Petits Pains au Lait

I apologize for my unintended hiatus from this blog,  sometimes it's a little hard to think about the fun and simple things in life when there are challenges in the drama that is life. But I realized that I shouldn't let those things stop me from what I love, and besides it's a great stress reliever as well!

So here I am back, and I'm sharing an AWESOME roll recipe. Rolls and I, we go way back. I've always loved them, and have been making them since I was about 10 years old...actually I might have made a  batch sooner then that for the county fair back in the day!

Take note that this recipe requires 4-5 initial hours of raising time, then another 1 1/2  OR overnight in the fridge. As the author, Beth Hensperger, says "The results are worth the time."

So here we go...

In a large bowl mix together the following:
2 cups flour, 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder, 1 Tablespoon (or 1 envelope) of active dry yeast, 2 Tablespoons Sugar, 2 teaspoons Salt. Then add 1 1/2 cups hot water (but not to hot, otherwise you will kill the yeast), along with 1 egg (that has been out of the fridge for 30 minutes or more to be at room temp). Beat hard for two minutes.

Then add 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces.

Add the remaining  2 1/2-3 cups of flour, half a cup at a time. Then knead the dough 4-5 minutes, dusting with flour 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to prevent sticking.

Place in a greased bowl covered with plastic. Let rise at COOL room temperature 4-5 hours OR in the refrigerator overnight.

Then gently deflate and let rise another 1 1/2 hours.

Divide dough into 4 balls, then divide each into five equal portions to make 20 rolls total.

Place in rows of 4 with two inches between each row. I used my airbake cookie sheets, which were greased with a little cornmeal sprinkled over the top

Preheat the oven to 400 F OR 450 if you have a baking stone on the lowest rack. Let the rolls rest for 30 minutes, then take a serrated knife and slash each roll quickly no more then 1/4 an inch deep.
If you have the baking stone place the pan directly on it, then immediately turn down to 400 F. and bake 15 minutes. If you don't, you would just bake at 400 F for 15 minutes.

My daughters face is priceless right there!! We put butter and garlic powder on ours and dipped them in homemade Vinaigrette. YUM! My husband also mentioned they would be good with freezer jam.

Got Stale Bread??

Since I didn't get a new recipe made this month I still wanted to share something...here are two things we like do to when we have stale bread, and when you make homemade bread it goes stale...very quickly!

I hope you enjoy these two recipes, courtesy of the Food Network!

#1 French Toast

Believe it or not French toast is best when made with old, dry bread. Alton Brown's Recipe is the best.

French Toast

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2003

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

24 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread (sour dough is also really good!)
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.


#2 Bread Pudding!! I have several different recipes.I've made the Better Homes and Gardens version several times, but today I tried Paula Deen's recipe. Oh my yumminess!!! Loaded with sugar and butter, how can it not be?!

The Best Bread Pudding

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2007

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

24 hr 10 min

Cook Time:

50 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large beaten eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl (I used sour dough bread)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup chopped pecans

For the sauce:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup brandy (I substituted apple juice)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.
In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.
Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.
For the sauce:
Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the brandy apple juice, stirring well. Pour over bread pudding. Serve warm or cold.

Here are pictures of the bread pudding I made today! I just poured the sauce over the top and am anxiously waiting for it to cool off!

French Bread

I love french bread because it is SO simple, and there is just something so delicious about a crusty bread with the soft insides. Mmmm. You don't have to collect any special ingredients, everything needed is most likely already in your cupboard.

To start place in a large bowl: 2 cups warm water, 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast, and one tablespoon of sugar (I was actually out of sugar so I didn't use any kind of sweetener). Let stand at room temp for about 10 minutes.

The recipe actually calls for 3 cups of bread flour and 3 cups of unbleached all purpose, I didn't have any bread flour so I used all unbleached. You add two cups to the yeast and stir briskly for 3 minutes. Then add the remaining flour 1/2 a cup at a time (you may need more, or less, then 6 cups depending on the brand, batch, etc)

Knead for 10-12 minutes (Unless you have used bread flour, then it only takes about 8 minutes). Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let raise in a cool room until tripled in bulk. About 1 1/2-2 hours. If you have the time punch it down and let raise again for another hour.

Divide into three equal portions and shape each one into a rectangle (which would make a baguette) or if you want a french bread loaf roll up the rectangle into a sausage shape.

Like so.

Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes. Before baking slash little diagonal lines on the top of each loaf, no more then 1/4 an inch deep and let raise about 30 minutes. I baked mine on a greased airbake cookie sheet.

Eat immediately or transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. (The loaves I made were a lot smaller then a french bread loaf you would find in the store, I would say they were in between a baguette and a french bread)

PetitChef

Here is a GREAT site for that never ending menu planning! I'm excited to use it. Plus you can add your blog and all your recipes/blogs/websites will be available to all that follow this site. It's a great way to advertise your site and also get good ideas.

petitchef.com

ENJOY!!

Vanilla Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Phew, now that I have a cross country move out of the way I can start doing more of the enjoyable (yet optional) activities...like this blog!

This cake is So good! I wanted to have some for breakfast for a few days but my kids liked it so much there was nothing left after the second day (and that's cause I hid some in the freezer for day 2! The first time I made it several years ago I wasn't so sure, but I think part of the reason was I made it in to small of a pan so it overflowed..yeah. It was perfect for the 10 inch tube pan!

 Five stars baby!!

Have some directions! (Preheat the oven to 375 F then grease and flour the pan of your choice! a 10 inch round, 10-12 cup bundt pan, or 2 9x5 inch loaf pans)

In a large bowl combine the following:
3 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt

In a separate bowl:
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 a cup)of unsalted butter (at room temp)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
-beat with an electric mixer/stand mixer until smooth and fluffy, then add 4 large eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Beat in 2 teaspoons pure vanilla (I used imitation this time, of course it works fine) along with 1 1/4 cups of sour cream just until smooth.

 Gradually add the dry ingredients, beat well until fluffy and light colored. There should be no lumps or dry spots

In a small bowl mix together:
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
 3/4 a cup (3 oz) pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts finely chopped. (I did not have any nuts when I made this, so consider the nuts optional)
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Spoon 1/3 of the batter into the pan, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the brown sugar. Repeat the process for three layers of batter and end with brown sugar.

(Baking directions at beginning of post!) Bake on center rack for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cake tester comes out clean (or toothpick!) Top of the cake should not be shiny.  Let the cake stand in the pan for 15 minutes. remove from pan to cool completely on rack. NOTE: If using a Bundt pan it must cool completely in the pan, otherwise it won't come out in one piece! I sit it on a cooling rack for at least an hour, more if needed. As you can see from my picture we were a little impatient!

Sweet Yeast Dough

Oh my goodness! I wish I had tried this a long time ago!

To make the sponge:

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 1/4 cups warm milk, 2 cups unbleached all purpose or bread flour. Beat until smooth then cover with plastic and let sit for 30 minutes. It will be really bubbly.

To make the dough:

Add the following to the sponge: 2 large eggs at room temp., finely grated zest of 1 orange or lemon (I used orange), 2 teaspoons salt, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 cup of flour. Beat until smooth, then add3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) the butter should be cut in little pieces and be at room temp. Then add the remaining 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour 1/4 a cup at a time until the dough is smooth. The dough will not be firm like regular bread dough, it will be very soft.


Knead about four minutes (using flour as needed to prevent sticking) then place in a greased bowl turning once to coat. Then let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

After that you can do whatever you would like with it! The recipe suggests dividing into 6 portions and braiding (see braiding example below), which would be good because this dough is SO amazing!

I chose to divide the dough in half and make cinnamon rolls and an apple braid. I just used my favorite recipe for apple pie filling. (3 cups chopped, peeled apples, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. I mixed it up and let it sit in the fridge while the bread was rising. It's pretty wet, I just drained it all off...)

I dusted the top of my braid with cinnamon, nutmeg and powdered sugar. Then after it was done I glazed it with powdered sugar, vanilla and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Sorry, no pics of the cinnamon rolls...

Peach Upside-Down Ginger Cake

Delicious! It's not super sweet (the cake title kinda throws you off!) so we had it for breakfast. Mmmm.



Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and pit 6 (2-3 cups) ripe peaches and cut in thick slices.
Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a 9 inch cake pan, or spring-form. (I recommend the cake pan because the butter and sugar leaked out the bottom of my spring-form). Put the butter in the pan and place in oven until melted (or stovetop works too). Then add 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp each of ground nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.


Heat just until sugar is melted then arrange peach slices in a single layer. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream a stick of room temp unsalted butter (8 tablespoons) with 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar. Beat in 2 large eggs, 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla. In another bowl whisk 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.

Add the flour mixture alternately with 1/4 cup boiling water to the creamed mixture.

Spoon over the top of the peaches. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.(woops, I had a little trouble as you can see by the one corner...)

Serve at room temp with chilled Amaretto Cream

Whisk 3 eggs with 1/2 cup sugar.

Scald 2 cups heavy cream plus 1/4 cup amaretto creamer in a double boiler (temp should be around 100 F). Whisking constantly add milk to egg mixture. Place in a saucepan on medium heat, stir constantly until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and if desired add 2 tsp almond extract. Refrigerate. Mixture will thicken as it cools.