Pain Hawaiian

I have been wanting to make this bread for AGES, but I had been unable to find macadamia nuts anywhere. I finally found some and was so excited! We had this bread with our "Sunday Soup" and it was perfect.
Sundays are very busy for us, so a few months ago I decided to start making it at least a little easier. Every Saturday night I  put together a soup in the crockpot, cook it on low all night and then keep it on warm for most of Sunday. It makes a great lunch for those that want it, and then dinner for all of us! I have loved it so much when summer comes I think I will do "Sunday Salads." :)
Think of this as a french bread, but with nuts added. It was also yummy as garlic toast on day #2.
Note that it does take a lot of rising time. The sponge rises about an hour, then the main dough 1 1/2-2, then 45 minutes on the stovetop, and then it bakes for 30-35 minutes.

To make the sponge: 2 cups of warm water, to which you sprinkle over the top 1 tablespoon (or 1 packet) of active dry yeast, a pinch of sugar (Or a couple drops of honey), then whisk in 1 1/2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour. (I think whole wheat would also work well)

After 30 minutes to an hour the sponge will be all fluffy and you can add the following: 1/2 a cup of unbleached all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons oil (the recipe recommends almond or walnut oil, but I rarely have these so I just used canola oil), 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped macadamia nuts.  (I just did a couple of pulses in the food processor, it wasn't necessarily coarse, but I liked how it turned out in the bread!)

Then add the remaining 3 1/2-4 cups of flour half a cup at a time. I like to measure all the flour it asks for into a small bowl, that way I don't forget how much I have added and I can just sprinkle a little at a time without measuring...

Knead for about five minutes, dusting with flour as needed. Cover with plastic and let raise 1 1/2-2 hours in a warm room until doubled. During the winter I usually turn the oven on and sit the bowl on the stove top, otherwise it takes much longer to raise.

After it has risen you can shape into either 3 round loaves, or two oblong. Place on a greased or parchment lined pans four inches apart. Let raise another 45 minutes. If you would like you can get your kitchen scissors or a serrated knife and make slash marks along the top, about 1/4 an inch deep right before baking.

20 minutes before baking preheat oven to 450 F if you have a baking/pizza stone, or 400 if you don't. Place the pan in the oven (with the stone on the bottom rack) and turn the oven temperature down to 400 F. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool.

I let it cool about 10 minutes before serving.

A delicious addition to our sunday soup!

California Walnut Bread

This is by far the most unique bread I have ever eaten. It was somewhat of an "acquired taste" for me. I didn't really like the first bite, but by the third bite I was really impressed with the depth of flavors it had. And by the time I finished the slice I really liked it! I would definitely call this a gourmet bread. It also made a delicious bread pudding!

To make the sponge.
In a large bowl add the following ingredients:
2 tablespoons (or two packets) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
3 tablespoons honey or sugar (agave nectar also works well)
and 2 cups of whole milk at room temperature.
Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature about an hour.

If you have children this is a great time to get them excited about baking! My two year old loves to stir.

Chop 1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F about 3 minutes.

To the sponge add:
1/2 cup walnut oil (or canola works fine)
1 tablespoon of salt (I prefer kosher)
1 cup of flour .
Stir to combine.
Then add the nuts, and the remaining two cups of flour about half a cup at a time.
Knead on a lightly floured surface, about 4 minutes. Then place in a greased container, turning to coat. Let raise about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Gently deflate the dough. Shape and place in two greased 8 by 4 inch pans. (You can also do 2-3 round free form loaves).
Cover loosely and let rise about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. 20 minutes in advance. Bake 35-40 minutes. Until loaves sound hollow when tapped.

Seeded Dill Rye

I have been wanting to make a rye bread for awhile, I was very satisfied with this recipe. And my youngest daughter liked it a whole lot as well! I thought I would award it with 4 stars. (It sure makes me in the mood for a Reuben sandwich!)


In a small bowl (or liquid measuring cup) sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast over 1/2 a cup of warm water and sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar over the top as well. Let it sit about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl mix together: 1 1/2 cups rye flour (I used mild rye) 1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk, 1 tablespoon each of dill weed and dill seed. (It also calls for 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds which I didn't have and it was fine without it) and also 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 3 tablespoons of unsalted, melted butter, along with the yeast mixture. Mix well until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Then add 3 1 /2 to 4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour and/or bread flour 1/2 a cup at a time until the dough is shaggy and clears the side of the bowl. (Note: you may use more or less flour depending on the brand/batch)

Knead about 5 minutes, using flour as needed to prevent sticking. Let rise in a greased bowl covered with plastic wrap for 1 1/2 hours.

Divide dough into two portions and shape. Let raise in the 9x5 inch loaf pans for 40 minutes. If desired brush with egg glaze (1 egg, 1 tablespoon water/milk)

Twenty minutes before baking turn on the oven to 378 F. Bake 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

Celeste's Sunflower-Oatmeal Bread

LOVE the texture!



In a small bowl combine: 1 1/4 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar.

In another bowl: 1 1/4 cups warm buttermilk, 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons molasses and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.

In a large bowl: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the buttermilk mixture, yeast and 1 large egg at room temperature. Beat hard for 3 minutes. Add the flour (4-5 cups unbleached all purpose) 1/2 a cup at a time until dough is soft and clears the side of the bowl.

Knead about five minutes, dusting with flour 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat and covering with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours at room temp.

Gently deflate the dough, you can either shape into three free form loaves (baked on a cookie sheet) or two regular loaves. Let rise in the pan until doubled, about 30 minutes. Brush with rich egg glaze (1 egg, about 2 tablespoons of milk/water), and sprinkle with oats.

Twenty minutes before baking preheat oven to 375 F. Bake 35-40 minutes.

I forgot to add the oats, and quickly threw on a few at the last minute...as you can see they didn't stick ;)
Delicious bread anyway!

Buttermilk Potato Bread

This bread was a little different, the first warm piece I had I didn't really like it. But after it cooled off it was good! I'm giving it 3 1/2 stars. I think it depends on what you like, my husband liked it a lot, as well as my good friend who comes and bakes with me.
*This dough can also be made into rolls, or one free form loaf.
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(sorry about the online picture, I was still trying to figure out my documenting when I made this bread several weeks ago)

1 large russet potato (about 3/4 a lb)
Peel the potato and cut it into large pieces, place in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook until soft. Drain the water and reserve it, add water if you need to in order to have one cup. Mash the potato and set aside.




Warm or cool the potato water to 105-115 F. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons (2 packages active dry yeast) over the water with a pinch of sugar. Let sit until foamy.



In a saucepan,warm 2 tablespoons butter and 1 cup cold buttermilk just until the butter melts.


Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, and mashed potato. Make sure the mashed potato is smooth, otherwise you will have lumps in your bread.

My hand mixer decided to go on to "mixer heaven" so we are doing this with a whisk/by hand until I get a new one...


In a large bowl, combine the yeast and potato mixture with 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour. Mix until smooth (3 minutes by machine). Add the flour, 1/2 a cup at a time with a wooden spoon, until you have a soft dough. (6-7 cups total, add as much as you can, knead in the rest)


Knead for 10-15 minutes (or 5 minutes if you used an electric mixer), if dough begins to get sticky add a couple of tablespoons to keep going.

Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rise until doubled, About an hour. Don't worry if it takes up to two. (sorry, another borrowed picture, I really dropped the ball on this one!)




Shape loaves and place into two 9x5 inch greased pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise about 3o minutes. You can brush with egg glaze (1 egg, a little water to thin it out), and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

20 minutes before baking preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake on center rack for 45 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.



Immediately remove from the pans and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.