CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD

There are various recipes to bake Cinnamon Swirl Bread found on the net but settled with this one from Nestle and  made changes to the filling used.

It turned out fabulous and  my family love them so much. I  have to confess that bread baking is now part of my regular routine and enjoy every minute of the whole process.

If your evaporated milk is chilled, do add hot water but if it isn't, just add warm water. The temperature of the liquid should be warm to touch if too hot, let it cool down a bit.

CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD
Yield     :     One loaf

2 + 1/2 C  all purpose flour
1/2 C evaporated milk
1/2 C hot water
1/4 C  sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 TB butter
1 + 1/2 tsp instant yeast

FILLING

1/4 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all purpose flour
1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
1 TB melted butter

DIRECTION

Combine milk, hot water, sugar, butter and salt in a mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour with instant yeast.

Make a well in center, pour the wet ingredients and forms into soft dough.

Place dough onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes until smooth.

Transfer into greased and covered bowl, leave to rise until doubled for an hour.

Gently deflate the dough, roll our into rectangle. Brush with butter, spread the filling evenly leaving 1 in border.
 Tightly roll the dough jelly roll style.

Pinch the ends to seal. Pinch the long seam closed. Place into greased loaf pan, let sit for an hour. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180C.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Brush with melted butter if desired after removing from the oven.

Cool on rack. Slice to serve.

Linking to Yeastspotting 10-07-11  

VERMONT OATMEAL BROWN SUGAR BREAD

One of my favorite ingredients in baking is oat. I had muffin, cake, rolls and bars made with oat. Did you notice that I'm obsessed with bread baking too. When checking a new recipe on the net, I just can't resist to visit KAF since  most of their recipes showed up and really to my liking. They are fail proof and exceptionally good.

This Vermont Oatmeal Brown Sugar Bread recipe also adapted from their site but with slight adjustments. Have baked half of them using muffin pan instead of a loaf.  Despite all the changes,  they turned out fantastic and full nutty flavor of  oat.

HONEY WHEAT BLACK BREAD

Sightly sweet and has a subtle flavor of coffee.  Combination of honey, coffee and cocoa make this bread a special treat with your cuppa.

The dough is quite sticky and you need to add extra  flour to work with.  It rose quite substantially  after it has been baked. Give it a try friends! I think you will be amazed at how tasty  and fluffy it turns out.

HONEY WHEAT BLACK BREAD
Adapted from  here
Yield      :     6 rolls

1 and 1/4 C  all purpose flour
3/4 C  whole wheat flour
1/2 C  warm water
1/4 C  honey
1/2 TB  cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee
3/4 tsp salt
1 and 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 TB melted butter

METHOD

Place flour, cocoa, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix.

Add in honey, butter and warm water. Mix and forms into soft dough. If too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons more flour.

Transfer onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Place dough in an oiled and covered bowl, let rise until doubled for about an hour.

Gently punch the dough, divide into 6 ball. Shape as desired and let rise for 60 minutes. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180C,

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Linking to  Yeastspotting 9-23-11

GOLDEN PULL APART BUTTER BUN

                                                                    Before baking

                                                                   
There is nothing more satisfying  for me  than making a successful batch of bread. Once you start to get the feel of making bread, you are addicted.

If you are new to bread-making, this is really good recipe to start with. It produces beautiful and fluffy bread though it takes more than 3 hours to bake them.

If you want to use active dry yeast increase the amount  to 1 1/4 teaspoon and mix the yeast with 1/3 cup of warm water. Let it proof for 5-10 minutes before you add it to the flour.

ONION BIALYS

This is totally unknown to me until I saw them on the net. Originated from Poland, this bialys  uses less ingredients compared with other rolls and no added fat. It is similar to bagel but without the hole and not boiled.

They are soft and had chewy crust. Though my onion turned extra brown but they remained delicious and sweet, came  from the fried onion. At the time of baking, nice aroma filled the entire kitchen.. It is best eaten right after it has been baked.

ONION BIALYS
Adapted and modified from The Bread Bible
Yield     :      6 bialys

2  C  high gluten bread flour
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
3/4  C plus 2 TB warm water

ONION FILLING
2 and 1/4 tsp oil
6 TB  chopped onion
1/4  tsp salt
black pepper to taste

METHOD

Mix together flour, instant yeast and salt. Gradually add the water and forms into a dough.

Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes and place it onto greased and covered bowl.

Let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours until doubled. Punch the dough down, let sit for another 45 minutes.

Prepare the filling by heating the oil, saute the onion until translucent. Remove,  add salt and black pepper. Cool.

Punch the dough down, divide into 6 balls. Shape each ball into 2 1/2 in-4 in  round and make a deep indentation in the center leaving 1 in rim.  Spoon the filling in the center..

Let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat oven @ 180 C.

Bake the bialys for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack.

Serve warm.

Linking to  Yeastspotting 9-9-11  

PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD ROLLS

There are so many version of Portuguese Sweet Bread found on the net. Some used a starter but now I had baked them using straight forward method from King Arthur Flour. Originally a bread machine recipe but made slight changes to suit my taste.

This  dough is easy to work with and not so wet. You can easily shape them into a loaf or as a roll. They turned so  fluffy and smell so good while baking. Even my son can't resist to taste them. Incredibly delicious!

YEAST BANANA BREAD

This banana bread is totally different from your regular quick bread since it contains yeast and takes a little bit longer time to prepare.  Yeast Banana Bread  is worth to wait, this yeasted bread produces a more flavorful and beautiful bake.

Yeast Banana Bread  is so moist  but importantly contains no egg, milk or nuts so is great for kids with allergies. Instead of adding chopped nuts to the dough, I have scattered silvered almonds on the base of the cake pan.

YEAST COFFEE CAKE

Coffee cake is a sweet cake leavened  either using baking powder or leavened by yeast, normally topped with nut, raisin, fruit and glazed with sugar or frosting, traditionally served for breakfast and brunch with coffee.

Coffee cakes are so versatile and may be baked in any type/size of pan but most popular are bundt, tube, fluted or loaf pan. They can also be baked in braid, ring, twist or whatever shape you like.

Originally this a bread machine recipe but now I have prepared them manually. They are easily browned so watch out during the end of baking time.

YEAST COFFEE CAKE
Adapted from  here

2 and 1/4 C bread flour/all purpose flour
1/4 C  sugar
1 tsp  salt
2   tsp  rapid rise yeast
1  C  milk
1  TB   butter
1  egg yolk (optional)

TOPPING
2  TB  melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C  sugar
1/2  C  chopped almond/pecan/walnut

METHOD

Warm the milk and butter until just warm to touch.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast sugar and salt.

Add milk mixture to the flour, forms into a dough.

Transfer onto floured board, knead by hand for 5-8 minutes. Transfer onto oiled and covered bowl, let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

In a small bowl combine sugar, cinnamon  and almond, keep aside.

Pat dough into round greased pan or shape as desired and let sit for 1 hour. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven at  175 C.

Brush melted butter over top, sprinkle with the topping.

Bake for 20-25 minutes on until golden brown.

Transfer on rack to cool.

Linking to Yeastspotting 8-12-11  

CHOCOLATE SWEET BUNS

If you love chocolate, try this sweet buns stuffed with chocolate chips.Light, delicious plus versatility - with just one recipe you can make dinner rolls ( in a variety of shapes) or sweet rolls  It's hard to resist eating more than  one.

The sweet buns can also be filled with a variety of frozen fruit. Try blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or  chopped sweet cherries.

CHOCOLATE SWEET BUNS
Yield      :     8 buns

2 C  all purpose flour
1 and 3/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
3/4 C  warm milk
2 TB  oil/melted butter
3/4 tsp salt
1 TB  sugar
8 TB   chocolate chip
Melted butter for glaze

METHOD

Place the flour, yeast and  sugar in a mixing bowl.

Combine milk, oil and salt in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Mix to form into a dough. You can also use your stand  mixer to mix.

Transfer the dough onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Let rise until doubled  in a greased and covered bowl for 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the  dough down, divide into 8 balls. Flatten each ball and stuff with  chocolate chip. Shape back into a ball, roll gently to seal. Place onto baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let rise for 45 minutes.

Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180 C, brush tops with melted butter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack.

Linking to  Yeastspotting 7-29-11 

PUMPKIN DINNER ROLLS

Adding a pumpkin to a dinner rolls will produce a bread that is slightly sweet and wonderfully rich.  So I looked for a recipe on the net, decided to bake the pumpkin rolls  from  scratch.  I halved the recipe and omitted the spices except  added only  ground cinnamon.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls taste  amazing but incredibly sticky. Make sure you add a bit more flour if needed. For best result either steam or bake the pumpkin if you're making your own puree.

EASY PULL-APART BREAD

You might be familiar with pull-apart bread made with refrigerated biscuit but how about using hot dog or dinner rolls for this recipe? The whole idea about this happens when I'd few packages of hot dog rolls untouched for a few days in my pantry.

For perfect result, do not immerse the bread cubes too long in the milk, just moistened them, lightly coat with sugar  and cut the hot dog roll into bigger chunk about  1 1/4  inch..

It is incredibly easy and cost effective, made with love. Just watch it disappears quickly right after your eyes!.

SESAME RINGS

These sesame rings are better than any store bought or frozen varieties. They are so fresh  and  incredibly easy to bake.  Sesame Rings are baked to golden perfection and best served with your favorite hot drink. The size varies, have made mine smaller but it is up to your choice. The rings  topped with sesame in this breakfast or brunch are simply fantastic!

SESAME RINGS
Yield   :   14 rings

2  C  bread flour/all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB  sugar
2 TB  oil
1/4 C  warm water
1/2  C warm milk
1/2  C  sesame seed
melted butter

METHOD

Combine dry yeast, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and warm water. Leave for 10 minutes until yeast is frothy.

In a mixing bowl, place flour, balance of sugar and salt, mix in yeast and warm milk. Combine and forms into a dough.

Transfer onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes or use your stand mixer.

Place dough into oiled and covered bowl for 1 to 2 hours.

Divide to into 14 ball. Flatten dough into 6 in long rope and join both ends. Brush with  melted butter and dip onto sesame seed. Repeat again until top is fully covered with sesame seed.

Leave to rise for 1 hour. Toward the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 190 C.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer into rack to cool.

Linking to Yeastspotting 7-1-11

SPIRAL ROLLS

These  rolls can be created using any of your favorite sweet bread recipe. It takes a few minutes to shape something special for dinner or entertaining . These single size rolls saving you from  worrying about crumbs from cutting.

You can also coat them with icing sugar after they have been baked. I must tell you that these rolls were yummy, buttery  and chewy!

SELKIRK BANNOCK

There are many versions of bannock but this  selkirk bannock was first introduced in Selkirk market place on 1859. It is a famous Scottish fruit loaf loaded with sultana and mixed peel.

The dough is heavy and won't rise much. The baked texture is more like a yeast cake than a bread and it is best served with your coffee/tea. Since it is easily browned, do watch out after 20 minutes of baking .

RICOTTA MONKEY BREAD

Have been itching  to try my hand at monkey bread for sometime but what I had baked today is a special bread using ricotta adapted from here. Instead of shaping them into a loaf, halved the recipe and  turned them into monkey bread. I went for 7 in round tin instead of bundt pan.  Make sure you grease you pan generously because it tends to stick..

So glad I did, it was so inviting in its gooey deliciousness  when you invert it and place onto a platter. As soon as it was out from the oven,  my children started to devour them non stop!

RICOTTA MONKEY BREAD

DOUGH
3 and 1/4 C  all purpose flour
1/2 C  warm water
1  TB  instant yeast
2  TB  softened butter
3/4  C  whole milk ricotta
1 1/2 tsp salt

SUGAR COATING
1/2 C  melted butter
3/4 C   brown sugar

METHOD

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and forms into soft dough or use your stand mixer.

Transfer dough onto floured board, knead for 10 minutes until smooth.

Place dough onto oiled and covered bowl, let rise until doubled for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Grease your pan. Divide dough into 4 balls. Pinch each ball into 5 of 1 in ball. Dip each ball with melted butter then coat with brown sugar.  Stack the balls onto greased pan.  Let rise for 1 and 1/2 hours in a warm place. Toward the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 190 C.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Cool on pan 5 minutes, invert on a plate to serve..

Linking to  Yeastspotting 5-27-11 
                 Bread Baking Day 40 

ZUCCHINI BANANA BREAD

Everyone love banana bread but have you tried zucchini and banana bread combo?  In my case, I never tasted zucchini before so this is my first time tasting them.

Zucchini Banana Bread  was not difficult to make and grating the zucchini is not a problem at all. It tasted really good too and very moist due to the over ripened banana I had used. What a clever way to eat your veggie and fruit in a single bite.

YOGURT BREAD

I had baked yeast rolls before but never with yogurt. This is my first experience using them. Well, not much difference with other rolls, Yogurt Bread was easy to handle.

These rolls require longer time to rise but nevertheless, they are fantastic and so fluffy! My children devoured them in no time and  never fails to get  appreciative comments from them. You can shape Yogurt Bread according to your likeness either into round or as a loaf.

POTATO PIZZA

All along I have baked regular pizza topped with tomato based sauce and looking for something simple without any meat or cheese so this recipe is really fits my requirement. It uses simple ingredients and the main item is potato which must be sliced paper thin using a mandolin if you have.

Have sprinkled  little bit of chili flakes but this is optional. Despite its simplicity, it turned out amazing and tasty. My children gave this pizza  the thumbs- up  and we intend to bake them often.

POTATO PIZZA
Yield    :    2 - 12 in pizza

3 C  all purpose flour
2 tsp rapid rise yeast
3  TB oil
1 tsp salt
1 C plus 2 TB lukewarm water
1/4 C  olive oil for applying on top

FILLING

2 large potato thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
3 TB olive oil
2  onion sliced
salt and pepper
2 tsp fresh/ dried rosemary
100g  parmesan / mozzarella  cheese (optional)

METHOD

Place water, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir and mix in flour until a soft dough is formed.  Knead by hand for 10 minutes or use your stand mixer. Place dough in an oiled and covered bowl, let rise for 2 hours.

Slice potato thinly using mandolin or sharp knife, Place in a bowl, sprinkle salt and cover with water for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry. Combine potato, olive oil, salt. black pepper,  rosemary  and onion  in a bowl.

Preheat oven @ 190 C. Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out into round and place onto baking sheet. Lightly coat with olive oil,  cover with potato slices  and cheese (if using).  Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are brown. Serve hot.

Linking to Yeastspotting 5-13-11 

BUTTERHORN ROLLS

I love to bake my own bread and buns, it  is really challenging and satisfying. Most butter horn rolls found on the net used heavy dose of shortening/ butter.

Now I had baked them using reduced fat, these Butterhorn Rolls  turned out light, tender and buttery. Might try to stuff them with cheese or chocolate for my next project.

SWEET KOLACHE

Kolache is a pastry of Czech and Slovak,  made of  semi sweet yeast dough top with sweet or savory filling. Most commonly used are apricot, cream cheese, prune,  poppyseed., nuts or even sausages.

This is my eggless version of kolache but nevertheless it is so addictive, everyone who tried them asking for seconds. Be careful  not  to stuff too much jam/preserve if not it will create a  mess when baking. The size is up to you, it can be bigger piece of 4 x 4 in square.

These are also great for party or picnic, more fun if you thread them on skewer to be served  to your guest.

SWEET KOLACHE

2 C all purpose flour
2 TB  sugar
5 TB  melted butter
1 tsp rapid rise yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1/2  C  plus 2 TB  warm milk
1/4 C fruit preserve/jam
extra butter for brushing

METHOD

Place milk, sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir well. mix in flour, salt and melted butter by cupful, forms into soft dough. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if it is too dry. Knead by hand for 5 minutes, place dough into oiled and covered bowl. Let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Roll out dough about 1/8 in thickness, cut into 2 x 2 in square. Place a teaspoon of  jam/ preserve,  bring the corners  to the center.  Lightly press so it sticks well. Let rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat oven @ 190 C. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Brush with butter. Cool on rack. You can also thread on skewer if you want. Enjoy!

Linking to Yeastspotting 4-22-11
                Food on skewer

Linking  to  Recipe Contest