Cinnamon Rolls

We had guests a few weekends ago- one vegetarian and one non-seafood eater- which made for some extra planning for most of my meals. Which meant that when it came to breakfast, I didn't want to have to worry about it, but of course I wanted it to be delicious!

I decided everyone was likely to enjoy cinnamon rolls- warm, sweet, and filling. And the best is that you can make most of the recipe ahead of time! I borrowed a recipe from a member of my online cooking board, Amber, as I have never made them before.

I made the dough, let it rise the first time, & rolled them up on Thursday night and put them in the fridge. On Saturday morning we pulled them out and let them warm up and rise again for a couple of hours. Unfortunately they just never got very fluffy. I don't know if it is the kind of yeast I used or what, but the end result was a very tasty, but too dense bread. I'm used to using yeast dissolved in liquid, not just putting in dry.

I also did not use the lemon zest and only made half of the glaze, which was MORE than enough!


The all important final results though- they were gone by Monday morning when our guests left! I would try these again with some modificiations. Thanks Amber!

To find the recipe, please visit Amber's blog!

Classic Cornbread

I’ll admit it, I used to only ever make cornbread from the Jiffy mix box. In my defense, I thought it was hard to make so I never looked into it. Well geez was I wrong! I made my first cornbread from scratch last year and could not believe how simple it is. I’ve tried a couple of versions now, and I think this is my favorite. It is sweet, without being heavy or overwhelming. It is moist, but still has a good dry crumble to it. Not bland, not showy- just nice like a good cornbread should be! Good ol’ Betty Crocker, sometimes she just plain knows her stuff!

We enjoyed this with from scratch baked beans and a fake chicken BBQ I threw together. Yeah, fake BBQ as in I cooked the chicken in a pan and then threw prepared BBQ sauce on it. It was tasty, but the bread and the beans were the stars this evening!

Sorry for the crappy picture, I didn't realize I hadn't blogged about this before, so I didn't really take good pics of the cornbread!

Classic Cornbread
From Betty Crocker

• 1 C. Milk
  
• 1/4 C. Butter, softened
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1 1/4 C. Cornmeal
  
• 1 C. Flour
  
• 1/2 C. Sugar
  
• 3 tsp. Baking Powder
  
• 1/2 tsp. Salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour a round 9 1/2” or square 8” pan.
   
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the milk, butter, and egg until well beaten.
   
3. Add in remaining dry ingredients and mix until everything is just moist. It will be thick.
   
4. Pour into the prepared pan.
   
5. Bake in the oven 20-25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Mine only took about 20 minutes.
   
6. Remove from oven, allow to cool for just a minute or two, then carefully slice and serve!

Homegrown Gourmet 5- Maple Blueberry Quick Bread

Yippee for Homegrown Gourmet!

Canela Y Cameno, a great blog from Peru, is hosting round 5 with the theme Quick Breads, and I'm getting in just under the wire. In fact, I've only got one hour to spare as I start typing this! (Note to self- type faster!!!)

As soon as Gretchen Noelle announced Quick Breads as the recipe of choice, I knew exactly what to make- Maple Blueberry Bread. But I was lacking the time to actually do the baking. What can I say, I work well under pressure, and waited til the last day to bake.

I used my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook as the base for this bread, using the Zucchini Bread to get the measurements right. From there, I made this into a Maine recipe. So here in Maine, we have lots of wild blueberries. Did you know blueberries are one of only 4 fruit crops native to North America? And boy are they delicious! Good for you too with tons of antioxidants. My husband and I went blueberry picking this past summer and ended up with a ton of them. I froze a few cups and it was such a delight pulling them out to bake with today after we got 5" of fresh snow!

So I had blueberries. That would have been enough, but I wanted to make this something special. Why not add in another very northen New England food- maple syrup! I love maple- maple syrup, maple butter, maple fudge, maple candy... good stuff. With some local Maine maple syrup laying around not being used, I thought it would be a fantastic touch for my quick bread.

The local ingredients were picked, the recipe chosen, and I was off to the races. This recipe came out really moist and delicious in the loaf I made. Perfect crisp crust, tender moist insides with a nice hint of maple and berries bursting through. The batch was enough for 2 loafs, but I could only find one loaf pan. I used the rest of the batter to make mini muffins. Although these are also tasty, they kind of ended up as mostly crust. I miss the sweet soft interior. But gosh are they fun to pop in your mouth. And it's fun to say- Mini Muffin!

And so I submit my entry for this round. Thanks for hosting Gretchen!



Maple Blueberry Bread
Inspired by Betty Crocker

• 1 C. White Sugar
  
• 2/3 C. Brown Sugar
  
• 4 Eggs
  
• 1/2 C. Vegetable Oil
  
• 1/2 C. Dark Maple Syrup (I let the 1/2 cup overflow quite a bit!)
  
• 3 C. Flour
  
• 2 tsp. Baking Soda
  
• 3/4 tsp. Salt
  
• 1 C. Fresh Blueberries
  
• Syrup to glaze, about 1-2 Tbsp.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom only of 2 loaf pans, or as I did, 1 loaf pan and 1 24 count mini muffin pan.
   
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugars, eggs, oil, and maple syrup and blend until smooth.
   
3. Stir in the dry ingredients just until it is evenly moist. You do not want to over beat the batter.
   
4. Gently stir in the berries.
   
5. Pour the batter into your baking pans.
   
6. Bake until the tops are browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. My mini muffins only took about 15 minutes, and I probably could have taken them out at 12. The loaf took just about an hour, maybe a few minutes more. I put foil on the top with 10 minutes to go as it was looking very brown, but the inside was very soggy. 10 minutes later it had set up beautifully and was ready to come out.
   
7. About halfway to 3/4 of the way through cooking, remove the breads from the oven and gently brush the tops with the remaining maple syrup. You can also do this at the end while they are hot, but it does not set up as well, and you get sticky surfaces. Return to oven to finish baking.
   
8. Remove pans from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
   
9. Gently loosen the bread from the sides of the pan and remove to the wire rack. Allow to cool before trying to slice; too hot and it will crumble apart.

Delicious Little Dinner Rolls

When putting together a Thanksgiving meal, a lot of thought has to go into the side dishes. Sure, the turkey is the star, but it doesn't make for a very well rounded feast on its own. You've got to have various veggies, perfect potatoes, and can-shaped cranberry sauce.

And then there are the rolls. I have mixed feelings about serving rolls with dinner. I mean, at a restaurant they kind of serve it to you to fill you up while you wait for the good stuff- they are just empty calories. With the focus of the Thanksgiving meal being about all the wonderful things to eat (oh yes, and all the joy of family and thankfulness too) who wants to eat boring bread?

Yet, having a delicious bread on the table is somehow necessary. Why? I don't know, but I felt that I needed that extra warm, starchy addition and I wanted it to be homemade, not Pillsbury crescent rolls or the like. So I found a great recipe off of Amber's blog. They were sweet, but not too sweet, and just right as that buttery, squishy side that complimented the rest of the feast.


Sweet Warm Dinner Rolls
From Amber

• 1/2 C. Water
  
• 1/2 C. Milk
  
• 1/3 C. Sugar
  
• 1 (.25 ounce) Package Active Yeast
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1/3 C. Butter, softened
  
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
• 3 3/4 C. Flour
  
• 2 Tbsp. Butter, softened

1. Mix together the water and milk and heat in the microwave until it is around 100 degrees, which is just pleasantly warm to the touch. Pour liquids into a pre-warmed mixer bowl. (I rinse the metal bowl with hot water to warm it up.)
   
2. Stir in sugar until dissolved, and then add in yeast. Mix and let sit for 10-15 minutes until the yeast is activated and foamy.
   
3. Add in egg, butter and salt and blend on low speed.
   
4. Slowly add in in the flour, 1/2 C. or so at a time, mixing all the while with the dough hook. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elasticy and not sticky, about 5-10 minutes.
   
5. Remove dough from bowl and shape into small round balls. Remember that the dough will rise to about twice the size, so size your dough balls accordingly to how large you want the final roll to be. Brush rolls with half of the melted 2 T. of butter.
   
6. Cover dough balls with towel and place in a warm, draft free spot for about an hour to rise.
   
7. Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake risen rolls for 10-15 minutes until just golden brown. Upon removing, brush rolls with remaining butter. You can either serve these rolls immediately or freeze, defrost, and reheat at a later time.

Cajun Catfish N’ Biscuits

This week I have been a bad cook- we’ve eaten a lot of pasta & jarred sauce and other less than exciting meals. Some times I just don’t want to cook, ya’ know?

I had however started off the week well though with a little number inspired by the Cajun bayou. I was very, very stuffed up though, so although I thought it was going to be spicy, hubby reported that although the flavor was good, it could have been “kicked up another notch.” I cook by smell most of the time, so a stuffy nose does not make a good companion in the kitchen.

Funny story around this… so I’m making the sauce that is supposed to have a nice heat to it. I’m smelling it and just getting steam in my face. Hmph. So, in an effort to make sure dinner tastes good, I taste it. Unfortunately, I tasted it with the whisk I was working with that was super hot from being in the sauce! Subsequently, I ended up with two thin white burn marks on the front of my tongue where the whisk sizzled on it. What a dummy!

Good thing dinner was really tasty!


Cajun Catfish
Inspired by AllRecipes.com

• 3 Medium Catfish Fillets (About 1.25 Lb.)
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  
• 1/4 C. Flour
  
• 1/4 C. Cornmeal
  
• Spices: Black Pepper, Dried Thyme, Chili Powder, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt)
  Vegetable Oil

1. Mix together the egg and lemon juice in one bowl, and the flour, corn meal, and spices in another.
   
2. Heat a large skillet over medium to high heat, coating the bottom with oil.
   
3. Rinse and pat dry the catfish fillets. Dip the fillets into the egg mixture and then the cornmeal mixture.
   
4. Place each fillet in the hot pan. Cook each side until it is a deep brown and the fish is cooked through.
   
5. Remove fillets when cooked and place on a paper towel to drain. Serve with the accompanying cream sauce.

Sauce (Note- next time I’d try to make it thinner. Either less flour or more liquids!)

• 1 Green Pepper, chopped
  
• 1 Shallot, minced
  
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
  
• 1 C. Sliced Mushrooms
  
• 3. Tbsp. Butter
  
• 2 Tbsp. Flour
  
• 1 C. Cream
  
• 1/2 C. White Wine
  
• Spices to taste- go heavy! Dried Basil, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Dried Parsley, Red Pepper Flakes, Dried Thyme, 1 Bay Leaf (crumbled), Garlic Powder, Chili Powder OR Cajun Spice Mix

1. In a medium saucepan, drizzle in a bit of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Saute peppers, shallot, garlic and mushrooms. Remove from pan and set aside.
   
2. Melt butter in pan. Add in flour and whisk until smooth. Continue stirring often until roux turns a medium brown.
   
3. Stir in cream and bring to a low boil. This will thicken the sauce. Continue to stir to prevent burning, and reduce heat to medium-low.
   
4. Stir in white wine until smooth. Add in spices to taste, keeping it a little spicy. Stir in the reserved sauteed vegetables.
   
5. Serve over fish and use for dipping biscuits.

Home Style Biscuits
From AllRecipes.com

• 2 C. Flour
  
• 4 Tbsp. Baking Powder
  
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
  
• 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
  
• 1 tsp. Sugar
  
• 1/2 C. Cold Butter, cut into small pieces
  
• 3/4 C. Milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
   
2. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
   
3. Using a pastry knife, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is crumbly.
   
4. Arrange the mixture with a well in the middle. Pour milk into the center and mix together until it is all wet.
   
5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface so it is about 1” thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the individual biscuits. Reroll out dough once or twice more to use excess for additional biscuits.
   
6. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in heated oven for 10 minutes or until golden.

Witch's Broomstick Breadsticks & Spinach Dip

One of the things that is so fun about hosting a Halloween party is that creativity is very welcome and a little whimsy is encouraged. I tried to embrace this by finding a fun recipe that incorporated some haunting themes.

I searched around the web and found a really cute idea (don't recall where) to make crisp breadsticks that looked like broomsticks. I paired this with a creamy spinach dip- because green gooey dishes are great on All Hallows Eve!

The breadsticks were tasty, though time consuming to make. I would make them again as normal breadsticks if I used sesame seeds. They were a little bland as made, but were a great side with the flavorful dip. And all the babies in attendance loved them! They were hard enough that they didn't break off in large, choke-hazard pieces but soft enough that they could eventually gnaw off small amounts. They were also the perfect size for pint sized fists.


Witch's Broomstick Breadsticks

• 1 Package Dry Yeast (.25 oz)
  
• 1 C. Warm Water
  
• 3 C. Flour
  
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• 1 tsp. Sugar
  
• 3+ Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• Kosher Salt

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes until slightly frothy.
   
2. In a warmed Kitchen Aid bowl, pour in yeast mixture. Add in 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, 2 T of oil. Mix together until dough starts to come together.
   
3. Continue to add in flour until dough is no longer sticky to the touch. Take the dough ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes.
   
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
5. Pour remaining olive oil on a large cookie sheet, or 2 medium cookie sheets.
   
6. Take small balls of dough off the large ball and roll about 4/5 out in your hands to make the broomstick handle. On the last 1/5, smoosh the dough flat and wide for the broom bristles. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 4 or 5 "fingers," twirling each bristle to keep it separate.
   
7. Place each breadstick on the cookie sheet, dredging each side in the oil to mostly coat the dough.
   
8. When all the broomsticks are formed, sprinkle generously with the kosher salt.
   
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned. Remove from oven and cook on racks.

Creamy Spinach Dip
From AllRecipes.com

• 1 10 oz. Package Frozen, Chopped Spinach
  
• 1 C. Sour Cream
  
• 1 C. Mayonnaise
  
• 2 Stalks Green Onions, chopped
  
• 1 tsp. Lemon Juice

1. Thaw, cook, and drain the spinach. Allow it to cool.
   
2. Combine all ingredients.
   
3. Let sit for at least 1 hour in the fridge for flavors to blend. Serve with bread chunks, breadsticks, or crackers.

Potato & Broccoli Soup in Bread Bowls

Hooray for a new veggie! Ok, I do not particularly like vegetables, at least most of them. I've made leaps and bounds in the last few years and have added a lot of new things to my "accepted" list of things I'll eat.

Yesterday (and today too) I am venturing into dangerous territory- that tree like green thing called broccoli. I figured in a yummy fall soup, surrounded by potato and cheese, and served in a homemade bread bowl, broccoli couldn't do me much harm. I was right! In fact, next time I'd add more green to it as I'd like to *gasp* enjoy the flavor more.

I know, stranger than fiction.

Thanks to Michelle from Sugar & Spice where I originally saw this soup recipe!


Potato & Broccoli Soup
Modified from Cooking Light

• 1/4 C. Flour
  
• 3 1/2 C. (or 2 cans) Chicken Broth
  
• 1 Small Onion, chopped
  
• 2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
  
• 1 Broccoli "Tree", chopped
  
• 1 C. Milk
  
• 1/4 C. Half & Half
  
• 1 1/2 C. Sharp Cheddar, shredded (use fresh from a block of cheese for best melting results)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and about 1/2 C. broth. This will be used later to thicken the soup.
   
2. In a large stockpot, saute the onion in a small amount of olive oil or butter until soft.
   
3. Add in remaining broth, potatoes, and broccoli. Bring to a nice simmer and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes until potatoes are tender. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
   
4. Pour in flour mixture and stir in. Continue to stir over medium-high heat until soup thickens.
   
5. Pour in milk and half & half, stirring to mix. Cook over medium heat to warm through.
   
6. Finally, just before serving, add in cheese and stir until melted. Serve hot.

Bread Bowls
From AllRecipes.com

• 1 Packet Active Yeast
  
• 1 1/4 C. Warm Water
  
• 3 1/2 C. Flour
  
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
• 1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  
• 1 Egg White
  
• 1 Tbsp. Water
  
• Cornmeal

1. In a warmed mixing bowl, pour in warm water. Add in yeast and stir. Allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes.
   
2. To bowl, add in about 2 1/2 C. flour, salt, and oil. Mix with dough hook until dough starts to come together.
   
3. Continue to add in flour in small amounts until the dough has become a solid, non-sticky ball. You should use most, if not all, of the flour.
   
4. Knead with dough hook on a low speed for about 3 minutes. When finished, remove dough and place it in a medium bowl that has been greased. Rotate the ball so the top is greased, then cover and let rise in a draft free location for about an hour. The dough will rise to more than double it's original size.
   
5. After dough has risen, punch it down. On a cookie sheet, sprinkle the cornmeal evenly. Shape the dough into 4 balls, about 4" in diameter each. Place dough balls onto cookie sheet with some distance between them. Allow to rise a second time in a draft free location for about 30-45 minutes.
   
6. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the egg white and Tablespoon water. Brush dough balls with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes in the heated oven.
   
7. Remove the bowls after 15 minutes and apply the egg wash again. Return to oven and bake another 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown.
   
8. Remove from oven and move to a cooling rack. When they are able to be handled, cut an opening in the top of the loaf, about a 3" circle. Carefully remove the plug, keeping as much bread as possible attached. Using either a spoon or knife, carefully remove insides, leaving a 1/2" between the outside crust and soft interior wall. Don't poke holes- your soup will leak!
   
9. Ladle in hot soup and serve with the plug on the side or on top of the soup to keep it warm.

White Bread Sandwich Rolls

I have to admit, I thought these were going to be a disaster. I do not have much experience with making bread, even less in shaping the dough, and I know nothing about how the ingredients/ kneading/ rising really affect the final product. It's all just a big mystery to me!

So I hunted and scoured and surfed the 'Net looking for a stupid simple, soft submarine sandwich roll recipe. Doesn't that sound easy? Well it's not, but I can tell you there are plenty of crusty, dill, oat nut recipes to be had in its place! I finally found one that I could work with.

The dough seemed to dry even after I made it with all the liquids and less flour than called for. I added more water and kneaded in the mixer. Then it was too sticky. I added some flour and kneaded more in the mixer. This poor dough spent probably 7 minutes circling round while I looked quizzically into the bowl. I figured I killed it with all that kneading! It rose, the house smelled like yeast, and I took it out to shape it. Poor misshapen balls of dough, I had no clue what I was doing! After slapping together what I thought might be some good rolls, I let it rise again. As the oven preheated, I messed with one roll; I mangled it. After baking, the crust seemed hard- that's it, I had screwed it up for sure!

Lo and behold though- they were perfect. I mean, just like at the sub shop. Soft, chewy, inoffensive but delicious white bread rolls! Now, the shapes weren't fantastic, but I couldn't have gotten the taste better had I gotten a clue ahead of time! Next time I'll double the recipe since they came out so good.


Soft White Submarine Sandwich Rolls
Loosely based from AllRecipes.com Soft Onion Rolls

• 3/4 C. Warm Milk
  
• 1 .25 oz Packet of Active Yeast
  
• 1/4 C. Warm Water
  
• 3 C. Flour (I used all purpose.)
  
• 1/4 C. Potato Flakes/ Instant Potatoes
  
• 2 Tbsp. White Sugar
  
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
• 3 Tbsp. Butter, softened

1. Warm the milk until it is warm, but not hot, to the touch. Stir in yeast to dissolve it.
   
2. In a stand mixer, add in warm water (same temp as milk) and swirl around to warm bowl. (Adding the yeast mixture into a cold environment can kill it, thwarting your bread!)
   
3. On a low speed, using a dough hook, add in the rest of the ingredients, reserving about 1/2 Cup of flour. Mix until the dough starts to come together into a ball. If too sticky, add in the 1/2 C. of flour a bit at a time until the dough is slightly sticky, but does not come off on your finger when touched. If too dry, add in very small amounts of water at a time.
   
4. On speed 2 (Kitchen Aid speed), knead the dough in the bowl for about 3 minutes. While kneading, grease a large bowl. Remove the dough and put it in the bowl, rotating it so the top gets greased. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about a hour. It should at least double.
   
5. After dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into equal pieces for your rolls. For the large sub rolls I wanted, this batch would yield 4 or 5 good sized rolls. Shape the rolls and place onto a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. I have no advise as to how to shape them properly; I fudged it and just made rolled up vague log shapes and pinched shut any seams.
   
6. Cover the rolls and let rise again for another hour.
   
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown and have a dense, hollow sound when you knock on them. The crust will seem to be hard when they come out of the oven.
   
8. Allow to cool. The crust will soften and the interior will be hot for at least 15 minutes after they come out of the oven. Slice and enjoy with all the toppings!

These would make excellent meatball sub rolls, and they were fantastic for our Real Maine Italians with all the cold cuts and meat and cheese you could want!

French Bread a la Kitchen Aid

So, this is kind of a lame blog entry as there isn't anything interesting about this, but I think it's cool that I made it, and so you are stuck reading it! This is my second loaf of yeast bread that I've ever made- although I used the same recipe for #2!! All I did was use the generic French Bread recipe from the user's manual. It is so delicious though- I could eat the whole loaf in one sitting by myself.


French Bread
From Kitchen Aid mixer manual, cut in half

• 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
  
• 1 1/4 C. Warm Water
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. Salt
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
  
• 3 1/2 C. Flour
  
• Cornmeal

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and put it into a warmed Kitchen Aid bowl.
   
2. Add in the flour, salt, and butter. Using the hook attachment, mix on speed 2 for about 3 minutes until the dough is in a pretty ball.
   
3. Put the dough ball into a greased bowl and cover for an hour until the dough rises into double the size.
   
4. When it rises, take it out and roll it flat, around 12" by 15". Tightly roll the dough into a loaf shape. Place it on a cookie sheet that is sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let it rise again for another hour.
   
5. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Slice 4 diagonal slits in the top of the loaf and then bake for 30 minutes.
   
6. Remove, cool, and devour!