Quick and Easy Yeast Buns

I made these buns single rise instead of a more traditional double rise simply for speed and ease. They are soft and delicious and oh so tasty.


Yeast Buns

3 cups flour aprox
1 package yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup oil
2 1/2 tbls honey
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup warm water

In a bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, oil, honey, and salt. Begin stirring in flour. When dough gets too thick to stir turn out on floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Dough will be smooth and elastic.  Continue to knead for a few minutes.

Divide dough into 10 portions. Form each portion into a ball before flattening out on greased cookie sheet to form a bun. Cover and let rise until double in size. This can take 30 mins to an hour.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on racks.

Chocolate Stuffed Rolls

This was an interesting experiment.  The rolls needed another component....like apples or dates.....the chocolate just didn't do it for me on it's own. I do feel kind of dirty saying that though.

I have stuffed chocolate into the center of a drop biscuit and been in heaven....all that buttery biscuit dough was a wonderful pairing with the melted chocolate center.


Chocolate Stuffed Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)
18 to 20 squares of dark chocolate
2 tbls coarse salt
2 tbls turbinado sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.  Stir in milk, honey, oil, and salt.  Mix in one cup of flour and vital wheat gluten.  Mix in eggs and enough flour to make a soft dough.  Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.  Place in covered bowl and let rise for one hour.

Turn dough back out on floured board and divide into 18 to 20 pieces.  Shape a piece of dough into a round and flatten slightly.  Tuck chocolate into center of dough.  Pinch the edges of dough closed around the chocolate.  Place pinch side down on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Cover rolls and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Mix together coarse salt and turbinado sugar.  Brush tops of rolls with melted butter and sprinkle salt mixture over top of rolls.

Bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool on racks.

Apple Cinnamon Danish

Apple cinnamon glory....oh yes.  Perfect for a weekend breakfast.  I'm still playing around with using crumb topping as the filling in different sweet breads....it really does make a great filler.

Next time I need to thin my frosting a bit more....talk about a super thick drizzle.


Apple Cinnamon Danish

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
Spiced Apple Butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Sugar Drizzle:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 to 3 tbls water or milk


Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.  Stir in milk, honey, oil, and salt.  Mix in one cup of flour and vital wheat gluten.  Mix in egg and enough flour to make a soft dough.  Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.  Place in covered bowl and let rise for one hour.

Assemble filling while dough is rising.  Stir together both sugars, salt, and cinnamon, and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in the flour until well combined.  Set aside.

Divide dough into four sections.  Roll a section out into a thin rectangle.  Spread apple butter down the center of the dough.  Crumble filling on top of apple butter.  Using a knife or pizza cutter....cut dough on each side of the filling into strips.  Fold strips, alternating sides, over the filling in the center.....I always think of it like a shoelace pattern.  Place danish on greased cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining portions of dough.  Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on racks.  Drizzle with sugar mixture.

Multi Grain Hamburger Buns 2.0

I changed my hamburger bun recipe recently....sometimes I just get tired of a particular ingredient...in this case ground flax.  I'm quite tickled with the new version.  The texture seems much lighter, even with the increase in oatmeal and wheat flour. 

I've been slacking on experimental bread making lately....probably the heat nudging me towards the usual recipes to get in and out of the kitchen quickly.

I don't usually bother gussying up my buns, but for a polished look they can be brushed with egg whites....sesame seeds, diced onions, and coarse salt might be some fun toppings as well.


Multi Grain Hamburger Buns 2.0

1 pack active dry yeast
2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, ground
1 cup warm milk
2 tbls oil
1 tbls honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup no fat plain yogurt, warmed slightly
1/3 cup wheat germ
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup oat bran
3 tbls vital wheat gluten

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add in warm milk, oil, honey, and salt. Stir in yogurt.  Add in wheat germ, whole wheat flour, oat bran, ground oatmeal, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in all purpose flour until mixture is too stiff to work in the bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to knead dough for about 8 to 10 minutes adding flour to keep dough from sticking. Place in bowl and cover, letting rise in a warm place for about an hour. I generally use the microwave for this step...heating up a mug of water to steaming before putting my bread bowl inside.

Turn dough back out onto a floured surface and punch down. Divide into 10 portions. Take a portion of dough and form it into a rough circular shape.  Holding the round in one hand, use the other hand to turn one side of the dough under.  Rotate the round slightly and continue to turn the dough under adding a dusting of flour as needed.  This will give you a nice, round shape.  Place on greased baking sheet and flatten.  Repeat for the other portions. Cover and let your tray rise for another hour.

Bake your buns at 375 for 30 mins or until nicely browned. Cool on rack.

Every so often I get a lovely whiff of honey when I cut one of these buns open.  Yummy!

Coconut Zucchini Mini Loaves

I really need to check on the zucchini in the garden more often...I didn't realize I had ripe goodies waiting for me out there.  These little loaves hit the spot.  They demanded coconut....because everything is better with coconut of course.  Very little effort goes into this recipe.  The only thing that really take a bit of time is grating the zucchini.


Coconut Zucchini Mini Loaves

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 egg
1 cup unpeeled, grated zucchini
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon peel
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Mix together egg, oil, yogurt, coconut, sugar, and zucchini.  Blend in both flours, baking soda, salt, lemon, peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg until just mixed.  Pour into mini loaf pans or muffin pan and bake at 350 for 18 to 25 minutes.  Cool on rack.

Stuffed Rolls

I do love to play around with pizza dough.....embrace the obsession with all things pizza...embrace it!  ;)  These rolls made very tasty snacks...plus I had a ton of fun making them so it was a double win.

Next time I'll brush the rolls with egg white instead of oil.  I prefer the glossy sheen to the look I ended up with from the oil. 

Next time I'd tuck a few pieces of pepperoni around the cheese instead of just one slice....don't know what I was thinking being stingy there.


Stuffed Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)

Filling:
Mozzarella, cubed
Turkey pepperoni

Topping:
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.  Stir in warm skim milk, oil, honey, and salt. Mix in flax, wheat germ, and gluten. Mix in flour gradually. When the dough gets too stiff to continue stirring, pour it out onto your work surface and knead in the remaining flour. Continue kneading for 8 minutes or so. Dough should be nice and elastic.

Divide the dough into 18 to 20 portions.  Form each portion into a rough round shape.   Turn the dough in one hand and fold a third of it under with your other hand. Keep rotating the dough, turning the edges under.  Add a light dust of flour if your ball starts to get sticky.  Flatten your ball out slightly.  Tuck your cube of cheese and slices of pepperoni into the middle and pinch the dough closed around the filler.  Put on greased cookie sheet and so the same with the remaining dough.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 mins.

Brush oil across the top of the rolls.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and parmesan cheese.  Bake in oven at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until rolls are nicely browned.  Cool on racks.

I could have made my rolls slightly smaller...the bread was a little thick around the filling.....I'm torn over whether that is a bad thing though since I am a serious bread lover.  ;)  

Meatball Subs

I have been wanting to make a meatball sub for a while.  I even baked some Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls to form the buns.  So tasty.  This came together fairly quickly and it turned out to be a nice make ahead meal.  I just piled the meatballs and sauce into a crockpot to keep warm until dinner time.....easy peasy especially when guests are coming over.

Chicken or turkey could be substituted for the lean ground beef of course with no problem.

I think the only change I would make is doubling the red pepper flakes in the sauce....I needed a little more zest.


Meatball Subs

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 egg whites, beaten lightly
1 tbls worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup panko

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Roll portion of meat into golf ball sized portions.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once during cooking.

Sauce:
1 sweet onion, diced
1 banana pepper, diced
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
1 tbls olive oil
2 14oz cans no salt added petite diced tomatoes
6oz tomato paste
1/2 cup spicy ketchup
2 tbls lemon juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbls basil
2 tbls sugar *
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt

In a saucepan, cook oil, peppers, onion, and garlic until onions are translucent.  Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes or so.  Pour sauce into a blender or use an immersion blender to make a smooth sauce.  Mix the sauce and the meatballs together.  Serve on buns with slices of Provolone Mozzarella cheese.

* I just used 2 packs Truvia.

Turkey Pepperoni Bundles

I play around a lot with pizza dough....it's just such a useful thing with immense possibilities.  Anywho, I wanted to make a quick snackum for game night and this turned out nicely.  I probably didn't need the sprinkle of coarse salt across the top of the bundles....the pepperoni added plenty of salt.

You can use a refrigerated pizza dough from the store instead of making your own if you're in a hurry...but honestly pizza dough whips together really quickly....easiest yeast bread ever.

A side of marinara can be used for dipping, but I was happy with the rolls as is....I'm a bit of a bread nut though.  ;)


Turkey Pepperoni Bundles

Pizza Crust Dough
Turkey Pepperoni
Coarse Sea Salt
Egg White, lightly beaten

Divide your pizza dough into two portions.  Press one portion of dough out into a rough rectangle.  Place your pepperoni on the dough in columns, leaving a little space between each column.  Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough between the columns.  Roll each bundle up pinching the ends together to close the bundle off.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining bundles and the second portion of dough.

Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.  A great spot is the oven with a mug/pan of steaming water in the bottom.

Brush the tops and side of the bundles with the egg white and sprinkle coarse salt across the tops.  Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until rolls have a nicely browned look.  Cool on racks.

A couple more pics....

A little interior view of the goodies.  To add a little extra to the bundles, tuck in some sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the pepperoni before you roll them up.

This is how your dough should look before rolling up the bundles.  Don't forget to flour the surface your dough is sitting on otherwise rolling up the bundles can be a bit of a bear.....think super, sticky mess....cough....not that I know anything about that.  ;)

Stromboli Pizza

It's a cross between a stromboli and a pizza....and it's so very good.  The first version of this I made with deli meat in the stromboli...which turned the dish into an instant salt fest....tasty, but wow that was a ton of salt.  I decided to go for a more salt conscious second version.  I used some sliced, marinated chicken breast and it worked out beautifully.

I made small individual servings in this version since I was feeding just the hubby and myself....I turned my spare dough into pizza crust rounds for the freezer for future quick meals.  The first stromboli pizza I made as just two large servings since I was feeding a gathering of folks.  Gotta love a dish that adapts easily to your needs.  ;)

You can use pretty much any toppings you like...roasted peppers, sausage, spinach...whatever your taste buds cry out for.  The smaller serving size will let you tailor to specific tastes a whole lot easier.


Stromboli Pizza

Pizza Crust
Marinara Sauce
Marinated Chicken  (make a double batch)
Turkey Pepperoni
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (1 1/2 slices for each pocket works great)

Divide your pizza crust dough into 8 portions.  Press a  portion of dough out into a small, thin rectangle.  Place sliced chicken breast on one side of the dough.  Top with cheese slices.  Fold the other half of the dough over top forming a pocket and pinch closed.  Gently transfer your pocket to your greased baking sheet.  Repeat the process with the remaining portions of dough.

Let pockets rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes.  The oven is a wonderful spot for this when you put a steaming mug/pan of water inside.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until pockets are lightly browned.

Top pockets with marinara, a layer of shredded mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni.  Pop baking sheets back in the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese is melted and pepperoni is a little crisp.  Nosh!


A couple more pics...

A bit of an interior view...though it is tough to see with all the cheese and sauce....I might be drooling a little now.  Any form of pizza hits my favorite food list.  ;)

I was tempted to call this dish strombolza...but that just made me giggle too much.

Flexible cutting mats are the perfect bread making surfaces.  I press my dough out with my hands, but a rolling pin works great too.  Shredded mozzarella can be used instead of sliced in this section, but the slices just keep things neater.

The pockets can be formed right on the baking sheet, but space can be a little tight.  When making two large servings instead of the smaller ones, definitely form them right on the baking sheet as they would be a disaster waiting to happen trying to move them around.

Gingerbread Sticky Buns

Eventually my obsession with gingerbread will peter out....possibly....ehehehehe.  I do tend to go in streaks though....a bunch of ideas will crop up surrounding one theme and I just have to try them out to see how reality matches up with my imagination. 

These are super tasty.  I always love a good sticky bun though.  Messy food is just fun.  The only change I might make is to add spices to the sticky bottom sugar mixture.  The gingerbread flavor is a little muted so it needs a little kick.


Gingerbread Sticky Buns

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 package active dry yeast
3 tbls Vital Wheat Gluten
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Sticky Bottoms:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup tub margarine
1 cup chopped dates

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water.  Warm milk in the microwave and stir into the yeast mixture along with the molasses, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.  Mix in whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and vital wheat gluten.  Mix in eggs.  Begin to mix in remaining flour, until mixture becomes too hard to stir.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour to for a soft, elastic dough.  Continue to knead for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Place ball of dough in a covered bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled for an hour.

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling and set aside.

For the sticky bottoms, mix together brown sugar and margarine in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Pour into the bottom of a cookie sheet with sides or a baking pan.   Sprinkle the dates over top of the sugar mixture.

Turn dough back out onto floured board.  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half out into something like a 9x13 rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the dough.  Roll dough into a tube starting with the narrow side.  Pinch edges together.  Cut into one inch slices with a knife.  Place slices over the sugar/date mixture leaving room between each roll for it to rise.  Cover and put in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes until doubled in size.

Bake at 375 for 18 to 24 minutes, or until done.  Invert rolls onto a serving platter.  Cool.

Gingerbread Spiral Rolls

The great gingerbread bonanza continues...yes yes.  After I made gingerbread blondies, I wondered how a gingerbread flavoring would work in a sweet yeast roll.....and it worked out beautifully.  The bread smelled amazing.

If you aren't fond of dates you can always use a different dried fruit or just leave the fruit out.

I had planned to leave a couple rolls without icing to make french toast, but I went on some sort of crazed icing spree and forgot all about it.  Sniff.....the gingerbread french toast will have to be tried another time.  Mmm.....gingerbread french toast....I wants it!


Gingerbread Spiral Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (approx)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 package active dry yeast
3 tbls Vital Wheat Gluten
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped dates
2 tbls tub margarine, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water.  Warm milk in the microwave and stir into the yeast mixture along with the molasses, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.  Mix in whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and vital wheat gluten.  Mix in eggs.  Begin to mix in remaining flour, until mixture becomes too hard to stir.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour to for a soft, elastic dough.  Continue to knead for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Place ball of dough in a covered bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled for an hour.

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.  Turn dough back out onto floured board.  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half out into something like a 9x13 rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the dough.  Top with chopped dates.  Roll dough into a tube starting with the narrow side.  Pinch edges together.  Cut into one inch slices with a knife and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise 30 to 60 minutes until doubled in size.

Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes or until done.  Remove from cookie sheets to cool.  Drizzle icing over warm rolls.

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbls skim milk
2 tbls maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, until smooth and well combined.

Maple Apple Braid 1.0

It's pretty to look at and the bread was quite tasty, but I wasn't too happy with the overall result. I should have divided the dough into thirds instead of halves.  The bread to filling ratio was really off.  The apple filling was yummy....the apple filling mixed with the cream cheese I wasn't thrilled with.  Next time it's all fruit baby!

The maple flavoring in the dough and the frosting was quite nice.  It was a lovely, subtle flavor.

Definitely need a do over on this recipe though.


Maple Apple Braid 1.0

Dough:
3 cups unbleached flour (approx)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tbls vital wheat gluten

Dissolve yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water.  Heat milk and margarine together until milk is warm and margarine is melted. I use the microwave to heat the milk instead of the stove top, but either works fine. Stir into dissolved yeast. Mix in maple syrup and salt. Add in a cup of flour and the vital wheat gluten. Stir in eggs. Work in enough flour to create a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to work your dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in covered bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm place. The microwave makes a great spot to rise dough. Take a glass of water and heat it to boiling in the microwave. Leave the glass inside and put the covered bowl inside and shut the door. It's a warm, steamy spot.

Turn dough out onto your board and divide in half.  Roll each portion of dough out thinly with a rolling pin into a rectangle. Spread a layer of filling down the center of the dough.  Use a pizza cutter to slice one inch wide strips in the dough surrounding the filling.  You want to slice the strips at a slight downward angle.

Tuck one strip of dough across the filling.  Bring a strip of dough from the other side across the top of the first strip.  Continue alternating strips of dough until you reach the bottom.  Think of shoelaces here.

Cover the braid and raise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until braid is a lovely golden brown.

Drizzle frosting across the top with a spoon or fork.


Apple Filling:
2 Fuji apples or your current favorite
1 tbls sugar
1.5 tbls flour
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
1 tbls lemon juice
1 tbls tub margarine

Peel and core apples.  Slice thin and then chop into cubes.  Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Toss the apples in the mixture.  Turn covered apples into a pan and top with lemon juice and margarine.  Bake at 375 for 30 mins or so stirring occasionally until apples are tender and cooked down.  Cool.

Cream Cheese Filling:
4oz reduced fat cream cheese
1 egg yolk
2 tbls sugar
1/2 tbls flour
1 tsp lemon zest

Mix everything together and combine with the apple filling.

Maple Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbls skim milk
2 tbls pure maple syrup

Mix everything together.  The icing will actually be too thick to drizzle at this point until you heat it for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave to loosen it before drizzling across the hot bread.  Alternately you can thin it further with milk instead of heating it.

A few more pics....

Pretty...yes.  Too much bread and too little filling....I'm still a little cheesed off about that since I should have seen that coming.  I didn't think about the whole double in size bit in the final rise....how I could not think that through I do not know considering how much bread I bake....ehehehe.  The cream cheese baked into the bread as well which surprised me a bit. Honestly it looked like I only had a fruit filling going.

The nekkid braid.  I had one little flap sticking up on the tail end of both braids.  It was like the loaves were flipping me off.....too funny.  My bread was issuing it's own feedback.  ;)

An egg white wash right before baking would give the crust a prettier finished look, but honestly I knew I was going to cover it with frosting so I didn't worry about it.  Something to think about for next time.

I added this treat to the Sweet for Saturday #3 over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies.  So many wonderful treats over there to check out and drool over.

Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls

This bread.....delicious!  I took a bite and went...Wow!  The rolls are chewy and slightly dense.  I was really impressed with the flavor.  Then I started eying the cooling rolls debating how much I would regret going on a bread bender.  ;)   I will definitely make these again.

I played around with an egg white wash right before baking.  You can easily tell the difference between the rolls I brushed and the ones I left alone.  It is a pretty finished look....glossy with a little crackle when you tear the bun in half.  Honestly, I could go either way.  I'm just as happy with the rustic, flour touched look and tender crust. 


Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls

1 package active dry yeast
2 cups old fashioned oats, ground fine
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (approx)
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 tbls vital wheat gluten
1 bottle Newcastle Brown Ale (1 1/2 cups approx)
2 tbls oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, beaten (optional)

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water...warm water from the tap works just fine. Heat brown ale in the microwave until warm (you can also warm on the stove top) and add to the yeast. Stir in the oil, maple syrup, and salt. Mix in the ground oats, wheat germ, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in the egg.  Gradually mix in enough flour to form a soft dough. When the dough gets too difficult to stir turn it out onto your work surface and continue to knead in flour.  Knead the dough for several minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for an hour. Dough should be doubled in size.

Grease two cookie sheets. Turn dough back out onto floured work surface and punch down. Using a knife, cut off a small bun sized portions of dough. Work it in your hand to give it a nice round shape. Generally I rotate the dough in one hand and turn the edges under with the other, adding flour as needed....this gives you a pretty little round.  Place your roll on the cookie sheet and repeat the shaping process with the remainder of the dough. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place an hour. If you want a glossy crust, brush tops with the egg white.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned.


A few more pics of the yummies...

I made some little loafs for small sandwiches.  They are wicked cute.  I definitely favor the egg wash for these types of rolls....it makes the cuts stand out so nicely.

The oven is my  favorite spot for rising sheets of shaped dough....heat a mug of water to the boiling point in the microwave and put it on the bottom.  Cover your bread and close the door.  Makes a warm, steamy spot.  If you are rising a small bowl of dough the microwave alone works great.  Heat your mug of water and then tuck the covered bowl in the microwave.

Cinnamon Sunflower Pull Aparts

I thought peeling apart layers of warm, cinnamony goodness would be a fun way to eat this treat....and it was, but there was way more labor involved than I was looking for.  ;)  Seriously just roll these bad boys up cinnamon roll style and glaze.  If I want that shape I'll just toss the cut cinnamon roll into the muffin tin and call it a win....ehehehee.  Lazy? Yes, yes I am.

I considered this finger food.  My beloved hubby ate it with a fork.  Not even the epic amount of stink eye I gave him would make him use his fingers....rofl.  Bless his heart he doesn't like messy food.  I go with the messier the better rule myself.  I'm pretty sure that's the inner two year old speaking though.  Wet naps are my friend. 


Cinnamon Sunflower Pull Aparts

3 cups unbleached flour (approx)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup raw honey
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
3 tbls vital wheat gluten


Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup tub margarine, melted
1 cup sunflower seeds

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2oz cream cheese
1/4 cup tub margarine
1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water. Water from the tap works just fine. Heat milk and margarine together until milk is warm and margarine is melted. I use the microwave to heat the milk instead of the stove top, but either works fine. Stir into dissolved yeast. Mix in honey and salt. Add in a cup of flour and the vital wheat gluten. Stir in eggs. Work in enough flour to create a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to work your dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in covered bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm place. The microwave makes a great spot to rise dough. Take a glass of water and heat it to boiling in the microwave. Leave the glass inside and put the covered bowl inside and shut the door. It's a warm, steamy spot.

Grease jumbo muffin pans.  Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Turn dough back out onto your board and punch down. Sprinkle a little margarine, brown sugar, and sunflower seeds in the bottom of a muffin well.  Cut off a small portion of dough and flatten it into a thin round.  Place in the bottom of the muffin pan.  Brush margarine across the top and sprinkle it with the brown sugar mixture and sunflower seeds.  Cut off another portion of dough, flatten it into a thin round, and layer it on top of the last one.  Brush with margarine and sprinkle on the sugar and sunflower seeds.  Repeat until your muffin cups are 3/4 full.  Leave the final layer bare of sugar, butter, and sunflower seeds.  Repeat the same process with the other muffin wells.

Cover the muffin pans and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely browned.  Turn out of pans to cool.  Mix together icing ingredients and drizzle over the tops of the warm stacks.  Nom!



 A couple more pics....

Fresh out of the oven and just waiting on a slew of glaze.  Hmmm....I could have done a right side up version instead of inverted.....skip adding margarine, sugar, and sunflower seeds to the muffin wells and add it to the top of the final layer of dough instead. 

A non sunflower seed version......which seemed quite boring.

Cranberry Orange Rolls 1.0

Man these rolls hit the spot for me....light and fresh.  They are a nice twist on the usual cinnamon roll.  I've been feeling a compulsion to make sweet breads lately so expect a string of yeasty glory down the road.  ;)

I might experiment next time with adding some zest to the actual bread dough...or even some orange juice...sometimes that small tweak can create a huge boost in flavor.  I divided the dough into thirds before I rolled it out to make some mini rolls....I think I like the larger size better though so I changed the recipe below to reflect that.

I learned an important lesson while adding in the cranberries....the cherry flavored cranberry pack looks exactly like the regular cranberry pack unless you are actually paying attention....ahem.  ;)


Cranberry Orange Rolls 1.0

3 cups unbleached flour (approx)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup raw honey
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbls orange zest
1 cup dried cherry cranberries


Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2oz cream cheese
1/4 cup tub margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp orange zest

Dissolve yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water. Water from the tap works just fine. Heat milk and butter together until milk is warm and butter is melted. I use the microwave to heat the milk instead of the stove top, but either works fine. Stir into dissolved yeast. Mix in honey and salt. Add in a cup of flour. Stir in eggs. Work in enough flour to create a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to work your dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in covered bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm place. The microwave makes a great spot to rise dough. Take a glass of water and heat it to boiling in the microwave. Leave the glass inside and put the covered bowl inside and shut the door. It's a warm, steamy spot.

Turn your dough back out on your board kneading it a bit. Divide it in half and place one half off to the side. Roll the dough into something like a 9x13 rectangle. Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and orange zest. Brush the rectangle with water (melted butter is also an option)  and sprinkle half the sugar mixture over the top of the dough. Sprinkle half the cranberries on top of the sugar.  Roll the dough up starting with the longest side. Cut into segments and place each piece on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Cover the cookie sheets and let rise 30 minutes in a warm place.

Bake rolls at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they brown nicely. Mix together powdered sugar, cream cheese, margarine, zest, and vanilla. Remove rolls from cookie sheet and drizzle or spoon the icing over the tops. Consume with great joy!

Drop Biscuits for Two

I am a bread junkie....maybe I should say reformed bread junkie....but still a junkie.  ;)  This recipe makes just to enough to enjoy without overdoing. Sometimes you just don't need the temptation.  I used skim milk, but some buttermilk would be wonderful as well.  I just don't go through enough buttermilk to keep it in the fridge.

In the old days (the naughty, sinfully delicious eating days pre heart attack) we used to have a huge weekend breakfast with biscuits, sausage, bacon, sausage gravy, eggs, and a mess of hash browns.  Pancakes were involved at times, but only for me since Paul doesn't like them....savage!  ;)  Wow....that is a huge list of food.  It really was epic.  Ok...I might have drooled a little recalling those meals.  The weekend breakfast has now returned in the form of a tasty but healthier brunch with oven baked chunky hash browns, drop biscuits, scrambled egg whites (or an egg white omelet), and a half serving of turkey sausage and bacon.  I really should have taken a picture of the whole meal...but honestly I was too busy eating it...ehehehe.


Drop Biscuits for Two

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbls sugar
2 tbls tub margarine
3 tbls skim milk

Mix together flour, baking powder, and sugar.  Blend in margarine until mixture resembles crumbs.  Add milk and stir until just combined.  Drop biscuits by the spoonful onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls

I've been wanting to give sweet potato yeast rolls a whirl.  I have this unending sweet potato craving in progress.  The dough is quite sticky so it's a bit of a pain to knead it before the first rise, but the slight annoyance is worth it.  The rolls turned out quite lovely, crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.  I think they would be perfect with a little honey or butter...I'm leaning towards honey.  ;)


Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls

1 package active dry yeast
2 cups spelt flour
3 to 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato*
3 tbls vital wheat gluten
1 cup skim milk
2 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water...warm water from the tap works just fine. Heat milk in the microwave until warm and add to the yeast. Stir in the oil, honey, and salt. Mix in the spelt flour and vital wheat gluten. Mix in the mashed, sweet potato.  Gradually mix in the flour until the dough gets too difficult to work in the bowl. Turn out onto your work surface and continue to knead in flour.  The dough is going to be quite sticky to work with.  Knead the dough for several minutes. Place in a clean bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for an hour. Dough should be doubled in size.

Grease two cookie sheets. Turn dough back out onto floured work surface. Using a knife, cut off a small bun sized portions of dough. Work it in your hand to give it a nice round shape. Generally I rotate the dough in one hand and turn the edges under with the other, adding flour as needed....this gives you a pretty little round.  Place your roll on the cookie sheet and repeat the shaping process with the remainder of the dough. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Makes about 18 rolls.

*I peeled, sliced, and boiled my sweet potatoes on the stove before mashing.


A couple more pics of the rolls...

The sweet potato gave these rolls such a pretty gold color.  They just cry out to be nibbled on.  The spelt flour is not a must of course...if you prefer wheat or all white flour that would work out fine as well.  Mmmm...some ground oatmeal would probably taste heavenly with the sweet potato actually. 

A little insider view....lookit that pretty crust!  Rawrrr.  Ahem.  ;)

Pide Flatbread

I used this recipe as a base for this flat bread.  I wasn't too excited by the steps so I altered it to suit my needs.  My dough could have been a little wetter, but I was still pretty pleased with how it came out.  Fresh yummy yummy bread...happy sigh.  The beloved hubby is trying to convince me this would make and excellent loaf that you can just pull apart and nosh with your meal.  I'd be so tempted to consume the whole loaf of bread that way though.  ;)    


Pide Flatbread

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp raw honey
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbls vital wheat gluten
1 egg white, beaten
sesame seeds
coarse salt

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water.  Add remaining water, honey, olive oil, and salt.  Stir in vital wheat gluten and flour.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes.  The dough will be springy and elastic.  Put in a bowl and cover.  Let rise in a warm place for an hour.

Turn dough back out onto board and divide into 8 pieces.  Work each piece into a nice round ball.  Flatten ball out on a greased cookie sheet into a six inch round with your fingers.  It will be about 1/4 inch thick.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.  Paint top of flat bread with egg white and sprinkle on sesame seeds and coarse salt.  Bake at 425 for 15 to 18 minutes, or until bread is a nice golden brown.

Unruly Monkey Bread

Zomg the scent of this baking was amazing! I wanted it! I wanted it all....ahem. So good. I have a serious weakness for sweet breads. ;) It's actually quite surprising I've never made monkey bread before really.

This batch was a bit of a fail though. I should have divided my dough into smaller pieces than I did....I was feeling quite lazy. Plus half of the loaf got stuck in the pan....there was much swearing. None of that affected the very yummy flavor happily...it just looked a mess. When in doubt, pile up the pieces that stuck in the pan and ice the heck out of them!


Monkey Bread

3 to 4 cups unbleached flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tbls vital wheat gluten
1.5 cups brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted tub margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbls milk

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Heat milk and margarine in the microwave until the milk is warm and the margarine is melted. Pour liquids into the dissolved yeast and stir together. Add in salt, sugar, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in a cup of flour before adding in eggs. Begin mixing in additional flour until dough becomes too difficult to stir. Turn dough out onto board and work in remaining flour. Knead for 8 minutes or so until dough is smooth and elastic. Put dough into a bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour in a warm place.

Turn dough back out onto floured board and cut into small pieces. Roll each piece into a round. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll rounds through the melted butter. Then roll each round through the sugar mixture. Arrange pieces in a well greased bundt pan. When you have all your sugar covered dough in place, cover and let bread rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Invert on serving plate. Mix together powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread. Nosh!


Another pic of the yummies....
I didn't add icing to the half that stayed together, but it looks all unfinished without it. Seriously, I needed to cut my pieces into a much smaller size...ehehehe.

Streusel Rolls

I actually made this recipe with too much butter in the streusel filling, so I adjusted the butter by half in the recipe below. I was trying out different flavors so I filled half with sunflower streusel and half with cranberry streusel. I marked the different rolls by adding a small extra strip of dough across the top of the cranberry rolls.....can't say I care for how it looks (the middle roll above), but I could tell them apart. ;)


Streusel Rolls

3 to 4 cups unbleached flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tbls vital wheat gluten

Streusel filling:
1/2 cup tub margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup cherry flavored cranberries or sunflower seeds (you can do 1/2 cup of both as well)
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Heat milk and margarine in the microwave until the milk is warm and the margarine is melted. Pour liquids into the dissolved yeast and stir together. Add in salt, sugar, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in a cup of flour before adding in eggs. Begin mixing in additional flour until dough becomes too difficult to stir. Turn dough out onto board and work in remaining flour. Knead for 8 minutes or so until dough is smooth and elastic. Put dough into a bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour in a warm place.

Prepare the streusel filling....Mix together margarine, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in cranberries or sunflower seeds. Set aside.

Punch dough down and turn back out onto floured board. Cut dough into smaller pieces and form into rounds, adding flour as needed. Hold a portion of dough in one hand and turn the edges of the dough under while rotating the round of dough. You will end up with a nicely shaped, ball of dough. Press dough out into a thinnish, 3x5 shape. Drop a spoonful of streusel filling in the middle of the dough and spread around, leaving a little border all along the edges. Roll dough up from narrow side and pinch the seams together.

Place the rolls on a greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Slash top of rolls with a knife and let rise in a warm place for an hour or until dough has doubled in size. Bake in 375 oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown. Cool on rack.