Ruth's Sourdough Bread

You'll probably want to be at least somewhat familiar with sourdough and bread making before you tackle this one. I'm reasonably good with both, but I still found myself calling my mom on pretty much every step to make sure I was doing things correctly. After having done it the first time, this is a very EASY recipe.


24 Hours Ahead:
-1 C sourdough mixed with 1 C water and 1 C flour
-Leave at room temperature

12 Hours Ahead:
-Add2 1/2 C flour and 2 1/2 C water to above mixture
-Leave out at room temperature

Next Day:
-Beat sourdough mixture 1-2 minutes
-Add 2-3 C flour and beat 4-5 minutes
-Let stand for 30 minutes
-Add 1 T salt
-Change mixer to a dough hook
-Add 2-3 C flour and knead until no longer sticky - add additional flour if needed
-Raise until doubled
-Turn out onto counter. Let rest 10 minutes
-Form into two loaves, raise until doubled
-Slash loaves and brush with 1 egg white mixed with 1 T water
-Bake 425 F in steamy oven for 10 minutes (place pan of boiling water on rack below bread plus spray sides of oven every 3 minutes for the 10 minutes)
-Reduce heat to 375 and bake for 25 minutes longer

**Don't be afraid to turn up the speed on your mixer when you're beating the dough for 4-5 minutes. It'll be lumpy and gross when you put it in, and beating it like this will make it nice and smooth, and create lots of wonderful strings of gluten.

Pao de Queijo

These are like the little bread/cheese roll things that you can find at the Brazilian restaurants in the area like Tucanos and Rodizio Grill. They're amazing, and once you start eating them, you'll keep eating!

From Our Best Bites
Makes 22-24 mini muffin sized

1 large egg
1/2 C milk
1/4 C canola oil
1 C tapioca flour (no substitutions!!!)
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 C grated cheddar cheese
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender an dblend until smooth. Add the cheese and pulse 2 times. The batter will be VERY runny. Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin, filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan. Serve warm as they do not reheat well.
**Notes from Em**
Tapioca flour was kind of a pain for me to find. I looked at all the grocery stores, and eventually found it at a natural foods type store. (Good Earth for those in the area) You CANNOT use any other kind of flour. It won't turn out right at all.

Classic Dinner Rolls

From Williams-Sonoma

Makes 16 rolls

Great dinner rolls should be featherlight, not too sweet, and, above all, a good accompaniment to almost any meal. Despite the name, these breads could be called classic breakfast, lunch, or dinner rolls, as they are perfect for dipping in sauce at supper, for serving alongside a salad at midday, or for spreading with jam first thing in the morning.

1 package (2 1/2 t) active dry yeast

1/4 C warm water (105-115 F)

1 C whole milk

2 T sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 egg, beaten

6 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 1/2 C all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

2 t salt

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a wire whisk, beat in the milk, sugar, 2 eggs, butter, flour, and salt just until mixed, then stir with your hand or a wooden spoon until a rough mass forms. Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until it is smooth and elastic, dusting the work surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking, 5-7 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky

Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, 1 1/2-2 hours.

Line a half-sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment (baking) paper.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Cut it in half with a sharp knife or a bench scraper. Cut each half into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece against the work surface into a round ball. Place the balls on the prepared pan, spacing them evenly, cover loosely with a kitchen towel, and let them rise until puffy and pillow-soft when gently squeezed, 30-40 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 400 F.

Brush the rolls lightly with the beaten egg, bake until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Variations:

Cut the complete dough in half as directed. Use one half for clover-leaf rolls and the other half for the pull-apart rolls.

For the clover-leaf rolls, heavily butter a 12-cup muffin pan. Cut the piece of dough into 12 equal pieces, then cut each small piece into thirds. You will have 36 plum-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball. Place 3 balls next to one another in each prepared muffin cup. When all the cups are full, cover the muffin pan loosely with a kitchen towel then proceed as directed.

For the pull-apart rolls, heavily butter a 9-inch cake pan. Cut the pieces of dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece against the work surface into a ball. Put the balls in the cake pan, placing 7 balls around the edge and 1 ball in the center. Cover the cake pan loosely with a kitchen towel, then proceed as directed.

Italian Herb and Cheese Baguettes

This recipe comes from my Sister-in-Law Krystal. It's amazing. Hopefully you're accustomed to bread making, cuz the directions here are as good as they're going to get, considering this was originally a bread machine recipe.

Italian Herb and Cheese Baguettes

Makes 2 

 1 1/4 C water (roughly 105-110 F)
2 t active dry yeast
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 t salt
3 1/2 C flour
2 t sugar
1 T dried parsley
1 t dried basil
1/2 t garlic powder
1 C colby jack cheese (or choose a different one)

In a large bowl combine the water and yeast. Let sit for about 10 minutes. It should get frothy.

Add remaining ingredients, knead until dough is soft and springy. cover lightly and let rise in a warm area until doubled, 1-1 1/2 hrs. Punch dough down, cut in half, and shape into two baguettes. Let rise a little more, then bake at 360 for 15-20 minutes.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

This is one of those really yummy appetizer type dinners. It's also a little sketchy on the measurements (like cheese and toppings) cuz those are really up to personal preference. If you make your dough from the recipe linked here, you'll want twice as many toppings. It makes a TON. I'll give you different baking instructions at the bottom for that as well.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

From Our Best Bites

Via The Girl Who Ate Everything

Makes about 24

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (or make your own)
pizza sauce
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese
Pizza toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package, usually 400.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12"x8". you're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. You're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough, it's for dipping after. When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully life up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).


Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.


Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Dough's vary so make sure you check them after 10 minutes. Serve with warmed marinara/pizza sauce on the side for dipping.


**Notes from Em**
If you're using the home made pizza crust recipe that I linked, it's going to give you two full pans of these tasty rolls, so be prepared with lots of extra topping supplies, and double the amount of the herb mixture for the top. Let's face it, that stuff is good and you don't want to be stingy with it. I baked them at 425 for 13-15 minutes. Personally I really hate the taste of store-bought pizza doughs. As far as the sauce goes, I've tasted a bunch of brands of pizza sauce and have found Contadina to be the best.

Pizza Dough

Pizza Dough

From Williams-Sonoma

Makes 2 12-14 inch pizza's

2 packages (5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 1/2 C warm water (105-115 F)
2 t malt syrup or sugar
1 /4 C olive oil
5 C flour
1 T sea salt
all purpose flour and semolina flour for rolling and shaping

BY HAND:
To make the crust, in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the malt syrup, oil, flour, and salt and stir with your hand or a wooden spoon until a rough ball forms. Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough until soft, smooth, and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Add up to 1 C flour to the work surface while kneading to prevent the dough from sticking.

BY STAND MIXER:
To make the crust, in the 5-qt bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the malt syrup, oil, flour, and salt. Place the bowl on the mixer, attach the dough book, and knead on low speed until soft, smooth, and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Add up to 1 C flour while kneading so the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl.

Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, 1 1/2 - 2 hours. For a more flavorful crust, make the dough up to this point, punch it down, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Let the dough come to room temperature before shaping.

Place a pizza or baking stone on a rack in the lower of the oven, and preheat to 500F for at least 30 minutes before baking. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly oiled work surface. Cut it in half with a sharp knife or a bench scraper. Gently shape each half into a loose ball. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Lightly dust 1 dough ball with all-purpose flour. Roll it out into a round 12-14 inches in diameter. Spread 1/4 C semolina flour on a baker's peel or on the top of an inverted half-sheet pan. Transfer the dough round to the peel or pan.

Top the dough with desired pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. Slide the pizza off the peel or pan onto the hot stone. Bake the pizza until the crust is crisp and brown, 10-15 minutes. Using the baker's peel or a wide metal spatula, carefully transfer the pizza to a cutting board. repeat with the remaining dough and topping ingredients. Serve the pizza hot, cut into wedges.

Cinnamon Rolls

I notoriously don't like cinnamon rolls. They're far too sweet for me and usually make me really sick, These, however, were really good and worked up surprisingly quickly.

Cinnamon Rolls

From Allrecipes.com

Makes 16

1 package active dry yeast
3/4 C warm water (110 degrees F)
1/4 C white sugar
3/4 t salt
1 egg, room temperature
2 1/2 C bread flour
1/4 C butter, softened
1 T ground cinnamon
1/2 C brown sugar

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

in a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the sugar, salt egg and 1 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly flour surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Lightly grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Smear the dough with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll up the dough along the edge until it forms a roll. Slice the roll into 16 equal size pieces and place them in the pan with the cut side up.

Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

 

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

From AllRecipes.com

Makes 8-12 muffins

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C white sugar
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 C milk
1 C fresh blueberries (frozen can be used)
1/2 C white sugar
1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C butter, cubed
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners

Combine 1 1/2 C flour, 3/4 C sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To make crumb topping: mix together 1/2 C sugar, 1/3 C flour, 1/4 C butter and 1 1/2 t cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

**Notes from Em**
- This makes a very THICK batter, almost cookie dough consistency. I had to add another 2T of milk or so in order to get everything to incorporate, I'll blame that on high altitude.
- The recipe calls for 8 large muffins, I chose to do 12 normal sized muffins instead, which means baking for about 18 minutes instead.
- If you choose to use frozen blueberries, drop your heat down to 325 and bake a little bit
longer.
- I only did half of the crumb topping mixture and had WAY more than I needed.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

Recipe from Allrecipes.com
Makes 1 loaf

1/3 C oil or unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C honey
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 C mashed ripe banana
1 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/4 C hot water
1/2 C walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat honey and oil/applesauce together. Add eggs, and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts. spread batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1/2 hour before serving.

**Notes from Em**
The original recipe said nothing about using applesauce, I got that from the comments on the recipe. If you choose to do the applesauce, you'll need to bake it an extra 5-10 minutes.

It's a lot better if you add 1 tsp of cinnamon.

Instead of a loaf, you can do 18 muffins and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread

From Jean Patterson

Makes one large loaf

3 T butter
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 t vanilla
2/3 C flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/2 C mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
3 T walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In mixer, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Slowly add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add banana and walnut to flour mixture and mix just until combined. Bake in a greased loaf pan for 50-55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool before serving.

Garlic Herb Baguettes

Garlic Herb Baguettes

From Kitchenaid

Makes 2, 12 inch baguettes

1 package active dry yeast
1 t sugar
1/3 C warm water (105-115 F)
3 1/4 - 3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1 t minced garlic
1 t salt
3/4 C cold water
1 egg
1 t water

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.

Place 3 1/4 C flour, basil, oregano thyme, garlic, and salt in bowl. Mix until combined. Slowly add yeast mixture and cold water; mix until well combined. Add remaining 1/4 C flour. Knead dough until it is smooth and elastic.

Cover; let rise at room temperature (70-80 F), free from draft, until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

On a lightly floured surface, punch dough down several times to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 12-inch long loaf. Place each loaf on a greased baking sheet or into a greased baguette pan. With sharp knife make 3 to 4 shallow diagonal slices in top of dough. Combine egg and 1 t water and brush top of each baguette with egg mixture. Cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Brush top of each baguette again with egg mixture. Bake at 450 F for 15-18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.