a little zaftig » Bread

Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding with Fiddlehead Ferns, Sausage, Caramelized Leeks and Red Spring Onions, & Gruyere

Laura — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:05:45 +0000

One pan, some pork sausage browned, caramelized leeks and red spring onion tossed in behind to caramelize, then in go fiddlehead ferns to sauté with some garlic. All of this is tossed into a buttered baking dish over a cubed loaf of crusty country bread. It’s topped with grated Gruyere, and eggs and cream are poured over top. Then you’re just half an hour from crusty, custardy, savory goodness. Ever since our good friend Apur introduced us to the idea, we’ve been hooked. I suspect you will be, too. Substitute asparagus if you don’t find fiddleheads.

a basket of fiddleheads

Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding with Fiddleheads, Sausage, Caramelized Leeks and Spring Onions, & Gruyere
Yield: about eight servings

Ingredients:
butter for the baking dish
8 c. cubed crusty country-style bread
1 pound pork sausage
1 small leek, diced and rinsed thoroughly
1 large red spring onion (or another small leek), diced
1 ½ c. fiddlehead ferns, rubbed to remove their brown papery bits and washed thoroughly (or asparagus)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces Gruyere, grated
5 eggs
2 c. half and half (or 1 c. heavy cream and 1 c. whole milk)
salt and pepper to taste
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

Butter a large baking dish and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the cubed bread in the pan.

In a large skillet over low heat, brown the sausage, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon. When it is golden brown, remove it from the pan, and distribute it across the baking dish. No need to worry that it’s cooked through, as it will continue to cook in the oven.

Wipe the excess fat from the skillet, leaving a bit behind. Add the leeks and spring onions and allow them to brown, stirring occasionally. When they are ready, distribute them in the baking dish.

Add the fiddlehead ferns to the pan and a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté them until they are softening and taking on a just bit of color. Add the garlic and stir for one minute. Distribute the fiddleheads and garlic in the baking dish.

Scatter the grated cheese across the top of the baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Pour it evenly over the baking dish.

Bake until the top of the bread pudding is golden brown and the inside is set but still moist, about 35 minutes.

Boozy Hot Cross Buns with Rum Brown Sugar Butter

Laura — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:37:42 +0000

When you’re done with the egg hunt, the Easter bonnet has been pulled off and tossed aside, when churching and snapping pictures are past, and you’re ready for a buttery breakfast roll or something sweet next to your slice of ham, make these. They are a bit on the time intensive side, but nearly all of the labor is done a day in advance, so that all you need to do on Easter morning is roll the buns and bake them. These hot cross buns look a bit more like mini baps than conventional buns, but they are sweet and buttery, with a little pop from the boozy, plump currants and a sweet crisscross of rum and orange liqueur-laced icing. Smear them with a little dark rum brown sugar butter.

Boozy Hot Cross Buns with Rum Brown Sugar Butter
Yield: a dozen buns

Ingredients:
3 T. orange juice
1 ½ T. orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
½ c. dark rum
¾ c. currants (or raisins if you can’t find them)
…
2 packages (5 ½ t.) active dry yeast
¾ c. whole milk, warmed until it is tepid
1 ½ c. all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur.)
1/3 c. sugar
½ t. ground ginger
½ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
2 T. of the fruit soaking liquid (rum, orange liqueur, and orange juice)
1 T. vanilla extract
very finely grated zest of one orange
½ t. salt
1 ½ c. bread flour
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
…
½ c. confectioners’ sugar
1 T. orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
1 T. dark rum
…
¼ c. dark rum
6 T. butter
¼ c. brown sugar

Method:

One day Ahead:

In a small pan, or in the microwave, warm the orange juice, orange liqueur, dark rum, and currants. When the liquid comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and allow the currants to soak and plump until they are needed in the recipe. The currants will absorb nearly all of the liquid.

In a small pan, or in the microwave, warm the milk until it is just above body temperature.

Add the yeast and stir briefly. Set the yeast and milk aside and allow it to bloom. It will be foamy in appearance if the yeast has activated properly.

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the all purpose flour, sugar, and spices.

Add the milk and yeast and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape the dough into a ball and cover the bowl. Place it in a warm place to rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.

Mix in the eggs, fruit soaking liquid, and vanilla.

Mix in the bread flour and salt on low speed.

Knead the dough until it is silky smooth, about 10 minutes, either by hand or with the dough hook of an electric mixer.

Add the butter and knead until it is fully incorporated. Be patient, it will all be incorporated with time.

Drain any remaining liquid from the currants over a small bowl, reserving the liquid if you wish, and knead them into the dough.

Place the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until nearly doubled in size, about one hour.

Cover the bowl with cellophane and chill it in the refrigerator overnight, or for a minimum of 30 minutes. I find it’s easiest to chill the dough overnight and to bake the buns the next morning.

You may make the rum brown sugar butter one and the icing one day ahead, as well, if you wish. See below.

On the Day:

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and shape the dough into 12 balls. Place them on a buttered baking sheet, spaced evenly.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Cover the sheet of buns and place it in a warm place. Allow the the buns to rise until not quite doubled in size, about one hour.

Bake the buns for 12 to 16 minutes, or until they are golden brown and sound a bit hollow when tapped.

Allow them to cool completely.

Meanwhile, mix the confectioners’ sugar, the orange liqueur, and the rum until it is a smooth icing.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the dark rum. Simmer until it is reduced and syrupy.

Refrigerate the rum brown sugar butter until serving time.

When the buns are cool, pipe two crisscrossing stripes of icing across the top of each bun. (In a pinch, they can be drizzled with the icing while still warm.) Serve with the rum brown sugar butter.

A Banana Bread Spectacular :: From Plain Jane Loaf to Homey Dessert: Banana Bread Sautéed in Clarified Butter with Caramelized Bananas & Flaming Whisky Sauce, Tea Cake with Celtic Crossing Frosting, and More!

Laura — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:31:03 +0000

Our Sweet Boy Freddy woke up to a happy surprise. His friend Carly came over to bake with me Sunday morning. Much silliness ensued.

I told my friend William yesterday that I suffer from recipe brain. It’s a blessing, until it isn’t. It wakes me up, keeps me up, and seldom lets me rest. I see images, literally, of recipes, ideas for any ingredient I see, and how to take something I’ve made, a custard or a jam or a loaf of bread, say banana bread, and turn it into something else. So that’s what I’m up to today, sharing some of the thoughts that popped into my head when I used up some overripe bananas with Carly.

I think everyone should have one really good recipe for all of the basics. This banana bread is the best I’ve ever had. I may be a bit biased since it’s my great aunt’s recipe, which I’ve tweaked just a little over the years, but when I made it for a friend some years ago, she hunted all over the Twin Cities for it, thinking it had come from a pastry shop. It’s ultra moist—almost bread pudding-esque—sweet and homey.

This is how I remember my great aunt, whom I called Grandma Sherry: sweet, old school Catholic, the kind of person who dreamed of having a grand stone fireplace and who painted one on the wall of her modest house with little pots of color from the craft store. When she was older and I lived nearby, I used to bring her dinner every afternoon and then we’d have cocoa and a little chat. I learned that she was a feisty, daring young woman—a kind of uber-cool ingénue. She changed her name from Kaye to Sherry because she thought it more sophisticated, dropped out of school, and met her then-boyfriend Mac who worked on the railroad for late-night dates in the city. She’s pictured above on the right with my grandma. And here, the two of them off to my grandma’s wedding in St. Paul.

I like this bread best unadorned with a cold glass of milk. It’s the perfect after school nibble or mid-afternoon pick me up.

But it’s also nice as a simple teacake with a little Celtic Crossing frosting. (We added a few chocolate chips to a couple loaves just for Carly.)

And if the loaf has lasted more than ten minutes, it’s also delicious sliced and toasted with a bit of mascarpone laced with powdered sugar and Celtic Crossing liqueur.

When I’m feeling fancy, I might caramelize some bananas slices, add some whisky and extra butter to the pan and light it ablaze tableside to be spooned over the sautéed slices of bread. (Pyrotechnics not pictured.) A little plain whipped cream or whipped crème fraiche on top would be nice, too. If you refrigerate the banana bread before you make it this way, the contrast of temperatures is appealing, and the bread has an exceptionally creamy texture. Serve with a dram of whisky and toast to Grandma Sherry!

Banana Bread
Yield: two loaves (I like to eat one loaf and pop the other in the freezer so that I can make an impromptu dessert later.)

Ingredients:
¼ c. shortening (Don’t overthink it. Just plop it in.)
½ c. unsweetened applesauce
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 c. all purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 c. milk (I use whole milk but any milk you have will work.)
1 t. vinegar
2 t. vanilla extract
3 large overripe bananas, mashed until they are liquid

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease and flour two bread pans.

Mash the bananas until they are liquid.

Cream the shortening and the sugar.

Add the applesauce and mix thoroughly.

Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the vinegar to the milk and allow it to sit for a few moments.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the batter, mixing gently between additions. I add half the flour, then half the milk, then half the flour, then half the milk.

Add the bananas and the vanilla and mix gently.

Divide the batter evenly into two loaf pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out nearly clean. Do not overbake.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the breads and remove them from their pans. Finish cooling on a rack. When cool, wrap tightly in cellophane and then foil.

This bread may be stored at room temperature, wrapped well, for several days. It is also delicious served cold from the refrigerator.

The bread may be wrapped in cellophane and then foil and stored in the freezer. Bring to room temperature on the countertop.

Celtic Crossing Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ c. unsalted butter, softened
¼ c. Celtic Crossing liqueur
1 1/3 c. powdered sugar

Method:

Mix all ingredients until creamy and smooth.

Sautéed Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 loaf banana bread, sliced
a knob of butter (or clarified butter if you have some), about 3T.

Method:

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the banana bread slices in a single layer and fry lightly until golden brown.

Flip the slices and fry the other side until golden brown.

Serve immediately.
This is delicious topped with Sweet Mascarpone with Celtic Crossing Liqueur or with Caramelized Bananas with Flaming Whisky Sauce and Whipped Cream or Whipped Crème Fraiche, all below. If you don’t want to fuss with these, it’s nice with a dusting of powdered sugar. I could go on all day, but let me just add that it’s also wonderful as the basis for bread pudding.

Sweet Mascarpone with Celtic Crossing Liqueur

Ingredients:
8 ounces mascarpone
powdered sugar to taste, about ½ c.
a little dribble of vanilla extract, about 1 t.
a good dribble of Celtic Crossing Liqueur, about 3 T.

Method:

Mix all ingredients until creamy and smooth.

You may substitute any liqueur that appeals to you, of course. A bit of orange zest might also make a nice addition.

Caramelized Bananas with Flaming Whisky Sauce
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 bananas, sliced
a good knob of butter, perhaps 3 T.
a generous sprinkle of brown sugar, about ¼ c.
a few glugs of whisky, about ¼ c.

Method:

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter.

Add the banana slices and the sugar.

Cook until the sugar melts and the bananas take on a nice bit of color.

Add the whisky and ignite it. (Be careful!)

Continue to cook after the flames die down until the sauce is a nice syrupy consistency.

A few toasted pecans or walnuts or spiced nuts might make a nice garnish.

Simplest Whipped Cream or Whipped Crème Fraiche

Ingredients:
1 c. cold heavy cream or crème fraiche
sugar to taste, perhaps ¼ c.
a little dribble of vanilla extract, perhaps 1 t.
You may add a dribble of any complimentary liqueur, too.

Method:

Add the cream or crème fraiche, the sugar and the vanilla to a cold metal bowl.

Whip the cream or crème fraiche until soft peaks form.

Santa Bread

Laura — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:14:00 +0000

It’s Christmas Eve morning and, as usual, I’m so excited I can’t sleep. I usually get up before 5:00 every year, and when my Honey Girl and my Sweet Boy were little ones they were up with me, too, waiting for my Dear Husband. We would gallop around the house before we started shaping the Stollen and preparing breakfast. But they are teenagers now, sound asleep, and it’s little Annie and I up before dawn. We sit in the darkness together with just the lights on the tree and listen to the quiet and watch the snow falling. The world is white and peaceful and I am perfectly happy.

Since I have a little extra time this morning, here’s a post I didn’t get to this week. If you’re having a quiet Christmas Eve morning, this is a perfect and easy recipe to add to your baking. If you have rapid rise yeast and bread flour, I’m sure you have everything else you need to make it.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

t about this point before Christmas, it’s nice to take a break from the have-to-do and should-do lists to just bake something for the pure joy of baking. So this weekend, we invited my Sweet Boy’s sweet sweet girlfriend Taylor to make Santa bread with us. In 2002 we saw a Martha Stewart Show during which some particularly crafty person, unlike myself, made Santa-shaped breads, and I quickly sketched the design. That sheet of paper, scribbled with a purple marker, has been in the back of our Christmas three-ring binder for eight years. It was time for a revival.

Taylor made a sweet googly-eyed Santa with an adorable polka-dot hat. And my Honey Girl made a rather mischievous looking Santa who looks like he might be plotting with the gingerbread men.

Bread is not my forte, but this fast white bread recipe is so simple that even I can make delicious, and adorable, bread with it. I got up early, mixed up the dough, and got it through its first rise—about 45 minutes total. Then the girls shaped the loaves, they rose a second time, and we baked them—another hour and a half total. This is the kind of project that’s perfect for a lazy day or a day when you are working on other projects at home. You can attend to the dough here and there for a few minutes, but most of the time required is just spent waiting. The bread is quite tasty, too. We made Santa bread sandwiches—after, with some guilt, we took the plunge and cut into Santa’s beard.

Santa Bread
Design by staff at the Martha Stewart Show
Bread recipe, Fast White Bread from The Joy of Cooking
Yield: two loaves

Ingredients:
6 c. bread flour, divided
2 T. sugar
2 packages (4½ t.) quick rising active dry yeast (also labeled as rapid rise yeast)
2½ t. salt
2 c. very warm (115 to 125 degrees) water
4 T. melted butter
4 currants or raisins
red food coloring
1 egg

Method:

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together 4 c. flour, and the sugar, yeast, and salt.

Add the water and butter.

Mix by hand or on low speed for one minute.

Gradually add additional flour ¼ c. at a time until the dough is moist but not sticky.

Knead for about ten minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat with oil.

Cover the bowl loosely with cellophane and let rise in a warm place (75 to 80 degrees) until doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes.

Divide the dough in half to make two Santa breads. With one half of the dough, pull off about 1/3 of the dough and set it aside. You will use this dough to make Santa’s eyes, mustache, etc.

Shape the main piece of dough into a circle. Pull and stretch the top of the circle out to form Santa’s hat.

Take a little piece of dough from the reserved dough, roll it into a little ball, and press it into the top of Santa’s hat to form a pompom.

Take three small balls of dough from the reserved dough and roll them into Santa’s eyes and nose. Press them onto his face firmly, and press two currants or raisins into his eyes.

Take a small piece of dough from the reserved dough to make Santa’s mustache. Shape it into a flat oval and cut slits towards the center on both sides. Pinch the piece in the middle and press it firmly onto Santa’s face under his nose.

Take a small piece of dough from the reserved dough to make Santa’s hatband. Roll it into a snake the width of your hat and pat it flat. Lay it across Santa’s hat and press the ends in.

Take the remaining reserved dough to make Santa’s beard. Pat it into a half oval the width of Santa’s face. Slice it into strips from the bottom up leaving a ½ “ strip uncut at the top. Place the beard on Santa’s face and press it in at the edges.

Beat the egg in a small bowl and add a dribble of water to thin it just a bit.

Brush all of Santa’s face except his hat and nose with the egg wash.

Mix a generous amount of red food coloring into the remaining egg and brush Santa’s hat and nose with it. Give his cheeks a touch, too, to make them rosy.

Allow Santa to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

While Santa is rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until he sounds hollow when tapped.

Very Merry Christmas!