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!

Tuscan Peasant Bread

Very tasty! The idea behind this bread is that you serve it with a meal the day you make it. It is recommended that you have it eaten within twelve hours of baking. It has a small amount of salt so it won't mold, but it will dry out really fast.
We tried it with some white sauce flavoured with broth from a beef stew the day it was baked, and then day two with some lentil soup. Delicious! It makes just one loaf. Keep in mind that it rises several times, bakes for a long time, and cools for a long time. So make it early!

In a large bowl: 2 cups of warm water, 2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast (a scant packet). Stir until yeast is dissolved. Add 1 cup of unbleached flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. Mix well, then cover bowl and let raise about an hour.

After an hour add: A pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and another cup of unbleached all purpose flour.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour  half a cup at a time. (I ended up using 1 1/2 cups more flour then it called for)

Knead vigorously for at least 5-8 minutes. Dust with flour as needed. Sprinkle some flour in the bowl, then sprinkle more over the ball of dough after placing it in the bowl. Cover with plastic and let raise until doubled. 1-1 1/2 hours.

Lightly flour a parchment covered baking sheet. Shape the dough into a round or an oblong loaf. I think what I ended up with was something in between the two. Dust the top of the loaf with some more flour. Let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 F 20 minutes before baking. (You can slash a pattern in the top of the bread if you want to, I sorta forgot..three slashes for the oblong, and a tic-tac-toe pattern for the round)

Place the pan on the lowest rack of the oven. I sat the pan on my 10 inch cast iron before placing it on the lowest rack, and I moved the other oven rack to the top and sat a pizza stone on it.
The actual directions tell you to line the lowest and highest racks with baking stones. But sometimes you've gotta work with what you have, right?

Bake 55-60 minutes. The loaf will look done around 45 minutes, but really does need the extra 15 to finish baking the inside.

     Transfer to a cooling rack and cool about 2 hours before serving.

Plum Crumb Cake

Do you ever have one of those days, you know the ones when your brain doesn't turn on? Well that happened the first time I made this. For some reason I just thought it wasn't done, so I continued baking it. And it burned, and it was nasty. (I'm sparing you the picture!!)

My daughter wanted a piece for breakfast before leaving for school (yes, I'm one of those evil Mom's that lets my kids have refined sugar...)and when she saw what the piece looked like that I was offering her she politely asked for cheerios. (It's okay to laugh now) I later realized I had been putting the toothpick right through one of the plums, no wonder it hadn't seemed done! I was determined to make it up to my daughter so I made another one and had a nice piece for her when she got home that afternoon. Since it's December I just used canned plums, but will plan on trying it this summer with the fresh fruit!

In a small bowl or mug: 1/4 a cup warm water, over which you sprinkle 1 packet (or 1 tablespoon) active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar (honey also works well).

In a large bowl: 1/2 a cup warm buttermilk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 a cup vegetable oil (I use canola usually), 1 large egg, 1/2 a teaspoon salt, and grated zest of one lemon (or you can use 1/2 a teaspoon of lemon extract). Mix well, then add the yeast mixture and 1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour. Beat until smooth, then add remaining 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour and no more. The batter will be stiff and sticky.

Pour into a generously greased 9 inch spring form pan (or a 9 inch quiche pan at least 2 inches deep with a removable bottom). Scrape batter into the pan, then with lightly floured fingers spread around to fill the pan evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm area until slightly puffy. Probably around 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl: 2/3-3/4 a cup of sour cream, mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Set aside.

To prepare the crumb topping:
1/3 a cup unbleached all purpose flour, 1/4 a cup sugar, 1/2 a teaspoon ground cinnamon, dash of ground mace. Cut (Or mix with your hands) 4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces.

2 cups fresh red Santa Rosa plums, or Italian prune plums, pitted and sliced. (Canned worked fine as well)

Pour the sour cream evenly over the batter. Distribute the plums.

Cover with the crumb topping.

The recipe calls for 400 F but I actually baked on 375 F. You can decide depending on where you live. Bake about 45 minutes, or until top is browned. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold, store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Squash Cloverleafs

These are AMAZING!! You should make them today!! I used butternut squash, which I have some to realize it the only thing I need to make all sorts of squash and pumpkin dishes. You should all try a pumpkin pie with butternut!

This recipe reminded me of orange rolls a lot. In fact, I think they are better then the last batch of orange rolls I made. When my husband was young his Mom would always make orange rolls for Christmas, so we have carried on the family tradition. I should have made these a long time ago. (Plus, it's a great way to get your family to eat squash...bahahaha)

In a mug or small bowl: 1/4 a cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon (or 1 packet) active dry yeast, and a pinch of brown sugar.

In a large bowl: 3/4 a cup warm milk, 1/4 a cup orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier (I substituted 1/2 a teaspoon of orange extract) 1 cup winter squash or pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoons brown sugar,  and grated zest of one orange (probably around 2 tablespoons..), then 6 tablespoons (3/4 a stick) of unsalted butter, melted.

Add the yeast mixture and two cups of unbleached all purpose flour.  Beat until smooth and creamy, about two minutes.  Gradually add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, half a cup at a time. When the dough clears the bowl and isn't to sticky (but still soft) move to a work surface and knead for 3-4 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let raise until doubled, about an hour.

Gently deflate the dough. Lightly grease 18-24 muffin cups. (I used 18), Divide the dough into four portions, divide each of the four into three, then shape these into balls about the size of walnuts.  (about an inch wide)

Arrange three balls into each of the muffin cups. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let raise about twenty minutes (or until doubled). Preheat oven to 400 F  and bake 12-15 minutes.

Cool on wire racks and see how long they last!! Haha!

Italian Bread Sticks (Grissini)

I'm very sad to say this is the first recipe I've made from this book that we didn't like. I liked the taste, but the texture wasn't very good. I will probably try them again with a different type of flour... BUT if you are looking for some awesome breadsticks, we made some out of the White Mountain Bread recipe, SO good!

Feel free to try these yourself, maybe mess around with some of the ingredients if you have made grissini before. It may very well be that I didn't follow the directions well...

In a large bowl: 2 tablespoons active dry yeast,  1 1/2 cups warm water,  1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup semolina flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.

Beat hard until creamy, about a minute. Then add 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, half a cup at a time until you have a soft shaggy ball that clears the side of the bowl. If making by hand switch to a wooden spoon when necessary.

Knead until soft and springy, about 3 minutes. Dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to prevent sticking.

Dust the work surface with semolina flour and pat the dough into a thick 12x6 inch rectangle. OR you can grease a large cookie sheet (I use airbake) and roll out dough right on the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let raise about an hour (or until doubled)

Preheat the oven to 425 F and place a baking stone on the center rack. (If you don't have a pizza stone unglazed terracotta tiles are a nice inexpensive substitute!) Gently deflate dough, then cut the dough into  four equal sections lengthwise (the dough will deflate a little more) Then cut into 6 strips lengthwise.

Pick up each piece and stretch or roll to desired shape. Dip each piece into olive oil, then semolina flour. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

I really like the idea of these, and I'm determined to figure out a way to make them to our family's liking! Will update when I figure that out!

Glazed Zucchini Bread

This one is definitely a winner! I have definitely made my share of not-so-good zucchini bread recipes and was overjoyed to have this one turn out so good!
One warning though (and you will see in my picture below!!) contrary to the recipe this one makes more then one loaf! I would suggest either two 9X5 inch pans, or a 10 inch bundt.

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a large bowl: 3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola, you could also use walnut oil if you have it. I don't have it very often since it is rather expensive), and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat well, then add 3 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat well, then  fold in 2 cups grated zucchini.
Stir until evenly distributed.

In another bowl: 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 a teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves.  Then finally add 1 cup (4 ounces) walnuts, chopped or golden raisins, plumped and drained. (I used walnuts)

Beat until well combined. Then pour into pans. (This batter would also make delicious muffins!)

Yep, even someone that has been baking for 15+ years can make mistakes!
Place in the preheated oven and bake 65-75 minutes. If you are using two pans I would check at 60 minutes.
Or if you decide to make muffins bake for 20-25 minutes.

I made a few changes to the glaze since I don't use alcohol:
1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brandy or cognac (I substituted with lemon juice, orange juice would also work)

What kid doesn't love the appearance of frosting? lol

Mmm. It sure was good for breakfast!!

Santa Fe Blue Corn Muffins

So in light of ordering a rather large amount of blue corn online I decided to make all the blue corn recipes I could find in The Bread Bible!
These muffins were very satisfying, we had them with Sunday dinner with a beef roast, potatoes and carrots. I think they would go really well with soups, especially taco soup!
They do have sugar in them, but taste more like a savory muffin, which was new to me. Most of my repertoire consists of sweet muffins.
-Makes 12 muffins-

In a medium bowl mix until fluffy: 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1/2 cup sugar.
Then add 5 large eggs, 1/2 a cup of milk, 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies. Beat until well blended.

In another bowl: 1 cup blanched fresh or thawed frozen white corn kernels (I used yellow, it was fine), 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded Jack cheese, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/4 cups fine blue corn meal or harina para atole, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mixing well until it falls off your spoon in clumps.  If needed you can add an additional 1/4 cup flour if it's too runny.

Spoon into muffin tins, filling all the way to the top.  Bake in preheated oven at 375 F for 20-25 minutes.

Serve warm.