Now THAT’s a Cinnamon Bun…err Loaf?!

Well, our beloved Canucks are DONE for the season *sigh*… Summer can begin!  No more worrying about what to make for dinner, prior to game night.  No more worrying about waking up early and making sure all chores are “done” before the big game.  No more stressful periods of bad calls or missed shots….  Winter is officially OVER.  Hockey Season is done for us Canucks.   Canada (at least the West Coast side) can move into the next season – Summer. 

“Go Big or Go Home” is what they say right?!  Sometimes…bigger IS better.  I loooooove cinnamon buns, and the ooey-ier (yes that’s a word-ish) AND gooey-ier (stay with me) THE BETTER.   Baking Homemade Cinnamon buns fills the entire house with the heavenly smell of fresh bread and cinnamon. YUM.  Being that I already have a favorite Cinnamon Bun recipe (Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Buns), I want to revisit these, but play a little, kick it up a notch…  instead of making the "normal" dozen, ordinary Cinnamon Buns, I went with the Bigger is Better saying making one large Cinnamon Bun – more like a Cinnamon Bun Loaf really.  The results, one huge… ooey-gooey-cinnamony-meltinyourmouth-heavenly cinnamon bun loaf, perfect to serve to weekend guests for a light breakfast or to surprise your special someone (or family) for a sweet treat in the morning. I mean how can you go wrong waking up to the wonderful scent of cinnamon & brown sugar?!  The WOW Factor is definitely present…and in keeping with my original Cinnamon Bun Recipe  , are quick and easy, but ssshh don’t tell your guests that, they’ll think you were up all night making this….



Cinnamon Bun Loaf



Cinnamon Loaf – The Ultimate Cinnamon Bun

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, softened (but not melted)

For Icing - mix icing sugar and a couple tablespoons of milk (to desired thickness) to create a light and sweet icing

- Heat milk in sauces pan until it bubbles (stirring gently to ensure it doesn't scold on the bottom)

- Remove from heat, and stir in the 1/4 cup butter, keep stirring until it melts. Let cool until lukewarm

- Using a stand mixer, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well.

- Add water, egg and the milk mixture; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mix well after each addition.

-When the dough has just pulled together, use your dough hook to knead it until a dough ball forms on the hook, and the sides of the bowl are clean. 

- Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. (if dough is still really sticky, add about a 1/4 cup flour and knead in - your hands should be "clean of dough")

- Cover the dough with lightly oiled (I used cooking spray) plastic wrap, and let rest 10 minutes.

- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.

- Roll out rested dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle

- Spread dough with butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture using the back of a spoon or spatula, to the edges of dough

- using a knife or pizza cutter, carefully cut strips down the length if the dough about  2 – 3 inch thick slices

- Taking the first strip of dough, loosely roll up the piece of dough into the normal cinnamon bun shape, place in center of a light greased baking pan.

- taking the remaining strips and wrapping around the center piece until you have used all the dough up. Warning, this can get messy, licking fingers AFTER is encouraged!

- Cover lightly, and let rest in a draft free area until doubled in size (about 1 hour)

- Preheat oven to 375 F

- Bake in the preheated oven for 20- 25 minutes, or until golden brown

- Carefully remove from pan.  I covered a hot pad w/ a bit of plastic wrap, and flipped the loaf onto my hand (with hot pad), and then placed on a serving plate immediately

-  Mix icing sugar and a couple tablespoons of milk (to desired thickness) to create a light icing, and drizzle over slightly cooled loaf

........Serve warm.   This is also good the day after, just wrap lightly with plastic wrap.  When you are ready for round 2, cut your serving, place on plate and a quick zap in the microwave brings back all that ooey-gooey goodness!  Hmm, now maybe I should go outside and work on the yard.... hockey may be over, but boating season is just around the corner!   **cheers**

 

Pizza Bread…adding a new dimension

We’re still IN IT!  (Canucks I mean) – WOOOO! It’s “Foodie Friday”, and, since it IS the weekend, and we all have SOOOO much time to spend in the kitchen playing, I thought I’d share a new favorite way to make up Pizza…using the sauce as a dip, instead.. of a…well… topping? base? Layer that you put the toppings on?... what do you call the sauce on a pizza??  ANYWHO!

I present… Pizza Bread.  Not quite a loaf of bread… as I think there’s basically more toppings that “bread”…  Not quite a Pizza… as pizza’s are typically round (or rectangle-ish) and flat.  This is definitely a bread loaf… that is LOADED full of your favorite Pizza Toppings, baked – then you can use your favorite Pizza Sauce (Pasta sauce works too) to dip the warm slices in.  Perfect for a light dinner, a group Appetizer, or even a herd of hungry kids that needs a creative dinner dish to settle em' down around the dinner table..   It’s like pizza in a whole new dimension!  (hmmm, maybe I need some more coffee… or vino… or… )  Of course sending this to yeastspotting, as without sites like that... I wouldn't be able to do half the things with bread / yeasted dough!  love!!

Our household loves meat – just about any kind – on pizza, so I added a little more there, then tossed in some diced fresh peppers, and onions to add some sort of vegetable aspect (and colour!) I will warn ya… this could become the “NEW” pizza style…  so simple! Play with the “toppings”  - add in olives, feta, spinach – make it “greek style”…  or toss in some shredded cooked chicken, carmalized onions, bacon and serve with BBQ Sauce instead of pizza sauce.  Oh the options! Oh I’m starting to get the craving…..

Pizza Bread

·         1 teaspoon yeast

·         3.4 cup warm water

·         1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 ½ cups TOTAL of favorite toppings, chopped

·         1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

·         1 table spoon olive oil

-          Sprinkle yeast over warm water in mixer bowl.  Let sit for about 3 mins (until foamy)

-          Add in flour, salt, and using dough hook, mix until it just comes together



-          Add in 1 ½ cups favorite toppings and combine well.  Dough should be tacky, but still form a decent dough ball (add more flour or water if needed)

-         Let rise for about 1 hour; then put in the refrigerator for another hour.

-         Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour counter space. Roll out into a rectangle shape

-          Sprinkle cheese over top. Carefully fold along the long side, like an envelope. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed.

-         Let rest, covered, while Oven is Preheated  to 450F

-         Let oven stay at 450 degrees for  20 minutes.

-         Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

-         About 5 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking.

-         Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing as like “regular” pizza – Toppings are HOT-TA TA!

-         Cut up in slices, and served with warmed up pizza sauce (or pasta sauce), dunking in the slices as you go!

In preparation for Sunday’s game, and in case I’ve started something here….

GO CANUCKS GO!!

Chocolate Sourdough Bread...nuff' said.

Easter Weekend is fast approaching.  I will have a house full of guests… (though really.. are family still considered “guests” in your home?!)…ANYWAYS…  what I should have been doing is making the filling for perogies.  What I should have been doing is dusting.  What I should have been doing is…...... BUT then I came home and saw Uncle Fester’s work…and well… the rest…  is History.  You see, the day before, I was thinking about ways to use my Sourdough Starter aka "Uncle Fester".  Though I loooove me a good chunk of sourdough bread, sometimes you just gotta change it up a bit!  I’ve done pizza dough.  I’ve done Cinnamon Buns. I’m working on mixing up flavors and adding to the sourdough bread (mmmm garlic and asiago)… but then I came across CHOCOLATE.  WHOA… Chocolate and Sourdough…really?! I mean Chocolate (like bacon) goes with just about anything.. but sourdough…. Hmmm.  SOOOOO, after feeding Uncle Fester a few times…  I decided to play.  The reward…. Chocolate Sourdough Bread.

I used Lindt Dark Chocolate, and a good quality cocoa, mixed it up with regular all-purpose flour and tossed in some very active Uncle Fester, and what came out was a nice crumb, not sweet – more on the savory side loaf of bread that is delicious lightly toasted…. Mmmmm I can only imagine how decadent French toast could become when using this….maybe sprinkled with powder sugar.... *sigh*

SO, before you sit there reading this…turning up your nose at the thought of Sourdough & Chocolate…. Next time you are wondering what to do with the portion of starter you need to “discard” before the next feeding…  just try it!  What could go wrong?! Did I mention as this is baking, your house smells like chocolate cookies?? 

Chocolate Sourdough Bread

• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup dark quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter
• 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 cup chopped quality chocolate (I used Lindt Dark Chocolate)

- Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt in your mixer until well mixed

- Mix sourdough starter, water, oil and yeast into a measuring cup, stir well, add to dry ingredients

- Knead using the dough hook on your mixer at speed 2 to 3 until a supple dough ball forms.  (you may need to finish it for a minute or 2 by hand.)  Form into a ball and put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and set aside to rise.

- I left it for about 18 hours on the counter.(made it at night, went to bed, went to work, and then came home to a ready to use dough)

- Gently knead the chopped chocolate into the dough

- Form into a loaf and place on a baking stone (if you have, or baking pan/cookie sheet, whatever works)  Cover, and let rise for an additional 3 hours, or until doubled in size.

- Lightly dust with flour, and using a sharp knife, score top of loaf. (about ¼ inch deep)

- Fill a pan half way with water, and place on bottom rack of oven.  Preheat oven (with water pan in it) to 400F

- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

- Remove from oven let cool completely on a cooling rack

Cut and enjoy lightly toasted…maybe with some strawberry preserves? Nutella? Butter?... how about just by itself… don’t mind if I do!  Absolutely submitting this to yeastspotting, as without sites like that, I would not of known of all the fun possibilities of the wonderful world of bread making!

Cheers!

  

Uncle Fester's Cinnamon Buns (aka Sourdough Starter Cinnamon Buns)

They say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."  Well, for anyone who has seen, used, and/or nurtured a Sourdough Starter, knows.... it's not pretty.  I mean, Uncle Fester is a pretty suitable name for "the blob" that's growing in my fridge.  I've been quite devoted to Uncle Fester, making sure to feed it at least once a week, and before baking with it, I take it out the night before, feed "him", after all, I want to make sure the starter is in it's (oops... HIS) MOST active state..... Well, not too long ago, I did just that.  It started off as an typical "feeding".  We were headed up to the lake for the weekend, and I thought this would be a great chance to put Uncle Fester to work! The end result, YUMMY Sourdough Starter Cinnamon Buns, but... the start of the process... well... let's just say....  it looked more like a science experiment gone awry...

Sourdough Starter Cinnamon Buns

It all started normal... I took Uncle Fester (how to make your own sourdough starter here) out of the fridge the night before I intended to bake, fed the sourdough starter, and left on the counter, loosely covered (per everything I read)... checked "him" before I went to sleep, and all was well....  in the morning, as I groggily walked over to the counter to brew my first cup of coffee....  I found this:

Uncle Fester (Sourdough Starter)

OOPS!  Guess umm, well... looks like my Sourdough Starter is quite healthy!  (or had one heck of a party while I was sleeping) *giggle*  ANNNYWAYS..... I then had a choice...  thank goodness for Keurig, as I can only think so much prior to that first cup of coffee.....  I could clean up Uncle Fester, toss out a portion, feed, and then bake later on that afternoon as planned.. or... what the heck, why not use him while he's most active.  I pushed "brew now" on my Keurig, and started the dough for Sourdough Starter Cinnamon Buns.  What else would a normal, everyday, working gal first thing in the morning after finding out something oozed and bubbled all over her counter top do? Who ever thought Sourdough Starter for just for bread and pizza dough, were sadly mistaken!!

Uncle Fester's Sourdough Starter Cinnamon Buns

• 2 cups active sourdough starter
• 3 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons cinnamon

- In a large bowl combine Sourdough Starter, flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and eggs until well blended
- Knead dough in bowl for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture is smooth

- Let rise in warm place until doubled. Punch down. On a lightly floured surface, press dough into rectangle.

- Combine melted margarine, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spread mixture over dough

- Starting on long side, roll up dough, jellyroll fashion.

- Press ends together to make a seam. Score and Cut in 1-inch slices, place in an ungreased pan.

- Allow rolls to rise to double their size.  Preheat oven to 325F.
- Bake at 325F for 20-25 min until lightly browned.

I added a simple milk/confectioner's sugar glaze overtop while they were still warm!   (mix couple tablespoons of milk with enough confectioner's sugar to desired thickness) These are light and flaky....so good right out of the hot pan... or slightly warmed in the microwave.

SO, from "blob" to.....

Sourdough Starter Cinnamon Buns

Who'd of thought "Uncle Fester" / Enter YOUR OWN Sourdough Starter name here....to create something as sweet as some fresh-made from scratch - homemade cinnamon buns!  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Kolach - Homemade Ukrainian bread... worth the work!!

"Kolach" - a braided ring-shaped bread.  The name is derived from the Ukrainian word "kolo" meaning a circle. 

For the longest time, I shyed away from "bread making".  If you've read up on the topic... many people swear how precise you need to be. Some of the recipes can be quite daunting!  Taking a cue from my Baba and my mom... precision in the kitchen isn't always a must! You think those cute ole' Ukranian Woman back in the day sat there and precisely weighed out their flour? Or used the exact temperature of water to activate their yeast!?  Heck no!  Though, I will say... all those tips and recipes from sites like Yeastspotting are fabulous - (I'm going to master sour dough, and french bread soon!)  However, some recipes like the one below, are basic, "easy" and oh sooooo yummy!  So mine may not be picture perfect.... but still think these are goregous...and taste even better!

My recipe is adapted from our family "bible" ..... "The Ukrainian Daughters' Cookbook" I use it for just about anything Ukrainian...and then some (omg their crackle top peanut butter cookies....YUM YUM) Years ago, my mom got a copy, and since then... I've got my own....that being said... there's something about "hers" that is just so sentimental.  It contains breakdowns for several of the larger recipes... umm... recipe for 100?!  (guess these Ukie Woman didn't mess around!) haha....

Kolach



1 tbsp yeast*
1 cup luke warmwater*
2 tsp sugar*

1 cup sugar
4 cups warm water
3/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp salt
5 eggs, beaten
12 1/2  - 13 cups flour

**Dissolve the sugar and yeast in water and let stand for 10 minutes.  IF you are using "active yeast" you can omit this step, and add the extra cup warm water/sugar/yeast to the next step.

- Dissolve the cup of sugar in 4 cups of warm water.
 
- Add melted butter, salt, and beaten eggs. Mix in the flour and knead it till it is smooth and elastic. The dough should be a bit stiffer than for bread.  Keep adding flour a little at a time, and knead well in between.  The dough will be ready when your hands come out "clean".
 
- Cover, let it rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch it down and let it rise again.
 
- Divide the dough into 3 equal parts.

 

- Take 1/3 of the dough and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Roll 2 pieces to a length of about 30 inches.

 

- Put the two lengths side by side, and starting from the center, entwine the dough, thus forming a rope-like twist. Do the other half in the same manner.

 

 

- Place the entwined dough in a circle along the edge of a well greased 9 inch foil pan.
 
- Make 2 more twists about 24 inches long using the remaining 4 lengths of dough. Now take these 2 twists and entwine them in the opposite direction, making a double twist.
 
- Form these into a circle. Cut the ends at an angle and join neatly by pinching the ends together. There should be a small empty circular space in the center. If desired, you can keep the center open by placing a 12-ounce can that has had its outside well greased in the center.
 

 
- Cover, set the loaves in a warm place and let them rise till almost double in bulk. Be careful not to let the loaves rise too long as the ornamentations will lose their definition.
 
- Brush the surface gently with a beaten egg and bake at 350* F for1 hour. Like Easter "paska" or "babka", this dough is temperamental and should not be subjected to loud noises or constantly opening the oven door.
 

- Bake the "kolach" until they sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Place the finished "kolach" on cooling rack. 

The recipe above make 3 loaves of bread.  Typically, I make the first one a little bigger then the other two.  For the 2 smaller ones, play with the dough a little.  One layer of double twists, or braided dough made into a circle loaf tooks beautiful as well.  Kolach is awesome toasted and buttered for breakfast as well!  (Just saying!)  Your whole house will smell like sweet, rich bread - truly carb heaven!!