Old - World Braided Coffee Cake

 Stir together 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast and 1/2 tsp salt in a stand mixer, set aside. 

Heat 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 stick unsalted butter (2 ounces) over low heat until butter melts, set aside until warm (1-3 minutes, add  1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 

pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture, mix until the ingredients are evenly moistened.

Using paddle attachment, mix at low speed, add 2 large eggs lightly beaten on at a time, add 1 cup of the flour and mix until soft, smooth and slightly sticky (about 45 seconds)

place the dough in a large bowl cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size (45-60) minutes

Gently deflate the dough and flatten it on a floured surface

 To make the filling, in a medium bowl combine 2 cups of finely ground walnuts, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 2 TBS brown sugar, 1 1/4 ground cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt, whisk until mixed, in a saucepan bring 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1TBS honey to simmer over midium heat, and then pour the mixer over the nuts, in a medium bowm using a handheld mixer, whip 2 egg whites until stiff , using a rubber spatula fold the egg whites into the nut mixture just until incorporated.

Mark 3 rectangular strips by lightly poking the dough with a fork

Spread the filling down the center rectangular strip to 1 inch of the faintly scored marks and of the top and bottom

create a short falp at each end in the middle strip of the dough, fold the top and bottom flap over the filling

 cut 1 inch wide on the diagonal slanting downward toward the center, fold the strips at an angle across the filling in an alternating way,

Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 35 - 45 minutes

 Bake the cake until golden brown at 350F about 20 minutes

 Stir together 1TBS of granulated sugar and 1 TBS of water until well mixed, brush the glaze over the bread while it is warm.

Transfer the bread onto a wire rack and let it cool completley

It tasted really great.

Thanks to Hanaa for this delicious great recipe

CINNAMON BUNS

sday, February 15, 2011

CINNAMON BUNS

 This is a fast way to do cinnamon buns

To make the dough in a food processor combine 3/4 cup of cottage cheese, 1/3 cup of butter milk, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 4 Tbs melted unsalted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla extract, 

process until smooth, add 2 cups unbleached flour, 1Tbs baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp baking soda, pulse just until the dough clumps together, the dough will be soft and moist.

On a floured surface knead the dough about 5 times then roll the dough into a 12x15 inch rectangle 

 Brush the dough with melted butter leaving a 1/2 inch border unbuttered around the edges 

 In a medium bowl, combine 2/3 dark brown sugar, 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp cloves, 

sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough then sprinkle 1 cup of chopped pecans over the sugar mixture

 Roll the dough, pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open

 Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces, and set the pieces cut side up in a greased pan

 Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F until golden brown 20 t0 25 minutes. Set the pan to cool over a wire rack for 5 minutes

In a small bowl mix 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, 2 Tbs milk and 1 tsp vanilla to make the glaze

Transfer the rolls to a serving plate, drizzle the glaze over the rolls, let it stand for 15 minutes and serve.

Try it in the morning or afternoon with a cup of tea. Enjoy!!

Welsh Bara Brith

 Soak 2 tea bags in 1 1/4 cup boiling water, let steep for 10 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, add 1 cup mixed dried fruit (chopped), 1/4 cup diced dried pineapple, 1 cup dried currants and 1 cup light brown sugar,  to the water cover with plastic wrap let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

In another bowl, stir together 2 3/4  cups unbleached flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add the soaked fruit and its liquid, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter and 3 tablespoon orange marmalade, pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan

 Bake at 325 F until brown and crusty for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours

let stand in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes

 Turn the loaf out onto the rack

 Serve warm or at room temperature

 Bara Brith Bread is a British sweet bread that originated in Welsh countryside, 

Bara being the local word for bread, brith meaning spotted, because of the dried fruits

Tastes great!

100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

My friend Hanaa baked a great Whole Wheat Bread from a King Arthur's recipe and added some of her touches to it. I asked her for the recipe and added some of my touches as well! 

The result was really great!

In a bowl I did sprinkle 11/2 tablespoons of yeast and a pinch of brown sugar over one cup of warm water, left it for about 5 minutes until it became foamy.

In a heavy duty mixture I combined 11/2 cup butter milk , 1/8 cup of honey, 1/8 cup of molasses, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt,  2 cups of whole white wheat flour, and I added 2 tablespoons flax seeds.

I did beat at medium speed until creamy then added the yeast mixture, and 3 cups of the white whole wheat flour, 1/2 a cup at a time, I added a little bit more flour when I felt that the dough is sticky           

I transfered the dough to a deep oiled bowl, turned the dough once to coat it with the olive oil. 

I preferred this way more than the Bread Machine because here there is more space for the dough to rise

I covered loosely with plastic wrap, let it rise for 11/2 hours

I divided the dough in half, flattened each half into a rectangle, rolled each rectangle and sealed the ends

Then I put it in a greased loaf pan, covered it loosely with plastic wrap let it rise for another 1 hour

 Baked in 350 F preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes, 

turned into rack until cooled completely

PANE ITALIANO

 In a large mixing bowl soften 2 packages active dry yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water, leave it for a few minutes.Stir in 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of warm water, beat well, add 1 tablespoon of salt, then stir in 4 1/2 cups of the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, then add 3/4 cup of flour if needed (the dough should be stiffer than ordinary bread. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl turning once to grease surface, and let it rise in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, let it rise for another hour.

 divide in half and form each part into a ball 

 place on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal (gives crunchy bottom crust)

 add 1 tablespoon of water to one egg white, lightly beaten, brush over the top and sides of loaves

with sharp knife score loaves with 4 shallow cuts, then make 4 crosswise cuts

(I did a mistake here the cuts were a little deep, they must be shallow)

 let it rise for another 1 1/2 hours, brush again with egg-white mixture. 

Place a large shallow pan in the lower rack of the oven filled with boiling water while baking 

(this makes crust crisper)

bake it in preheated oven at 400 F for 15 minutes

(it is really very delicious crispy very good 

YUMMMY!! 

CHALLAH BREAD

I used a heavy duty mixer, I put the flour, made a well, added the water then the yeast, waited 10 minutes, then added the rest of the ingredients. Using the paddle attachment, I mixed it for about 5 minutes until stiff and elastic. After that, I transfered the dough to an oiled deep bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and let it rise for an hour 

After one hour, I punched it down and let it rise again for another hour. I extended the time of  fermentation because I like the bread to be more fluffy and to allow the texture to be more even

On a floured surface I divided the dough into 3 equal balls, I used a scale to make them equal

 After rolling the 3 balls into 3 ropes I did braid them

 I covered the braid with an oiled plastic wrap and  let it rise again for one hour after brushing it with half of the egg-water mixture

 After one hour, I brushed it again with the rest of the egg- water mixture, then sprinkled it with sesame seeds

I  baked in the oven at 350 F for 40-45 minutes

 Result was great!

Those were the changes I made and my tips for this recipe