I saw this recipe for soft pretzels the other day and immediatley clicked on the link. There's just something about soft pretzels that is so comforting, they seemed like the perfect rainy weekend snack. Once I arrived at the source of the link, Sugarlaws, there's no way I could pass up making these. Her description raved about the goodness that these little twists of dough held.
I whipped up a batch Sunday morning and by that evening I'd already begun a second go round. They are pretty dang tasty. They are soft and yeasty on the inside with a golden slightly crispier outside dusted with salt. I do have to say since I overdosed a little bit, they aren't as good the next day, so you may not want to get as ambititious as I did.
soft pretzels
from sugarlaws
1 tsp active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp baking soda
1 cup hot water (as hot as your tap can get)
Sea salt
1
Dissolve yeast into water with a pinch of sugar, let stand 10 minutes, until the mixture is creamy colored.
2
Mix the yeast mixture with flour, sugar, salt and canola oil, and knead until combined (a few minutes, not even 5). Let the dough rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the dough has risen, pinch off a handful and roll it out into a long strand. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough, about 6 times.
4
Once all the strands are rolled out, pick up the first one and stretch it out again (the gluten will have relaxed and it should stretch further now). Twist it into a pretzel shape and place it on a baking sheet lined with silipat or cooking spray. Repeat with the rest of the strands.
5*
Dissolve baking soda into hot water and stir until dissolved. Quickly dip each rolled pretzel into the mixture and place it back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle all the pretzels with sea salt, to your preference. 6
Bake for about 8 minutes, until pretzels have browned.
*I actually melted 1 Tablespoon butter and brushed the tops with it instead of using the baking soda mixture. It was tasty.
soft pretzels
I saw this recipe for soft pretzels the other day and immediatley clicked on the link. There's just something about soft pretzels that is so comforting, they seemed like the perfect rainy weekend snack. Once I arrived at the source of the link, Sugarlaws, there's no way I could pass up making these. Her description raved about the goodness that these little twists of dough held.
I whipped up a batch Sunday morning and by that evening I'd already begun a second go round. They are pretty dang tasty. They are soft and yeasty on the inside with a golden slightly crispier outside dusted with salt. I do have to say since I overdosed a little bit, they aren't as good the next day, so you may not want to get as ambititious as I did.
soft pretzels
from sugarlaws
1 tsp active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp baking soda
1 cup hot water (as hot as your tap can get)
Sea salt
1
Dissolve yeast into water with a pinch of sugar, let stand 10 minutes, until the mixture is creamy colored.
2
Mix the yeast mixture with flour, sugar, salt and canola oil, and knead until combined (a few minutes, not even 5). Let the dough rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the dough has risen, pinch off a handful and roll it out into a long strand. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough, about 6 times.
4
Once all the strands are rolled out, pick up the first one and stretch it out again (the gluten will have relaxed and it should stretch further now). Twist it into a pretzel shape and place it on a baking sheet lined with silipat or cooking spray. Repeat with the rest of the strands.
5*
Dissolve baking soda into hot water and stir until dissolved. Quickly dip each rolled pretzel into the mixture and place it back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle all the pretzels with sea salt, to your preference. 6
Bake for about 8 minutes, until pretzels have browned.
*I actually melted 1 Tablespoon butter and brushed the tops with it instead of using the baking soda mixture. It was tasty.
shaker-style walnut & rosemary bread
Since the weather has been getting colder, bread has been on my mind more and more. As in, baking bread... I'm always into eating it. When I went to the market this weekend I picked up a bunch of rosemary and immediately thought of baking a savory bread infused with it. I am addicted to these little Carr Rosemary Crackers and I was thinking it would be great if I could get something with that kind of flavor into a loaf of bread. I did a bit of searching on a few of my favorite sites and finally found this walnut/rosemary combo.
Bread making is what it is, you know. It's not the easiest thing, it takes a little patience and muscle, along with a bit of time, but more times that not the outcome is totally worth it. To start, I 100% love the smell of baking bread. That yeasty aroma just seems to floats around the apartment, enticing me with what's to come. And then you get to open to oven to see a beautiful golden loaf of bread. This bread was so dang delicious. The crust turned out perfectly shiny and crisp while the inside was dense and delicious. The walnuts were perfectly chopped to add texture without being a surprise. The rosemary gives the bread a rich flavor without being overwhelming... just perfect in fact. Spread a little butter over top and you've got yourself a perfect snack.
shaker-style walnut & rosemary bread
makes 2 loaves*
2 1/4 cups very warm whole milk (120°F)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temperature
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup warm water (110°F to 115°F)
2 envelopes active dry yeast
1 large egg, beaten to blend
6 1/2 cups (about) all purpose flour
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Vegetable oil
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon whole milk (for glaze)
* I actually divided the recipe in half and only made one loaf. As for the egg, I just whipped one up and estimated how much half would be.
1
Pour milk into large bowl. Mix in sugar, butter, and salt; cool to lukewarm
2
Place 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl; mix in yeast. Let stand 6 minutes.
3
Stir yeast mixture and 1 egg into lukewarm milk mixture. Mix in 4 cups flour. Beat with wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sponge stand until bubbles appear at edge, about 15 minutes.
4
Mix nuts and rosemary into sponge. Mix in flour, 1/3 cupful at a time, until soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, sprinkling with flour as needed, about 10 minutes. Brush clean large bowl with oil. Add dough; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5
Brush two 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch nonstick loaf pans with oil. Punch dough down and turn out onto work surface; shape into two 8-inch-long loaves. Place in pans. Let rise, uncovered, until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
6
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Using serrated knife, make shallow cut down center of each loaf. Brush loaves with glaze. Bake until golden and crusty, about 35 minutes. Turn breads out of pans. Cool on racks.
speedy no knead bread
I saw this recipe Sunday morning when I was reading through the times and I just had to try it. I've made no knead bread a few times, but I'm a sucker for a new recipe, especially when it involves carbs and has "speedy" in the name. I mixed a few ingredients together and got on with my day as the dough rose.
Once I was ready to bake the bread I heated the oven up along with my dutch oven as the directions suggest. Soon after I put the empty pot in the oven I heard a big pop. Let me tell you, I love martha stewart, but she makes really poor quality dutch ovens. The interior enamel exploded and crumbled to pieces, leaving me without a pot to bake my bread. But you know, I rolled with the punches and put my loaf of bread in a regular loaf pan and devised a lid out of tin foil. After 30 minutes in the oven I removed the foil, melted a little butter over the crust and let it get all golden and crusty for a bit.
Even with a non-recommended baking dish, my bread came out perfect. The crust was perfect and the interior was a nice combination of fluffy and dense. We've enjoyed as toast in the morning with a little butter and jam and we've enjoyed it as a way to sop up sauce at dinner, and I have to tell you, it's awesome no matter which meal you eat it with. Delicious and easy, what more could you want?
Speedy No Knead Bread
Brown Butter Cornbread With Farmer Cheese and Thyme
I saw this recipe in the Times a few weeks ago and as promised I picked up some corn to try it out. I love cornbread, there's just something about it that is so comforting and delicious. I was especially looking forward to trying out this recipe because it required a cast iron skillet, something I acquired on our last road trip.
I got to sifting and mixing and folding, and soon enough I had a lovely yellow, sweet smelling batter. I got out my skillet and browned some butter until it started smelling nutty. When the butter was browned to perfection, I added the batter and put the pan in the oven for about a half hour. Soon enough, the sweet aroma of the butter combined with the warm corny smell started drifting past our noses. Once a toothpick came out of the bread clean, I took it out and let it cool for a few minutes. I cut two pieces out and we tried it out. Hmmm, it wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still tasty. The thyme played a bigger role than I expected and I think next time I would swap that out for come finely chopped jalepenos. The real beauty of this cornbread was it's beautifully crisp and golden crust. Mmm, it was so buttery and had a nice crumbly texture.
Brown Butter Cornbread With Farmer Cheese and Thyme
from the New York Times
new cookbook + cornbread
I recently received a new cookbook, Fanny at Chez Panisse, from my friend Jane. It's part storybook, part cookbook told from the point of view of Fanny, Alice Waters's daughter. The illustrations are really lovely and the recipes are all simple but super delicious sounding. I had some cornbread at brunch a few weeks ago and I've been craving it ever since. I found a recipe for it in this book and decided to make it the other night.
It's a pretty basic recipe that only takes a few minutes to mix together. Pop it in the oven for 20 or so minutes and you've got yourself a nice loaf of warm, crumbly cornbread. I was hoping it would be a little sweeter... I even added a little extra sugar, but I'm kind of thinking my cornmeal is getting old. So that could be why it wasn't as flavorful as I'd hope. Last time I used a different recipe but used the same cornmeal and had similar results. It was still good, but I think I need a do-over with fresh cornmeal to give a proper critique.
I'm really looking forward to trying out some of the other recipes in this book this summer when the farmer's market is brimming with delicious fruits and veggies.
whole wheat bread
My friend Jillian sent me this recipe for whole wheat bread and I've been waiting for the right time to try it out. I made a bit of a mistake in thinking that last night might be that time. You see, I seem to have a problem with reading the directions before I make a recipe. I had perused it several times, but overlooked the three separate rising periods when I decided to start it at 9:30pm. At first I thought it was only two rising periods and that maybe I could speed it up and still bake it that night, but instead after the eighteenth time I read it, I realized I would not have bread until the morning. With my head hung low, I left the bread on the counter, covered it with a towel, and crossed my fingers that it would make it through the night.
This morning, I rose a bit early and was happy to see the bread had survived. I warmed the oven and popped the bread in, hoping I hadn't ruined everything. The apartment filled with the delicious scent of fresh baked bread, making the morning a little more cheerful. When I pulled the bread out, I could see that it had suffered slightly from my mistakes (it didn't rise well), but overall it made it out mostly intact. I cut a slice and took my first bite. It was moist and pretty good, although a little bit of butter really helped it. I think I was looking for a little more umph in it. I can imagine it would be really tasty with a bit of fruit jam on it or something like that to sweeten it up a bit.
In the end, I think I'm spoiled by the no knead bread. It so easy and really delicious and you hardly have to think about it. Maybe I'll try a whole wheat no knead bread.
Whole-Wheat Bread Hayes
2 cups warm water (105°-115°F.)
a 1/4-ounce package (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/4 cup molasses
5 to 6 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup canola oil
an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg white with 1 teaspoon water
3 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats for sprinkling loaves
1
In a small bowl stir together 1 3/4 cups warm water and yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a measuring cup whisk together remaining 1/4 cup warm water and molasses. In a large bowl stir together 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and oil and add molasses and yeast mixtures, stirring until combined well. Stir in enough of remaining 3 to 4 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, for mixture to form a soft dough and turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, and shape into a ball.
2
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, and let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about hour.
3
Punch down dough and let rise, covered, 45 minutes more.
4
Preheat oven to 400°F. and grease 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by inches.
5
Divide dough in half. Lightly knead each piece of dough and form into ovals. Transfer loaves to pans and let rise, covered with kitchen towels, 45 minutes.
6
Brush tops of loaves lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with oats. Bake loaves in middle of oven 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. and bake loaves 20 to 25 minutes more, or until golden brown. Turn loaves out onto a rack to cool.
no knead bread & new dutch oven
Last week after I posted about my dutch oven conundrum I looked at macy's web site and saw that the Martha pot was on sale. I decided that that would be the one and hiked up to macy's, pushed through the crowds and bought myself my very own dutch oven. Lugging that puppy home on the subway is a whole other story, but it's safe and sound now.
For it's inaugural use, I decided on a No Knead Bread in a Hurry recipe I found on thekitchn. It really is incredibly easy and the results are awesome. First of all, the smell of fresh bread that filled our apartment was awesome, and it just made us even more eager to try it. When I pulled the pan out, the bread looked beautifully golden. I let it cool for a few minutes and then cut right into it. The crust was nice and crunchy while the inside was airy and white.
I'm looking forward to trying the original No Knead Bread recipe as well. If it's close to the goodness of this one, I can't wait.
(Quicker) No-Knead Bread
makes 1 loaf
3 cups bread flour
3/4 teaspoon regular yeast (not instant)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
Mix all the ingredients in the morning before you go to work. This should take about 3 minutes and leave you with a thick, slightly goopy dough. Mark Bittman calls it "shaggy." Cover with a towel or some plastic wrap and leave it in the warmest spot in your kitchen. It should get a 6 to 8-hour rise.
When you come home from work lightly mist a counter or baking sheet with spray oil and turn dough out on it. Shape it roughly into a ball, mist with oil again, and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let proof for about an hour, or however long you have. (You can also proof your dough a little faster in the microwave!)
Heat the oven to 450°F. Put a Dutch oven (or one of these alternatives) in the oven to heat. When the dough has doubled in size, put it in the pan. You may have to pour it, pry it off the baking sheet, or just roll it in - the dough is very wet. Don't worry if it looks a mess. Cover the pot with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 15 minutes to let it brown.
You can be really sure that the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side of the loaf reads 210-220°F.
carrot nut bread
It's a cold and wintry day (and actually snowy) here in new york. I was digging through some old community cookbooks my grandma-in-law gave me and found a recipe for carrot nut bread. It sounded delicious and warm, perfect for a blistery day where all you want to do is stay inside and keep warm. Aside from having to grate the carrots it's pretty easy.
I decided to make two mini loaves because I don't have a big loaf pan. The result is a nice crispy crust with a moist inside. It's just the perfect amount of sweet and spice to have as an after dinner snack or for your breakfast in the morning.
Carrot Nut Bread
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cooking oil (I ran out so I used, 1/4 cup oil + 1/3 cup melted butter)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
1 cup grated raw carrots
1. Combine eggs, sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl and beat well
2. Sift flour with soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to sugar mixture.
3. Add carrots and nuts and mix well.
4. Pour into 9x5x3 inch loaf pan, or two 5.75x3.25 mini loaf pans.
5. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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