Seeded multigrain sourdough bread

125g whole wheat flour

175g bread flour (15g tangzhong, 160 making dough)

75g kamut 

25g rye

50g spelt 

50g hard white wheat

100g active levain 

10g salt 

20g olive oil 

50g honey 

400g water (75g tangzhong, 325g making dough) 

10g chia seeds, 10g flaxseed, 20g oats, 20g sunflower seeds, 5g sesame seeds, 5g poppy seeds, 20g pepitas 

Levain:

Night before: mix 15g sourdough starter with 75g bread flour and 75g water. Cover and leave on counter 10-12 hours until more than doubled and bubbly.

Dough:

Tangzhong: mix 15g bread flour with 75g water in saucepan until smooth. Cook until forms thick paste. Let cool. 

Add all ingredients to a bowl (except seeds!) and use dough whisk to mix. Mix until no dry flour is left. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. Add seeds. Do 2 sets of stretch and folds with 30 minutes between each set and then bulk ferment until doubled (4-5 hours @ 80°). Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Bake:

Dust dough with flour and dump onto counter. Roll into log shape and place seam down in oiled loaf pan (black Pullman). Mist with water and top with mixed seeds if desired. Place in warm place until doubled. Preheat oven to 425°. Bake for 10 minutes and then lower oven to 375° and continue baking 23-30 minutes or until bread temp reads 195-200°. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan. Allow to cool at least one hour before slicing. 

Sourdough milk bread with sweet stiff starter

SWEET STIFF STARTER (peak 4-6 hrs) 

115g active starter

115g bread flour

45g water

25g sugar

Stir to combine; knead briefly so there are no dry pockets of flour. Put in clear, wide-mouth container, loosely cover and let ferment until triple in size (78-80° for 4-6 hours)

TANGZHONG 

16g bread flour 

40g water

40g whole milk

Mix and cook over medium - medium-high heat until thick; cover with plastic wrap and set aside until cool. 

FINAL DOUGH

All of the sweet stiff starter 

All of the room-temperature tangzhong (87g)

137g bread flour

62g whole milk 

12g milk powder 

45g sugar 

5g salt

32g unsalted butter, softened 

Put all ingredients except for the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment. Mix on low until the ingredients are slightly incorporated and then take up to speed 2 for 5 minutes. If it's too dry, add milk 1 tsp at a time, being careful as butter will add more moisture. Add the butter in 2-3 batches. Knead on speed 4 for about 10 minutes. Look for windowpane. Transfer to lightly oiled bowl, cover and proof in warm place for about 2 hours (78-82°) until 1.5x. 

Lightly grease your loaf pan (I prefer the Pullman loaf pan with or without a lid). Punch down the dough and knead it a few times. Divide into 3 equal parts. Round the dough into balls, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Working with one ball at a time, flatten with your palm and roll out to a rectangle the length of the pan and double the width. Fold the 2 sides to meet in the middle and then roll the dough lightly like a Swiss roll. Place doughs side by side in the pan. Cover and let the dough proof again until it fills 80-90% of the pan.

Preheat oven to 375°. If using it,  place lid on pan and put pan in oven on middle rack. If not using lid, brush top of loaf with milk or an egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes. If using a lid, after initial 30 minutes, turn oven to 350° and continue to bake for 5 minutes. Internal temperature should be 190°. Once out of the oven, drop the pan on the counter to release some steam and immediately remove from pan to a cooling rack. For a soft, shiny crust, brush immediately with melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing. 

Sourdough Bread

 Simply simplifying the recipe/instructions from this site.

50-100g bubbly, active starter

375g warm water

500 g bread flour

9-11g fine sea salt

Whisk the starter and water together in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt. Mix to combine, finishing by hand if necessary to form a rough dough. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, grab a corner of the dough and pull it up and into the center. Repeat until you've performed this series of folds 4-5 times with the dough. Let dough rest for another 30 minutes and repeat the stretching and folding action. If you have the time, do this twice more for a total of 4 times in 2 hours.

Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise at room temperature about 8-10 hours at 70°. The dough is ready when it has increased by 50% in volume, has a few bubbles on the surface, and jiggles when you move the bowl from side to side. (If you use 100g starter, it may take less time. Also if it is warm or humid it will take less time).

Coax the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape it into a round: fold the top down to the center, turn the dough, fold the top down to the center, turn the dough; repeat until you've come full circle. Rest, seam side up, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line an 8" bowl or proofing basket with a towel and dust with rice flour. Using a bench scraper, shape the dough again into a round and place, seam side up, in the proofing bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for 1-48 hours. 

Place a Dutch oven in the oven and pre-heat to 550°. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the Dutch oven.

Place the parchment over the dough and invert the bowl to release. Score the dough and use the parchment to carefully transfer the dough into the preheated baking pot. 

Lower the oven temperature to 450° and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 400° and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes.If necessary, lift the loaf out of the pot, and bake directly on the oven rack for the last 5-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.

Bagels - of the Everything type variety

Herb and Onion Bagels                                                                    A foundation recipe

1½ c. warm water

1 Tbs sugar

2 tsp salt

1 envelope yeast

4½ c flour

1/4 c. olive oil

2 tsp dried, minced onion

pinch of garlic powder

(1 tsp dried, minced garlic)

10 c. water

Combine warm water, sugar, kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the mixture foams. 

Add the flour and olive oil and mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment until well comibined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls aways from the side of the bowl, 4-5 minutes. Add in the dried, minced onion, garlic and any herbs. Knead for 30 second to 1 minutes longer or until herbs are incorporated.

Remove the dough from the bowl and oil it lightly with olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. Once dough has risen, turn dough out onto floured work surface. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.

Roll each dough piece into a 10" long rope, rolling the dough with your hands outward until rope has formed. After dough has been rolled into a rope, squish down one end of the rope an dform into a bagel shape, pusshing the squished end into the side of the bagel. Place formed bagels on a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 15-20 minutes, untl bagles are puffy and slightly risen.

After the bagels have risen, heat the oven to 425°. Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper; set aside. Bring the 10 c. water to a boil. Three at a time, place the bagels in the boiling water for 30-45 seconds per side. Remove from water using a large flat spatula and return to baking sheet. Brush the top of bagels with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with Everything Bagel seasoning. Bake until dark golden brown in color, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

*Do first rise overnight, bringing to room temperature at least 30 minutes before finishing the bagels.

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

1 c. warm water

4 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

2 c. flour

1/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1/4 c. molasses

3 Tbs honey

2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbs butter, softened

1 large egg

2 tsp salt

 2-1/4 c. whole wheat flour, divided

 1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 Tbs old-fashioned oats

2 tsp sunflower seeds

Place the water, yeast and 1 tsp sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let stand 10 minutes or until foamy.

Add the all-purpose flour and turn mixer to medium speed. Add light brown sugar, molasses, honey, cocoa powder, butter, egg and salt an dbeat for 2 minutes. Switch the the dough hook. Add 1 c. whole wheat flour and beat for 2 minutes. Add remaining 1-1/4 c. whole wheat flour and beat until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneead 4-5 times. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, about 1-1/2 hours. Make into rolls and let rise again. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes.

Almonds - in Muffins and Cakes

One-bowl Blueberry Almond Muffins

Streusel:

2 tbs. unsalted butter

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. slivered almonds

pinch of salt

Muffins:

1 large egg

½ c. sugar

1/4 c. oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

½ tsp. white vinegar

½ tsp. bakind soda

1/4 tsp salt

½ c. sour cream

1 c. flour

1 c. blueberries

Preheat oven to 350° (180C). Spray a 12 count muffin pan with nonstick spray, or line with cupcake wrappers. 

To make the topping, melt butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Add the flour, sugar, almonds and salt and stir with a fork to combine untio a crubly streusel. Set aside.

Combine the egg, sugar, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously for 30-45 second, until the mixture is thick and slightly frothy. Add extracts, vinegar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add sour cream. Whisking to combine, then gently stir in the flour. The batter will be thick and lightly lump. Gently stir in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and prinkle the topping evenly over the tops. Bake for 18-22 minutes until the top are golden brown and a toothpick inserted int he the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for about10 minutes in the pan, then removed to a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttery Almond Pound Cake

For the Cake:

½ c. butter, softened, plus more for the pan
1-1/4 c. flour, plus more for the pan
1-1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1½ tsp almond extract
1/4 c. milk
½ tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt

For the Glaze: 

1 Tbs. butter, melted

1 c. powdered sugar

1½ Tbs milk

½ tsp almond extract 

½ c. sliced almonds, (opt)

Preheat oven to 325°. Arrange oven rack to the center of the oven. Thoroughly grease and lightly flour a 6 c. loaf pan with butter.

To make the cake, combine the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy crumbs form. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat until smooth. Add the milk and beat on low speed to combine. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until golden on top, and light brown on the edges. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then place the cooling rack on top of the cake, hold the sides firmly, and invert the pan over the rack. The cake should drop smoothly out of the pan. Let cake cool completely before slicing. If you'd like to make the glaze, melt the butter in a small glass bowl in the microwave. Add the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract. Whisk together until smooth. The glaze should pour off the spoon in a white stream. Add 1 tsp more milk to think it, or 1-2 Tbs more powdered sugar to thicken it. Pour over cake, sprinkle with almonds.

Campfire Biscuits

So, these were still a lot for these pans, but third time's a charm for great biscuits baked over the campfire! This is the recipe I used. Would be tempted to take it down yet a bit in size, because clearly my drop biscuits grew together, but still totally works to cut them into wedges and cover in sausage gravy or butter and jam!

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

1 Tbs. sugar

1 large egg

3/4 c. milk

Mix all the dry ingredients together prior to leaving for the camp trip! Cut butter into dry ingredients; mix milk and egg and add to butter/dry mixture.  Stir until combined and drop into greased foil pie pan. Grease another pie pan and invert over pan with biscuits. Wrap in 2 layers of foil and place over campfire. Turn about every 2 minutes and flip them about 5-7 times ("baking" for a total of 15-20 minutes). Allow to finish baking with foil on for a couple of minutes after. Sorry, but this is totally a fly by the seat of your pants experiment!  How they bake depends on the flame, the heat of your fire, how high your grate is from the flame... But this biscuit recipe is delicious!

It's always bread!

Yeah, I know! Just about any post now is about bread.  Actually, I do an update post next! Anyway, I found this bread recipe and really liked it!  The only problem is, it makes 3 loaves and there is NO way I can make it through 3 loaves when I barely get through 1 before it molds.  So, if you need 3 loaves, follow the link, but if you only want 1, here's the scaled down version in easy-to-find format!

Amish Soft Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 c. warm water

1/3 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. yeast

1 egg, room temperature (can place in bowl of hot water while yeast sits!)

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. butter, softened (original recipe calls for Crisco, but I don't ever use that stuff!)

2 tsp. salt

3-2/3 -4 c. whole wheat flour

Mix yeast, water and sugar; let stand 10 minutes until foamy. Add rest of ingredients together and knead for 6-10 minutes until smooth. I usually use my KitchenAid for the first 5-6 minutes and then do the rest by hand.  The more you knead, the more the inherent gluten is developed and the less need for any vital wheat gluten.  Let rise in warm place until about double in size.  Prepare loaf and place in greased loaf pan and allow to rise until double again.  Bake about 35 minutes at 375° or until the interior of the bread is 190°.

Per Request Part II

Well, since I just updated and I tried more recipes, I'll update again!  I hope that begins to satisfy the blog post craving! Haha!

A few days ago I made a pork recipe in my slow-cooker that we really liked!  When I had the meat shredded, I blended the sauce and drizzled a little on the meat that I had placed on a baking sheet to put under the broiler to crisp it up just a little (like carnitas) and then served the sauce as a "salsa" on the side.  Next time I would consider adding a fresh jalapeño to spice it up a bit! Oh, and I halved the recipe for just the two of us and it was plenty!

Slow-Cooker Green Chili Pork

1 1/2 pounds poblano or Anaheim chiles (about 4 large)

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder

Salt and pepper

1 28-oz. can green enchilada sauce

4 tomatillos, husked and quartered

Flour or corn tortillas for serving, optional

Preparation

1. Place a rack 4 inches from heat source and preheat broiler to high. Place chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil until skin is blackened, 6 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally. Place in a large bowl; seal with plastic wrap. Let stand until skin has softened, about 7 minutes. Peel, seed and roughly chop chiles. Use immediately or refrigerate overnight in a ziplock bag.

2. Season pork with salt and pepper. Place in a slow cooker. Add chiles, enchilada sauce and tomatillos; turn to coat.

3. Cover and cook on low until meat is fork-tender, 6 to 7 hours. Remove pork to a baking dish and shred with two forks. Tilt slow cooker and spoon off some fat. Place pork back in slow cooker, cover and rewarm on high heat. Season with salt and pepper; serve with tortillas, if desired.

Last night we had company and so I made a summer pasta salad and grilled veggies along with some homemade bread.  The bread I made with 1 c. white flour and the rest whole wheat.  I vary that recipe all the time!  For the veggies I simply sliced a large zucchini lengthwise into 4 thick slices.  I brushed them with olive oil and then used fresh ground garlic salt and pepper to season it.  I also cut red peppers into quarters and did the same thing.  We then grilled them directly on the grate and they came out SOOO tasty!  I also tried a green bean recipe that could have been grilled but my grill basket is too hole-y so I just sauteed them. That recipe is also delicious!  

Grilled Green Beans

The marinade works with broccoli and asparagus, too.

8 oz. green beans

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp Kosher salt (optional)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except cheese in a ziploc bag and allow to marinade for 10 minutes.  Grill or sauté over medium heat until crisp-tender.  Turn frequently.  Sprinkle with Parmesan just before serving.

And finally the pasta salad.  I only barely follow this recipe!  

Greek Tortellini Salad

1 (20 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini 

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 large cucumber, chopped

1 cup kalamata olives, pit removed and chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain the tortellini and rinse with cold water.

2. Place the tortellini in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until salad is well coated. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator.

Note-this salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

So my recipe looks something like this:

12 oz. dried tortellini - cook according to package directions and cool 

1 small red onion, diced

handful of Kalamata olives (pitted), coarsely chopped

1/2 red pepper, or so, diced

cucumber, diced - until it looks right

about maybe 15-20 grape tomatoes, chopped

fresh mozzarella balls (about 1" diameter) cut into quarters -- again, until it looks right

4 oz. of Genoa salami slices cut up

large handful of baby spinach, cut into thin strips (maybe a leaf or two of fresh basil, too!)

marinaded artichokes, cut up -- until it looks right

The dressing from the recipe above with a bit of the marinade from the artichokes for more flavor.  

The beauty of pasta salad is you can do what you want and what suits your taste!  

Bread -- because what else is there?!

So the other night we went to...(gasp!) Denny's and I had their Create-your-own-French-Toast.  They mistakingly gave me the blueberry bread which got me to wondering how a blueberry yeast bread would be to make!  Of course, I'm sure the blueberries in that were the artificially flavored apple bits and so I decided that I would try it with the frozen Wild Blueberries from Trader Joe's.  And I wanted to put the blueberries in a Whole Wheat Walnut bread.  So, I found this recipe at mysanfranciscokitchen.com.  Of course, I couldn't leave the recipe alone so I include my altered recipe.  It is the softest, moistest, tastiest whole wheat bread I've made!  Even if I leave the blueberries out, it will be tasty!!!

2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup + 2 tbsp water
3 tbsp dark brown sugar 2 Tbs. molasses + 1 Tbs. honey
2 tbsp butter olive oil
2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour whole wheat flour (sorry, I used my local bulk flour!)
1 cup King Arthur whole wheat flour all-purpose flour
1¼ tsp salt
¾ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup rolled oats
1 egg white
3/4 cup - 1 cup thawed wild blueberries
Instructions
Add water, sugar, and yeast to a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes (yeast should be poofy).
Add butter, salt, and 1 cup of whole wheat flour and mix with a fork or standalone mixer with hook attachment.
Chop walnuts to a coarse texture in a food processor.
Add remaining flour a little at a time, interchangeably with nut and oat mixture.
Knead by hand on a floured surface or with mixer for 10 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl and cover for 1 hour.
Punch dough down and form into a log roll out into long thin sheet (width the length of bread pan and as long and thin as possible).  Sprinkle with thawed blueberries.  Roll up and place in greased loaf pan. Brush all around with egg white and roll in oats. 
Fold ends underneath and place into a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Bake for 35-45 minutes.
Turn onto wire cooling rack immediately and let cool before serving.

Good grief it's been awhile!

Well I guess that's what happens when school's in session!  So, how about a run down.

The holidays found us enjoying bacon!!  Our Christmas dinner theme was bacon this year.  It was pretty incredible and I can't remember how many pounds of bacon we ended up going through!  Everything (except our beverages) had bacon in it!  Christmas was a very low-key and different with Tiana being out of the country.  There was no one to hand out the few presents we had to distribute between us! The New Year brought huge changes for us.  Starting the 13th of January I've been on sabbatical from Starbucks.  After a minimum of 10 years of service, they allow 1 year off to do whatever -- education, travel, volunteering -- while providing benefits at the rate I was paying for them, my free pound of coffee per week and my discount.  It's been awesome to not work since I also started nursing school this January!  I cannot believe that the 1st of 6 quarters is already finished and behind me!  There were times this quarter that I really wondered what in the world I had decided to do ... and then I went to clinicals.  While I know there was SOOOO much more I could have done in clinicals, it really just inspired and encouraged me that I am on the right track!  What an incredibly powerful experience it was!

One of the things that we've talked about in class is "What is your self-care?"  Well, you all know that I love to bake!  So, I did do a lot of baking during the year.  It doesn't take but maybe an hour and so I would do that and share with my classmates!  They often begged me to please do self-care on the weekends! :-D Since being on spring break I've had some fun with baking, too!  Today I had Ivona over for her birthday and I included 3 of our friends and their kids.  I made these DELICIOUS scones and these awesome mini quiches.  I have to say, the quiche says it makes 10 muffins, but I got about 22 out of this recipe!!  I can't imagine the size of muffins those must have been! So my freezer is stocked with plenty for during the next school quarter!  Oh, and I used green chilies in mine!  So yummy!

Today is very grey and wet, so now that the house is quiet, I think a good book might be in order.  But maybe I should do a chapter of math first!

Good to see you again!

Family Traditions

So there is one family tradition that I've had in my life since, well, forever.  It's getting to be that time of year again and this time I must share the recipe so the tradition can head to Australia.  I took the tradition to Germany many years ago, and although at first it wasn't well-received (I was supposed to be learning about German traditions!), but when I presented it as a gift from me to the family, it soon became a favorite and requested treat!

Poteca

(Grandma Dimzoff pronounced it Puh-va-teetza)

1/4 c. warm water

3/4 c. warm milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 c. soft butter/shortening

1 pkg. yeast

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

3-1/2 - 3-3/4 c. flour

In bowl, dissolve yeast in water.  Add milk, sugar, salt, egg, shortening, and half of flour to the yeast. Mix with spoon until smooth.  Add enough remaining flour to handle easily.  Knead for about 5 minutes.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1-1/2 hours.  Punch down and let rise again, about 30 minutes.  Place dough on a large well-floured cloth and roll out almost paper thin into an oblong (30"x20").  Spread with walnut filling (below), bringing it to edges.  Starting at the wide side of the oblong, lift cloth and let dough roll up like a jelly roll.  Seal well by pinching edges into dough.  Place on greased baking sheet in a horseshoe shape.  Let rise until almost double (1 hour).  Heat oven to 325° and bake for 40-45 minutes or until brown.

Walnut Filling:

1/4 c. soft butter

1 egg 

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. walnuts (finely ground, not chopped!)

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix butter, brown sugar and egg.  Stir in milk, vanilla and cinnamon.  Blend in nuts.  (Sometimes I double this, or at least 1-1/2 times it!)

And here are the pictures I took during the process.  It was a perfect day -- clear skies and cold temperatures - to bake bread!

That's 1.8° C!

Ah!  The sun streaming in!

Ready to be kneaded!

All done kneading, now it's time to raise.

Raising

The ground walnuts for the filling-- they should be this fine!

The filling

Almost ready!

The rolling-out surface prepped!

All rolled out.

Filling on the dough

Starting the roll (by lifting the sheet!)...

...and roll....

Ready for the last rise

Fresh out of the oven!

Bon appetit!  Guten Appetit!  Enjoy!

A different take on the Sunday Pot Roast

We bought 2 pot roasts the other day because there was a Buy One, Get One Free sale happening.   Kent wasn't too sure he wanted just the same ol' roast recipes again, so he found this one.  It was really interesting and we decided it was a keeper, too!  I made Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuits to go with this and later Kent used some leftover gravy on a leftover biscuit to expand his biscuits and gravy repertoire as well!

Braised Chuck Roast with Roasted Pepper Sauce

1 (3-pound)  chuck roast (arm, shoulder or blade)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups diced sweet onion
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
2 poblano peppers, roasted, skinned, seeded and diced (sometimes sold as Pasilla Peppers)
4 garlic cloves, roasted and minced
2 cups heavy cream (I used half-n-half)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup grated aged Manchego or Romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
 Other cuts that you can use for this recipe:
» Chuck Roast
» Shoulder Clod Roast
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy bottom pan. Brown beef on all sides; pour off drippings. Add 4 cups broth to pan. Cover tightly with foil or lid and braise 4 hours until fork tender.
2. While the roast cooks, place remaining 2 tablespons olive oil in medium fry pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until transparent; add peppers and garlic; saute 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze pan with remaining broth and reduce by half. Add cream and reduce by half again. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove roast from pan and allow to rest 15 minutes.

4. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce onto each plate. Top with 3 ounces beef. Garnish with cilantro and cheese.

So, a couple of changes we've thought that might also work with this: 1.) use anaheim peppers instead of poblano; 2.) use sour cream for half or less of the heavy cream.  Reading through this now, I realize we forgot the cheese on the top at the end!  Oops!  The meat will literally fall apart done like this!  Enjoy!

My new Go-to bread

One day I was wanting to make some little sandwich baguettes and looked for a recipe that might be a bit faster than the all day one that I've used before.  I found this one and I love it!

Hot, Crusty French Bread

1 c. warm water
1 pkg. yeast
about 3/4 tsp. salt
approximately 2½ c. flour

In a large bowl, combine water with yeast and salt.  Let sit for five minutes.  Stir in flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead.  Knead dough until smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a greased bowl; cover.  Let rise until doubled.  (TIP: heat water in microwave for about 5 minutes while kneading and then place bowl with dough in warm moist microwave.  Will take about 30 minutes to double!!)  Form dough into a French-style loaf and place on greased baking sheet.  (Dust baking sheet with cornmeal if desired).  Place immediately in COLD oven (bread will rise while oven preheats).  Set oven to 375° and timer for 30-40 minutes.  Makes one loaf or 4 small sandwich sized baguettes.

A new recipe!

So, it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but I found this recipe while I was cleaning up the kitchen and I want to make sure I have it to make it again someday!  I made these to go with the BBQ ribs we had for our anniversary dinner (20 years!).  They were quite tasty.  The only thing I will do different is leave the seeds in next time!

Cheddar and Jalapeño Biscuits
1-1/3 c. (175g) flour
1/4 c. (45g) polenta or fine milled corn meal
3 Tbs. (45g) sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch cayenne pepper
6 oz. (1-1/2 c. packed, 170g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (1-1/4 c. and 1/4 c.)
2 Tbs. diced fresh jalapeños (more or less to taste)
3/4 c. + 2 Tbs. heavy whipping cream (200 mL), plus extra for brushing

Preheat oven to 425º (220º C).  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, polenta, salt, sugar, cayenne, and baking powder.  Stir in 1-1/4 c. of the cheese and the diced jalapeños.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  Pour the cream into the center of the well and use your (clean!) hands to gently bring together the ingredients.  If you need to add a bit more cream, then do so in a tiny trickle at a time.  You just want everything to get wet enough so that the dough will be sticky and clumpy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough just a few times - maybe only 3 or 4 pushes.
Form the dough into a disc about 3/4" to 1" thick.  Use a biscuit cutter, or small juice glass to cut round biscuit shapes out of the disc.  Combine the leftover dough and keep forming small round biscuit shaped until the dough is used up.
Place on a Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet, with at least an inch or two between the biscuits.  Brush the tops with a little more cream.  Top with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese.  Bake for 11-12 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Makes 10-12 biscuits
from Simply Recipes

DELISH!!

As I'm wont to do, I went on a wild and wacky Google Search and found a recipe for a Blueberry Cream Cheese Braid.  In the comments of the recipe, someone mentioned using Costco's Triple Berry Blend, and since I had plenty of those, I used that instead of blueberries!  I must say!  A KEEPER of a recipe!  I'm thinking maybe next time I need a bit of apple pie filling with a caramel drizzle when it gets out of the oven, or maybe leave out the majority of the sugar and make a southwest chicken sandwich, or ham and Swiss...The possibilities are seemingly endless!  There's a 16th Birthday coming up and I'm thinking that would be an easy way to feed a number of kids!

And more food fun!

A few weeks back it seems that EVERY customer ordered their cinnamon pastry warmed up -- the reduced-fat cinnamon swirl coffee cake, the cinnamon roll, the morning bun -- you name it, they wanted it warm. Well, the next question would be then, is do you know how intoxicating and inviting the smell of warm cinnamon is?!!? The put me on the hunt for a cinnamon roll recipe that would be gooey, soft, and DELICIOUS!!! Well, this is what I found! And I've even had requests from Tiana for it and that is an amazing thing! She doesn't usually fall prey to such horrid things, but these are something she's willing to risk a stomach-ache for! These are not meant to be healthy -- so enjoy every last buttery morsel! ☺

OOEY-GOOEY CINNAMON ROLLS

This recipe is adapted from copykat.com’s cinnabon recipe:
Warm 1 cup milk and 2/3 cup butter in microwave
Add 1 cup warm water, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 Tbls salt, 2 beaten eggs & 2 Tbls instant yeast, mix.
After a sponge is formed, add 7-8 cups of flour while mixer (with dough hook) is running on low.
Place in greased bowl to rise, cover. After an hour (or when dough is doubled in size), punch down and turn out on floured surface. Roll into a big rectangle.
Filling: 3/4 cup melted butter, 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
Spread butter over rectangle. Mix cinnamon and brown sugar and spread over butter. I use my hands and I get really messy, but it works.
Roll up rectangle and cut into rolls. I use white thread, but unflavored, unwaxed dental floss works. Place in greased pans and let rise (or, you can do what I did: put it in the fridge ((unrisen)) overnight and then bake in the morning) . Bake 350 degrees 25-30 minutes. If baking cold, put pan into cold oven and bake about 35 minutes.
Frosting:
1 stick butter
4 oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (I use 1 tsp. vanilla and omit the lemon juice)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Beat everything until smooth and then for another 2 minutes until really fluffy. Frost while warm.

Today's baking

So, it is a dreary day and I can't think of anything much better than baking! Since I LOVED the bagels I made the other day and since I also can't leave a good recipe alone, I decided to alter the recipe to include whole wheat goodness!

Today's revamped recipe is:

Whole Wheat Sunflower Bagels
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white bread flour
2 tsp. yeast
1 Tbs. oil
1½ tsp. salt
2 Tbs. roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
1¼ - 1½ c. warm water

(Mix all together to make a stiff dough. Knead about 10 minutes. Divide dough into 8 or 16 balls. Let rest 10-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425º. Make dough balls into bagels, either by poking a hole in the middle of the ball or rolling each ball into a snake and then create a circle, being sure to pinch the ends together well! Let bagels sit another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 1 gallon of water to boil. Add bagels to boiling water, enough so they aren't crowded. Boil 1 minute or so and then turn the bagel over, boiling another minute. Allow bagel to dry about 1 minute and then place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake bagels for 10 minutes and turn over, baking another 10 minutes.)
I again made 16 bagels so that they don't kill me so bad calorie wise!! After they came out of their water bath but before they were too dry, I also sprinkled them with some dry oats! Gotta look professional you know!
I'm also trying my hand at English muffins. They are about to hit the griddle! We'll see how THEY turn out! And then I better think about dinner! Pictures to come!

And about those English muffins!! THEY ARE A HIT!! Kent really likes them and Tiana ate a full one, too! They don't have the big holes in them like store bought muffins, but they are very tasty. Actually, if you've ever had Australian Toaster Biscuits, they are more like that. Anyway, that recipe is courtesy of Allrecipes.

English Muffins
1 c. milk
2 Tbs. white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 c. melted shortening
6 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise.
Punch down. (Do not knead or work the dough any more than necessary at this point!) Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal (make sure you use a lot!!) and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
Heat greased griddle. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side on medium heat (350º). Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. (I followed the advice of others on Allrecipes and baked my muffins for another 5 minutes in a 350º oven, just to be sure they were thoroughly baked through!)

Are you tired of bread yet?

So, today's tweak:

water for 1/3 batch
1/4 c. oil
2 T. honey
2 T. molasses (next time I would omit and use the full 1/4 c. of honey!)
2 T. yeast

1 t. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. rye flour
1/2-3/4 c. oat flour
2-1/2 - 2-3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. poppy seeds
2 T. millet
2 T. flax seeds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds

I would definitely go with more honey to make this one a bit sweeter. It's good, but... It seems to only take about 15 minutes to raise these. If the bread gets very much over the top of the pan it just explodes in the oven! Well, not figuratively, but the crown just gets too big and then the bread starts to get super crumbly! The one was good, but I'd definitely use more honey next time! A perfectly 100% whole grain bread, though!

Bread! Part 2

I have totally been on a kick lately with baking bread! I've used the same recipe, but I keep tweaking it just a bit here and there and really liking what comes out of the pan! The other day I made a rye version. For the oil, I substituted 1/2 of the oil with olive oil and for part of the sugar I used molasses and for about 1/2 of the flour I used rye flour. It takes a bit more white flour to make this not be just a sticky gooey mess! It was so tasty! And REALLY good toasted! Today I made the 1/3 batch and only used 1/4 c. of oil, and in addition to the 1/4 c. sugar I added a heaping tablespoon of honey. Oh so yummy!!! I could have eaten the whole loaf for dinner -- nothing else! You really need to try this recipe! Oh, and today's loaf? Made in just over an hour! I got home and started it at 1:46pm and left the house with it on the stove and cooling at 2:49pm! I did "micro" rise it -- 2 minutes in the microwave at 30% power, rest 3 minutes, 2 more minutes at 30% power -DONE! and bake!!