Set aside.  Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.   Beat together all of the wet ingredients together with a fork and then pour into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.   Beat on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl between the two times.    The dough will be very soft.   Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth top, with it gently domed in the center.  Cover with a towel and place in a warm to place to rise for about an hour and a half.    When it is about half risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.    Place the risen dough into the oven and bake about 45-60 minutes.   The loaf will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.   Cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a rack before cutting.  

Refrigerator Bread Dough

How would you like to have freshly baked dough in half the time it usually takes to make bread?   You can do it and it is some of the best bread you have ever eaten.   Make up this dough and after an initial 3-5 hour rising, the dough stores in the fridge for up to a week.   Any time you want to bake a loaf, pull it out, for the loaf, let rise and then bake.   Please note, that this dough will make a dense, chewy loaf, more like a European type loaf, than the very light and tender breads we are used to.  However, it will also have a much better flavor and keeps fresh a  bit longer, too.   The dough may look too loose and wet, but it is supposed to be that way. 

In a large bowl put 7 cups of flour, 2 tsps of salt and 1 tbsp of yeast.   Add 3-4 cups of warm water and mix with a spoon until you have a loose dough.    You need only mix until all of the flour is moistened, no kneading.     Loosely cover and allow to rise until about doubled, 3-5  hours.   The dough may fall, but that is ok.   Cover the bowl of dough and store in the fridge for up to 7 days.  

When ready to bake, remove the bowl of dough from the fridge.   Sprinkle the top of the dough heavily with flour.   Also take a plate and cover it with flour as well.   Take the amount of dough out of the bowl, I use a large spoon to scoop it our and take a lump of dough a little bigger than a large grapefruit.    Roll it on the place of flour, then using your hands, stretch it around and around, forming a tight ball that is covered with flour all the way around.   I line a bowl with a piece of parchment paper and then place the ball of dough in it for rising.   If you are wanting to bake rolls, for small balls of dough about the size of a baseball and place on a baking sheet that is lined with a sheet of parchment paper.    Place either the loaf or the rolls in a warm place, cover with a dry towel to rise for about an hour.   about 20 minutes before it is ready to go in the oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  And, if making the loaf,  place an empty metal pan on the bottom or lowest rack of the oven and a heavy metal cookie sheet or pizza stone on the middle rack.   

When you are ready to back the rolls, place about 3 cups of ice cubed in the heated pan and slide the cookie sheet with the rolls onto the middle rack.   Quickly close oven door and set the oven timer to 30 minutes.    At 30  minutes check to see if the rolls are well browned, if not, leave them there another 10-15 minutes until as brown as you wish.    When browned, remove from oven and place on rack to cool completely.   Do not try to eat until they are completely cold.  

If baking a loaf, when dough is ready to go into the oven, remove the heated cookie sheet and slide the parchment paper with the dough ball gently onto the baking sheet or onto the pizza stone.  Return to oven and add the ice cubes (like for the rolls) to the heated pan.   Quickly close the oven door and allow to bake 45-60 minutes.   The loaf will probably crack and will also sound hollow when tapped.   If the loaf  is not as brown as you wish, allow to continue baking until it is as brown as you wish.   When done, remove from oven and cool on a rack until completely cold before slicing.   This is very important. 

Another option for baking a loaf and one I prefer to the above method.   When you turn on the oven to preheat, place a large cast iron dutch oven or enameled iron dutch over with lid into the oven and reheat.    When ready to bake the  bread, remove the dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid.   Gently slide the parchment paper containing the ball of risen dough into the Dutch oven, cover with lid and return to the oven.   Bake for 45 minutes covered, then remove the lid and allow to continue baking until nicely browned, another 15-20 minutes.   The loaf will split and crack, that is ok.     When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack like above.  Once again, do not cut the loaf until it is completely cooled.  

When you have used most of the dough in the bowl, reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the dough, then mix it together with flour, salt and water like in the original recipe.   This will  be the leavening for the next batch of dough.  Eventually, it will start to taste a lot like a sourdough and get even better as time passes.   If you wish to do a whole grain bread, just substitute your favorite whole grain flour for about 1/3 of the white flour, although with whole wheat flour you can use up to about 3/4 whole wheat to white.  

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

3 cups tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

2/3 cup milk

½ cup oil

2 tbs butter

2 tbsp water

2 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups grated sharp cheddar

In a mixer bowl place the tapioca flour, salt and baking powder. Place the milk, oil, butter and water in a saucepan or in a microwave safe dish. Either way, bring to a boil, then pour into the bowl all at once with the beater running and mix until it is well incorporated, about 6 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat until it is shiny and sticky, scrape down the bowl after 4 minutes, then beat another 4 minutes. Add the grated cheeses and beat until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours.

At the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Dampen your hands slightly, then take about 2 tbsp of the dough and place on a cookie sheet, continue making the balls and place 2-3 inches a part on the cookie sheets. Bake each pan of rolls about 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.  This will make about 2 dozen rolls. 

Options: There is no reason you can't use other types of cheeses, but use either firm or semi firm cheeses: cheddar, Parmesan, Romano, aged Havarti, Gruyere, Emmental, generic Swiss, that sort of thing. You could also add a small amount of cayenne pepper or some chili powder or garlic powder or Italian herbs, etc for a change of flavor.

If the milk and water mixture isn't hot enough, the rolls may not rise and get puffy, instead they will be flatter and more cookie like, but still be VERY tasty.

Sweet Potato Rolls

I have head about sweet potato rolls for years, but never tried making them.  I had a leftover baked sweet potato in the fridge and decided to try making them.  They turned out incredible.   I highly recommend trying them.

1 medium sized sweet potato, baked in the skin, cooled and then peeled, 
3 cups hot milk, 
about 1/2 cup brown sugar, 
1/2 cup melted butter. 

Place all of these in a blender and whirl until smooth. Pour into your bowl. I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer.   Add 2 tbsp. yeast, 1 tsp. salt and about 6 cups of all purpose flour. Add all to the bowl and mix with a dough hook until very smooth and elastic, adding up to another cup of flour if needed. You want a fairly soft dough. Place in a large greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled about an hour and a half. Punch down and form into balls a little bigger than a golf ball and place in a well greased pan. Cover with a dry towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until nicely browned. Take care not to over bake. Makes about 3 dozen.

For a sweet treat, when you make your little balls of dough, dip them in melted butter, then in a mixture of brown sugar, finely chopped pecans and cinnamon, then place in the greased pan, allow to rise and bake as above. These are addicting. 

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

I love a good cinnamon roll, but sometimes you want one and don't have or want to take the time to make one with a yeast dough.  You want it now!   I had heard of using a biscuit dough to make them, but never tried until recently.  They turned out very darned good too!   You want to use a biscuit dough that is a bit richer than usual, and you can also add some sugar to the dough and even a bit of vanilla as well.   Here is the dough I used and how I did it.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup butter cut into pieces
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp.  salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp. sugar (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Grease/butter a 8x8 inche bake pan.    Mix all the dry ingredients together and then cut the butter into until it is like pea sized bits.   Make a well in the center and quickly stir in the sour cream, buttermilk and vanilla if using.    Stir until most of the flour is moistened, then knead in the bowl until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.   Flour a board or counter top and place the dough there and roll out about 1/2 inch thick.   Spread the top with melted butter, then heavily sprinkle with dark brown sugar and then sprinkle heavily with cinnamon.   Roll up and cut into 12 slices.   Place in the prepared pan and bake about 30 minutes, until risen and the top is nicely browned.   Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes, then spread with the glaze.    Allow to cool another 15-20 minutes before eating.   These are addicting!

Glaze:   about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and enough real maple syrup until you have a thick glaze.  Spread over the hot rolls.   Use cream or milk if you don't care for maple.  

English Muffin Toasting Bread

I love a crusty toasted English Muffin and have tried making them at home, but they just aren't quite right.  However, this bread will certainly be quite right!   It has a very good texture and crunch when toasted and the flavor is incredible.   I took a loaf to Judy and Gary and they both went nuts over it.  Definitely a keeper! 

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tbsp. Yeast

¼ tsp. Baking soda

3 tbsp. Oil or melted butter

2 cups hot milk

corn meal for dusting bread pan (optional)

Grease a bread pan and sprinkle with corn meal if using, set aside. Put dry ingredients in a mixer bowl and then add melted butter and milk. Mix with paddle until you have a very very soft dough. Scoop into the greased pan and with wet hands, press down and smooth out top. Cover and put in a warm place to rise about 45-60 minutes. You want the risen dough to come just barely above the top of the pan. After dough has risen 15-20 minutes, preheat oven to 400 degrees. When dough has risen, bake for about 30 minutes until well browned and it sound hollow when tapped (temp will be 190 if you use a thermometer). Allow to cool in pan about 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Do not slice until completely cooled. 

Healthy Gluten Free "bread"

This makes a delicious breakfast, sliced a bit thickly and spread with some peanut butter.  

Healthy Gluten Free Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
½ cup flax seeds
½ cup hazelnuts or almonds or any other chopped nuts, I like pecans
1 ½ cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
1 Tbsp. maple syrup or honey or sorghum
3 Tbsp. oil or butter, melted
 2 cups water

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a separate bowl. Add mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick, adding 1-2 teaspoons water if dough is too thick to stir.  Line a large loaf pan with  parchment paper and press dough into the pan, smoothing the top and let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours or overnight. 

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake bread for 20 minutes, then remove bread from loaf pan, peeling off parchment paper and place it upside down, directly a cookie sheet, and bake for another 30-40 minutes (it should sound hollow when tapped). Let cool completely before slicing.

 

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

If you wish, you can also add about ½-3/4 cups diced dried fruit to the bread and about ½ tsp of cinnamon as well. I also tend to double the amount of honey when I use that.

Tasty Gluten Free Rolls

I have friends who have celiac disease and are always looking for good gluten free bread.   I have often tasted the gluten free breads from the store and they usually had taste or texture issues and just didn't care much for them.   My friends have said the same thing.   So I've been trying to find a recipe for gluten free bread that is closer to regular wheat bread in taste or texture, this one fits that bill.  It is light, moist, not crumbly and tastes like a good whole wheat bread.    This one reminds me a bit of the old Roman Meal bread we used to be able to buy    So here is the recipe.

GLUTEN FREE ROLL RECIPE

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
1 cup sorghum or oat or buckwheat flour

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup flax seed meal

2 ½ tsp. xanthan gum

2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 cup water or milk or nut milk

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tbsp. honey or molasses

2 tsp. cider vinegar

Mix the liquid ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.   Then combine all the dry ingredients in another bowl.    Beat the wet ingredients together until well combined, then add the dry and mix well, about 5-6 minutes.  The dough will be very soft and sticky.   Immediately form into rolls.  I oil my hands, scoop up enough dough that it just about half a cup, form into a smooth ball and place on a well greased baking sheet or place it on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.   It should make about 8-9 rolls.   
Allow to rise an hour and a half.  It will not look like it has risen much.    About half an hour before time to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.    Place the risen rolls into the oven and bake about 20-30 minutes until puffed up well browned.  Remove from the pan and cool on a rack, covered with a dry towel..   When completely cold, they will freeze well.

If you want something more savory and that will remind you a bit of onion rye bread, when mixing the dough, add about 2/3 cup of dried onion flakes, 2 tbsp. of caraway, celery and fennel seeds.  If you have some dried celery flakes, add 2 tbsp. of those too.   This is very good used for sandwiches. 

Maple Pecan Scones

I was able to buy some of Max Lown's syrup this year and it is fantastic! So I keep looking for ways to make use of the delicious flavor. I did some researching and came up with several recipes for a maple pecan scone. I did some tweaking and this is the recipe I came up with. They turned out quite delicious!

Maple Pecan Scones

3/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. maple syrup (preferably Max's!)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mix together the buttermilk, vanilla and maple syrup. In another large mixing bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until it is well blended. You can leave a few small lumps of butter. Stir in the buttermilk mixture and pecans, then mix lightly with a fork until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Form into a ball, place on a floured tabletop and knead quickly 3-4 times. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and cut into strips, then the strips into rectangles about 1x2 inches (or any size and shape you wish). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and then bake in the preheated oven, about 10 minutes or until well risen and brown. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet a few minutes before removing to a rack to finish cooling. When cool make a glaze with maple syrup and powdered sugar, just thick enough to drizzle easily off a spoon, but not too thin or it will all run off. Drizzle the scones with the glaze and then allow them to sit until the glaze has dried/firmed up. Eat and enjoy!

Swedish Tea Log

This is something my mom used to make at holiday time and everyone loved it.   It is kinda like a danish pastry ring, but easier to make as you don't have all the folding and re-folding, with chilling between times.    It is very tender and buttery and utterly delicious.   Be sure to use real butter when making this, as margarine just won't cut it.   I have no idea where Mama got this recipe, I'm just happy that she did!

1 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, sliced
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 egg

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside.   Combine the flour, sugar and salt, then cut in the slices of butter.   You want there to be pea sized chunks.   Add the milk, egg and yeast.   Mix well, then cover and chill for 2 hours.   Divide the dough into three parts.   Roll out each part on a floured board into an rectangle about a foot long.   Spread a mixture of 1/2 cup softened butter and 1/2 sugar, then sprinkle heavily with chopped almonds.   Roll up tightly and place the roll on a buttered cookie sheet.   Repeat with other two pieces of dough.   Allow to rise about 45 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.   Remove from cookie sheet to rack to cool.   While still slightly warm, make a glaze with:
2 tbsp. browned butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
milk as needed
Beat the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together, adding milk until you have a slightly pourable glaze.  Drizzle over the warm logs.   Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy!!!

Sour Rye Bread

My brother in law Gary and I both really like this bread.   It is fairly easy to make and the dough can keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, getting more sour with every day.   It is very good with a nice smelly cheese or some spicy sausages.    I find I like it best after being made a day or two, but is also really good freshly baked.   It is very important that you not try to slice it before it has completely cooled, as otherwise it can be a bit gummy while hot.

3 cups beer
4 cups white flour
3 cups dark rye flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup molasses or sorghum

Using a heavy stand mixer (KitchenAid for example), mix using a dough hook until smooth.   The dough will be very heavy and sticky.   Place in a large lidded container and allow to sit out on the counter for 2-3 hours.    The dough won't rise a whole lot, but you can see it get full of small bubbles.   At this point you can bake the bread or place in the fridge for baking later.     The dough does handle a lot better after being chilled and will keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks.   When ready to bake, dust the top of the dough with a bit of flour and take half of the dough.    Without working the dough too much, lightly flour and quickly for the dough into a flat ball with your hands.   Place on a floured board or pie pan, cover with a towel and place in a warm spot for an hour and a half.    After an hour and a half, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a covered cast iron or enameled dutch oven in the oven to heat for about 30 minutes.    When well heated, remove from oven, slash the top of the dough quickly and place in the heated dutch oven, cover and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes.    After 30 minutes remove the cover of the dutch oven and continue baking another 3-15 minutes until the loaf is done and evenly browned.   Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack.    Do not slice this bread until completely cooled or it will be gummy.     Enjoy!

Variation:   sometimes I will substitute 1/2 cup flaxseed meal for an equal amount of the rye flour.

If you are a fan of caraway seeds in your rye bread (I'm not), you can add 2 tsp. of caraway seeds when you mix up the dough.

No-Knead Bread

I chat on various sites and on one of my favorite places I was given a recipe for a no-knead bread that looks and tastes like those fancy artisan loaves you pay the big bucks for.   It is a very easy bread to make, it just takes a lot of time.   But the time is well worth it, once you taste a slice of this bread with butter.  When I did some research, I discovered this bread recipe was first printed in the New York Times back in 2006.   I made one small change, I used a bit more liquid to make it easier to measure.   I also tried it using beer in place of water and it turned out really good.   The beer gives it just a tiny bit of sour, like a sourdough.   This recipe is a keeper!

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 3/4 cups water (or beer), and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Enjoy!

Garlic and Cheese Biscuits

One of my favorite places to eat is Red Lobster and a high point of a visit there are their garlic and cheese biscuits.   After searching a bit online, tweaking and playing, I've come up with a pretty good imitation of those delicious biscuits.  Here you go!

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
(if using buttermilk, 1/4 tsp. baking soda)
5 tbsp. butter
1 cup milk (or buttermilk)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup shredded parmesan)

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or more if you like a more garlicy biscuit)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.    Blend together the flour, baking powder, (baking soda if using) and salt.   Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, making coarse crumbs.   Make a well in center and add the milk (or buttermilk) and grated cheese.   Stir together quickly as possible.   Drop batter by heaping spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet.    Bake in the preheated oven about 12-15 minutes or until risen and lightly browned.   Mix the melted butter with the garlic powder and brush over the baked biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.   Enjoy! 

P.S.  I guarantee you can't eat just one!   Oh, and if you want to tweak it a bit more, add some dry Italian herbs to the dry ingredients for a nice change.

An Indian Meal

Aaron and I both love Indian food.   One of our favorite restaurants is an Indian restaurant in Lawrence, KS and I often fix Indian food at home.    I have a large selection of Indian and curry cookbooks too.    One of my all time favorite Indian cookbooks is the Best Ever Indian Cookbook.   It has mostly northern Indian recipes, which is probably the style of cooking most common to Americans.   And there are enough meat recipes to keep most carnivores happy and with a smile on their faces.   If you are not a carnivore, either a vegetarian or just trying to cut back on meat, you can omit the meat in many of these recipes and substitute paneer (Indian cheese), boiled eggs, tofu or another kind of vegetable.   The sauces tend to be what makes the dish.   And I find that Indian recipes really lend themselves to substitution.   Use what you have and adapt the recipe as you go along.    I also find, that with a few exceptions, Indian cooking relies on spices that are most common or easily found:   cumin, cilantro, green chiles, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, ginger, etc.   And I have also noticed that many grocery stores, even here in Topeka Kansas, are stocking more things that used to be a bit hard to find...coconut milk, five spice powder, naan, curry pastes, etc.   And you may even be lucky enough to have an Indian import shop in your area where you can buy things.   We have a very nice one here in Topeka,  Cosmos, where I love to shop and always find the staff to be most helpful and kind.   They also offer cooking classes as well.

Tonight is Indian food night for Aaron and I.   I am going to make Kashmiri chicken, curried mushrooms with coconut and curried pineapple.   I'm also going to attempt making my own naan for the first time.   I have the dough rising as I type.   Should be a good dinner, wish some of you fine readers were here to enjoy it with us.    These recipes all came from the Best Ever Indian Cookbook, as referenced above.   If you like doing Indian cooking, I highly recommend this book.   Enjoy!   (I know Aaron and I enjoyed both cooking and eating these foods!)

Naan

2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
4 tbsp. warm milk
8 tbsp. warm water (more or less)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. plain yogurt
2-3 tbsp. melted butter or ghee, for brushing the breads

Place the yeast in the warmed milk and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. to give the yeast time to activate.   Then place in a large bowl with everything except the water and melted butter.   Mix and add the water, about 2 tbsp. at a time until you have a soft dough.   Knead about 15 minutes, until very smooth and elastic.   Allow to rise, covered, in a warm place for an hour or so, until doubled.    When double, preheat the oven to the highest setting, at the very least 450 degrees.   If you have a baking stone, it is perfect for baking these.   But if not, place one or two baking sheets into the oven to heat.    When the oven is hot, knead the dough another couple of minutes, then divide into four balls.   Roll each ball out on a floured board about 1/4-1/3 inch thick.    Place each two rounds of dough on each baking sheet and return to the oven, baking 3-4 minutes, or until puffed up.    Remove from the oven and place under the broiler for a few seconds or until the top is slightly browned.   Brush with the melted butter or ghee and serve warm.   Makes 4 breads, enough for 2-4 people, depending on how hearty their appetite is.

Kashmiri Chicken Curry

4 tsp. curry paste
4 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. five spice powder
1 tsp. white sugar
8 pieces of chicken, skinned (I used a package of boneless thighs)
2 inch piece of fresh ginger root
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Make a marinade of the following:  curry paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, five spice powder, sugar and a pinch of salt.    Stir until sugar is dissolved.   Then rub this mixture over the chicken pieces and allow to sit in the refrigerature for about 2 hour or overnight.   Allow to sit on the counter about 10-15 minutes before cooking.

Peel and then grate the ginger root.    Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet and fry half of the ginger with the crushed garlic until golden.   Take care not to scorch it.    Add the chicken with any marinade and fry until the chicken is sealed on all sides.   Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and the oil begins to separate from the sauce.

Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon juice, remaining ginger and the chopped cilantro.   Mix well.   Serve hot with plain rice and/or naan.

Spiced Coconut Mushrooms

2 tbsp. vegetable ooil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 fresh red or green chiles, seeded and chopped (more if you like it really hot)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
3 cups thickly sliced mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Heat the oil and stir fry the garlic and chiles a few seconds.   Add the onions and continue to stir fry a few more minutes, until the onions begin to soften and color.    Stir in the mushrooms and stir fry about 3 minutes.   Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Boil rapidly until the liquid reduces and coats the mushroom slices.   It only takes a couple of minutes.    Place in a serving bowl, sprinkle cilantro on top and serve hot.



Chile and Mustard Flavored Pineapple

1 lb. of fresh pineapple cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (or to taste)
6-8 fresh curry leaves (optional)

Put the pineapple, water, coconut milk tumeric and first 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, salt and sugar into a large skillet or wok.   Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and allow to cook about 15 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, heat the oil and add the mustard and cumin seeds.    Stir fry until the mustard seeds begin to pop, then stir in the chopped onion.    Cook about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onion is soft and begins to color.      Add the second 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper and curry leaves if using.   Remove from heat and stir into the pineapple mixture.    Stir well, then remove from the head.    Eat hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Breakfast: Chorizo and eggs, and biscuits with sausage gravy

I love breakfast foods, but rarely eat them at breakfast time.   About the only times I eat in the mornings, is on the weekends or if I am off for some reason and even then it isn't a usual thing.   Take today, for example, I slept in and got up about 9:30 am.   I piddled around the apartment, but it wasn't until noon that I decided to eat something.   I've been craving chorizo and eggs, and just happened to make a double batch of chorizo last night, so had it in the fridge.   I sliced a small onion, cooked it in a bit of oil, then added about 2 ounces of chorizo.   I stirred it until the chorizo was done and the onions limp and lightly browned.   Next I beat 3 eggs with a splash of milk, then poured it over the chorizo and onions.   I stirred it  until set and the eggs were well mixed with the chorizo and onions.   Next I heated two flour tortillas, sprinkled a tablespoon or so of cheese in them and then filled with the eggs and chorizo, rolling them up into a delicious breakfast burrito.   With a glass of cranberry juice, that was my lunch/breakfast and it was fantastic!

Sometimes Aaron will request I make sausage gravy and biscuits.      First I make the biscuits:

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. solid shortening (lard is best, followed by butter and then vegetable shortening)
1 cup butter milk

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.    Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until it is well blended, if there are a few small clumps of shortening, that is ok.   Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk.   Quickly stir together using a fork until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.   Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and quickly knead a dozen times, then roll out about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Cut into rounds and place in an ungreased pan (a heated cast iron skillet is the best baking dish!).   Gather the scraps together, roll out again and cut more biscuits.   Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees about 10-15 minutes or until well risen and brown on top.   Goes good with butter and honey or butter and sorghum, with jelly or jam, or covered with sausage gravy.

Sausage gravy is something my family and Aaron both love.   Where we split is in how it is put together.   My family always fried the sausage in patties and served it along with the biscuits and gravy, but Aaron prefers the sausage fried loose and crumbly and served in the gravy itself.     Being the kind person I am, I usually cook it that way for him.   Gravy is something I usually don't measure carefully, but cook for with my eye.   Here's how I do it:

I crumble the sausage into a hot skillet and if the meat looks very lean, I'll add a bit of oil or bacon drippings.   Fry the sausage until it gets good and brown, but being careful not to burn it.    Remove the brown sausage crumbles to a bowl and set aside.   Eye the grease in the pan and you should have about 4 tbsp.   if more remove some and if less add more oil or bacon drippings.    Add three  tablespoons of flour and stir into the drippings until smooth.   Continue cooking and stirring until the flour/fat mixture begins to brown.  Whisk in 2 cups milk and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens.   If it looks too thick, add up to another cup of milk.   Boil for 1 minute, stirring all the while.   Add the cooked sausage back to the skillet and taste for salt and pepper.   If too thick you can add a bit more milk to thin it down, gravy will thicken as it cools.   Pour over hot biscuits and enjoy!

If you prefer your sausage on the side, make the loose sausage meat into small patties and fry in the heated skillet, adding some oil or bacon drippings as above.   Turn the patties often and watch for burning.   When well browned and done in the center, remove from skillet and drain on paper towel.   Make gravy as above, but disregard the part of returning the cooked sausage to the gravy.   This is some good eating!

Healthier Biscuits

Most people love a good biscuit.   When properly made they are flaky and either high and fluffy or thin and a bit crisp.   To get the flakiness, you need lots of high quality shortening, either lard or butter give the very best flavor.   The shortening is cut into the flour and then quickly rolled out and cut.   For the very best texture and flavor, you should also use buttermilk in place of sweet milk.    But is there a way to have a biscuit without all the heavy fats?   I came across what is called a heart healthy version of biscuits and decided to give it a try.    I got a good rise, they were pretty and the flavor was fairly good.   Will it completely replace my old stand-by recipe of biscuits, no, no way it could.  But it is handy when wanting a biscuit and I'm trying to eat better.   I'll probably save my old stand-by recipe for when I have company.   Even so, this is a good recipe to have on hand if you need to cook for someone with dietary limitations.   Enjoy!

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp. and 1 tsp. vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.   In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.   Stir in the milk and vegetable oil, quickly mixing until all of the flour it moistened.   Empty bowl onto a lightly floured board and quickly knead about 8-10 times.   Roll out dough about 3/4 inch thick and cut into rounds.   Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.   This should make about a dozen biscuits.

Refrigerator Rolls

This is a roll mix you can keep in the fridge to have for last minute baking.   These rolls are very light and a bit sweet.   Very tasty too!

1 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup hot potato water
1 1/2 cup room temperature water
1 pkg. yeast

Mix all the above together well and let stand covered for about five hours.   Store in the fridge up to a week.

To use:

Beat one egg in a measuring cup and then add enough of the potato/yeast mixture to make one cup.    Pour into a bowl and add 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup melted butter and two cups of flour.   Mix well and then shape into about 8 balls.    You may need to add a bit more flour if the dough is a bit soft.    Place in a buttered pan and allow to rise about an hour or until double.   Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned.   Enjoy!

Vatruski

I am a lucky man in that I have friends from many different cultures.   I also love to read about other cultures and ways of life, not to mention studying ethnic cookbooks.    I don't know why, but I have an especial interest in the Slavic cultures and have friends of Polish, Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian backgrounds.   The Slavic cultures have delicious foods and  you can tell they share a common heritage.   One of my favorite pastries is one called "vatrushki", which comes from the eastern side of Ukraine, near the Russian border.   It is very much like the Czech and Bohemian pastry called a kolache.     I found this recipe online, on a website that no longer exists.   I'm happy I copied this recipe down before it disappeared into cybespace!

2 cups warm milk
3/4 cup melted butter
2 pkgs. yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour

Beat all together until smooth and elastic, then allow to rise in a warm place until doubled. Divide the dough into about 16 small balls and place on a buttered cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Allow to rise about 20 minutes or so. Then form a depression in the center of each ball of dough, using a shot glass or another small glass or even your fingers. Fill the depression with jam or pie filling or cream cheese filling (see below). Bake at 300 degrees about 15-20 minutes or until just lightly colored. Don't allow to dry out. Cool on a rack until completely cooled. If you like, you can dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with a powdered sugar and milk glaze. Enjoy!

Cream cheese filling:
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
(a drop of almond extract, optional)
1 egg yolk
a tablespoon of flour

Beat together until smooth.


Enjoy!