Miriam's Famous Fast-Rising Rolls & Variations

 2 pkg (2 Tablespoons) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (115 degrees)

1/4 cup sugar

6 cups flour

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk 

1 Tablespoon salt

2 cups warm water

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup oil

Measure warm water in a volumetric container that will allow for yeast growth, mix in sugar and then add the yeast to soften. In a large bowl stir together flour, dry milk and salt. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, 2 cups of warm water (can use to clean out the yeast mixture), eggs and salad oil in that order. Stir until well mixed, adding more flour if needed, to make soft dough. Cover. Allow to rise in warm place until double--about 2 hours (I warm the oven to 160 degrees while mixing and then turn it off and let it rise in there and it rises faster.) Turn out onto lightly floured board. Knead a few times to make dough easy to handle. Pinch off smooth round pieces about egg size; arrange 2 inches apart on buttered roll pan. cover lightly with a towel and let rise 20 min. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until golden brown. We like to smear a cold cube of butter over the top of the rolls right after you take them out. This dough also works well for:

Pani Po Po

Mix 1 can of coconut milk and 1 cup of sugar, can also use corn syrup for part or all of the sugar. We have also done it with haupia when we had some to make it thicker. Pour some of the coconut mixture on the bottom of the pan as you put them in the pan, then part way through baking pour the rest of it over the tops and let it sink in.

Cinnamon Rolls

Roll out the dough and spread with melted butter and mixture of sugar (can use brown sugar) and cinnamon, include chopped nuts and/or raisins if desired. Roll and slice (can use dental floss to slice), rise and bake the same. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Pani Po Po Cinnamon Rolls

Combine the above recipes--minus the frosting for the cinnamon rolls.

Italian Focaccia No-Knead

 

Easy No-Knead Focaccia Bread

Description

EASY AND DELICIOUS ITLAIN FOCACCIA RECIPE! This recipe is shockingly easy. It is a NO KNEAD focaccia recipe that will get you the perfect crisp and bubbly, soft, and fragrant olive oil BREAD! It is a NO FAIL RECIPE YOU don’t want to miss.

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Ingredients

• 1 ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)

• 2 1/2 cups (590 ml) lukewarm water (98 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 36.5 to 40.5 Celsius)

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 

• 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands such as, COLAVITA

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing pan

• Flake sea salt

 

Instructions

1. Place 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium/large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and sugar. Stir slightly but do not mix. Let sit 5-10 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead and you should start again—check the expiration date!).

2. Add flour and kosher salt and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain. It will seem a little wet. That is normal. 

3. Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Turn over a few times, but do NOT mix in the oil with the dough.  Cover plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. If you’re in a rush, you can also let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 3–4 hours. The longer you let it raise in the fridge the more it flavorful it will be. 

4. Grease your desired baking pan or baking sheet depended on preference (classic 9X13 glass baking dish  or 9X13 cookie sheet ) with butter. Add the 1 Tbs olive oil to the baking pan and coat bottom. Take out dough from the fridge, uncover, and punch down one time. Then turn the dough over a few times in the bowl. Move dough to the prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or on top of the fridge or a preheating oven) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours.

5. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you won’t need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers. This is my favorite part! Keep poking away until there are lots of poke marks in the dough. 

6.Drizzle the top of poked dough with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes. Optional: brush lightly with olive oil at the right after taking it out of the oven. Enjoy warm or cold! 

 

No-Knead Peasant Bread This bread is great and fast to make when you are making soup for dinner or any other time you want delicious warm bread

 

No-Knead Peasant Bread (makes 2 loaves)

INGREDIENTS

·         4 cups (512 g) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour

·         2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt

·         2 cups (454 g) lukewarm water (made by mixing 1.5 cups cold water with 0.5 cup boiling water)

·         2 teaspoons (8 g) sugar

·         2 ¼  teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast

·         room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons

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INSTRUCTIONS

1.       Mixing the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast Add the water. Mix until the flour is absorbed. (If you are using active dry yeast, see notes below.)

2.       Let it rise. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. (In the winter or if you are letting the bread rise in a cool place, it might take as long as two hours to rise.) This is how to create a slightly warm spot for your bread to rise in: Turn the oven on at any temperature (350ºF or so) for one minute, then turn it off. Note: Do not allow the oven to get up to 300ºF, for example, and then heat at that setting for 1 minute — this will be too hot. Just let the oven preheat for a total of 1 minute — it likely won’t get above 100ºF. The goal is to just create a slightly warm environment for the bread.

3.       Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two 1-qt or 1.5-qt oven-safe bowls (see notes below) with about a tablespoon of butter each. Using two forks, punch down your dough, scraping it from the sides of the bowl, which it will be clinging to. As you scrape it down try to turn the dough up onto itself if that makes sense. You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl, and you want to make sure you’ve punched it down. Then, take your two forks and divide the dough into two equal portions — eye the center of the mass of dough, and starting from the center and working out, pull the dough apart with the two forks. Then scoop up each half and place into your prepared bowls. This part can be a little messy — the dough is very wet and will slip all over the place. Using small forks or forks with short tines makes this easier — my small salad forks work best; my dinner forks make it harder. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop.

4.       Let the dough rise again for about 20 to 30 minutes on the countertop near the oven (or near a warm spot) or until it has risen to just below or above (depending on what size bowl you are using) the top of the bowls. (Note: Do not do the warm-oven trick for the second rise, and do not cover your bowls for the second rise. Simply set your bowls on top of your oven, so that they are in a warm spot. Twenty minutes in this spot usually is enough for my loaves.)

5.       Bake it. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375º and bake for 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and turn the loaves onto cooling racks. If you’ve greased the bowls well, the loaves should fall right out onto the cooling racks. If the loaves look a little pale and soft when you’ve turned them out onto your cooling racks, place the loaves into the oven (outside of their bowls) and let them bake for about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

 

Cranberry Nut Bread

 

Cranberry Nut Bread

Servings: One 9 x 5-inch loaf (about 12 slices)

Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

 

INGREDIENTS

·       2/3 cup buttermilk (see note)

·       2 teaspoons grated orange zest, from 1 orange

·       1/3 cup orange juice, from 1 orange

·       6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

·       1 large egg

·       2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off

·       1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

·       3/4 teaspoon salt

·       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/4 teaspoon baking soda

·       1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved (see note)

·       1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and set an oven rack to the middle position. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk, orange zest and juice, melted butter and egg. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in cranberries and nuts. Do not overmix.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° F. Continue to bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack and cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
5. Note: Cranberries are a bit tricky to chop because they roll all over the place. I cut them in half one at a time -- seems tedious, I know, but there aren't that many so it doesn't take long. If you're using frozen cranberries, be sure to slice them while they're still frozen.
6. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
7. Note: If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding to 2 teaspoons lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add milk until the level reaches 2/3 cup. Let sit about 10 minutes until the mixture curdles.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

 

PERFECT PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD

YIELD: MAKES 2-3 LOAVES

 PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

 COOK TIME: 50 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 5 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

·   2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) white flour

·   1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour (white wheat preferred)

·   3 cups (22.5 ounces) granulated sugar (see note)

·   2 teaspoons baking soda

·   2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·   1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·   1 teaspoon salt

·   1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

·   1 cup canola, vegetable, avocado or melted coconut oil (see note)

·   4 large eggs

·   2/3 cup water or buttermilk

·   1 to 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pans or three 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl or in a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together canned pumpkin, oil, eggs and 2/3 cup water (or buttermilk) until well combined and stir into dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are moistened and no dry streaks remain.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter in prepared pans.
5. Bake the bread for 50 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife gently around the edge of the bread and turn the bread out, right side up, onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. This bread freezes beautifully. After cooling, wrap the bread in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of tin foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.

NOTES

Let it Cool: this bread tastes best when it has cooled completely for a few hours and tastes even better the next day.

Sugar: over the years, I've decreased the sugar and the bread still tastes delicious. The ingredient list calls for 3 cups, but I often use 2 cups for a slightly less sweet bread.

Oil + Applesauce: you can easily replace part of the oil with applesauce (many commenters in the thread below have done so with great results). My favorite is 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup oil.

Chocolate Chips: if you have trouble with the chocolate chips sinking to the bottom of the loaf, try tossing them with the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients.

Banana-Zucchini Bread

 

Banana-Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs, bananas, sugar and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and pecans.

Pour into 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Sourdough Crescent Rolls

 2 packages (2 scant Tbsp) dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

1 cup sourdough starter

1/2 cup warm milk (or increase warm water and use a couple tablespoons powdered milk)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cooking oil

2 tsp salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl combine sourdough starter, warm water, sugar, cooking oil and salt.  Stir in yeast mixture.  Gradually add enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Cover with a cloth.  Set in warm place free from drafts and let rise for 1 to 2 hours until almost doubled in size.  I put it in an oven warmed to 150 degrees to rise.  Punch down dough and roll out on a floured surface and cut depending on how you plan to use it.  We use the dough to make filled braids (I'll do a separate post with a variety of fillings), roll it around little smokies for pigs in a blanket, tarts--even empanadas (until David came back from Chile and told us that's not the authentic type of dough).  You can also just roll out and roll up into crescent rolls and bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Easy No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread This bread is as easy as it says. Just plan ahead the night before you want it. I actually let the last rise be about an hour. It was delicious.

Easy No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread

Ingredients

·         3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

·         1/2 teaspoon instant yeast* 

·         1 1/4 teaspoons salt

·         1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees, like warm (not hot) bath water)

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Instructions

1.      In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy, sticky, and quite loose. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature.

2.      Dough will be dotted with bubbles. Flour a work surface- I recommend parchment paper to make this process really simple, but you can also work on a cutting board or silicone mat and then transfer your dough to a piece of parchment before baking- and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and very gently fold it over on itself once or twice. If your dough is super loose here, like so loose you can’t even form it into a ball, it’s more of a blob, you can generously flour so it doesn’t stick to your hands.   Let rest about 30 minutes.

3.      While dough is resting, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a covered 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Pick up parchment paper with dough (blow off excess flour sitting on parchment if you need to) and place directly in pot.  Cover with lid and bake 35-40 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 10-15 minutes, until loaf is golden and browned.

Eggnog Panettone French Toast made by Karissa for Michael who said it was delicious

EGGNOG PANETTONE FRENCH TOAST Hilton Christmas Breakfast

Orange Cream

½ cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon powdered sugar Zest of 1 orange 1 tablespoon squeezed orange juice


French Toast

½ loaf of panettone (GOOD panettone) 1 ¼ cup milk ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup packed light brown sugar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon imitation rum extract ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 3 eggs


Directions

1. Make the orange cream. Whisk together orange cream ingredients to stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 2. Make the French toast. Whisk together the milk, sugar, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, rum extract, nutmeg, and eggs until smooth. 3. Prepare a large skillet by spreading a bit of butter across it.  4. Dip pieces of panettone (about 1 inch thick) in the French toast mixture and place on the pan. Cook each side of the bread until golden brown. 5. Serve! Place a dollop of orange cream on each piece of French toast and serve with maple syrup.

French Bread

YIELD: 2 LOAVES

EASY HOMEMADE FRENCH BREAD

PREP TIME 10 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME 25 MINUTES

 

ADDITIONAL TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 2 HOURS 5 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  2 1/4 cups warm water
•  2 tablespoons sugar
•  1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
•  3/4 tablespoon salt (see note)
•  2 tablespoons olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil or avocado oil
•  5 1/2 - 6 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture bubble and foam before proceeding (this can take 3-5 minutes). If using instant yeast, proceed with the recipe (no need to let the yeast activate).
2. Add the salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and mix. Add in 2 1/2 to 3 more cups of flour gradually. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and form a soft ball that doesn't leave a lot of dough residue on your fingers. Knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth. If the dough starts to cling to the sides of the bowl (or the center column if using a Bosch or other mixer with a center), add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until a sturdy but soft ball of dough forms.
3. Rising Method 1: Leave the dough in the mixer, cover with a lid or towel, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Stir it down by turning on the mixer for 10 seconds or so. Repeat the "rest and stir down" cycle five more times.
4. Rising Method 2: Instead of letting the dough rest for 10 minute spurts and then stirring it down, transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly greased surface and divide in half. Pat each section into a thick rectangle, 9X13-inches or thereabouts (doesn't have to be exact). Roll the dough up starting from the long edge, pressing out any air bubbles or seams with the heel of your hand, and pinch the edge to seal. Arrange seam side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I use separate baking sheets for each loaf).
6. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let the loaves rise until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size, about an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make sure an oven rack is in the center position. With a very sharp knife or baker's lame cut several gashes at an angle on the top of each loaf (see pictures above in the post for a visual).
8. Optional: Place the baking sheet in the hot oven and immediately toss 3-4 ice cubes on the bottom of the oven (this gives a delicious, classic, French bread crispness to the crust). Close the oven door quickly.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and baked through. Remove from the oven and slather with melted butter (optional, but delicious). Repeat with the 2nd loaf (or if you have convection setting, the loaves can bake at the same time, just rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking).

NOTES

As with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.

Also, I often use half to 3/4 finely ground white whole wheat flour with good results - and sometimes I get crazy and use 100% whole wheat flour (always finely ground white wheat) but the bread is a bit more dense with 100% whole wheat flour. If using part or all whole wheat flour, add a few minutes to the kneading time to help develop the gluten (adding a couple tablespoons of gluten flour can also help the whole wheat bread bake up light and fluffy).

The original recipe called for 1 tablespoon salt; over the years I've decreased that amount just slightly.If you don't have an electric mixer, this dough can be made by hand using a large bowl and a wooden spoon the good old-fashioned way!

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