Sunday Bread - Grand Marnier Birthday Cake

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Aug 21, 2011 at 09:37:24 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads! This week (today) is the love of my life's birthday. Since that is the case we are going to make Grand Marnier Birthday Cake! I am not the best with decorating cakes. I've had the classes but being a lefty and, frankly, having less love for a gaudily decorated cake than most I just don't practice enough to be great at it.

However that does not mean that I can't make a lovely caked that will be devoured to the last crumb, and today I am going to show you all how to do the same. This recipe is a classic white cake with Grand Marnier meringue butter cream frosting.

The classic white cake is super versatile, you can make it into round cakes, or a sheet cake or a nice thick cake in 9"x 13" pan for squares. The best part, and we'll get back to this later is that you can make it in advance and refrigerate it for up to week or even freeze it for up to 2 months!

But enough of that, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Oatmeal Pecan Banana Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Aug 14, 2011 at 07:48:16 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week Liz and I have started packing up our house for the big move to Maryland. Part of that is getting rid of a lot of stuff we don't use or have been storing for years thinking we might use it. That includes things in the spice cabinet and the freezer.

I came across ½ pound of pecans that would not make the list and was thinking of what I might make with them. Then I remembered this banana bread recipe.

This recipe is not one that I make all the time, it was given to me by the ex-hippy Mom of an ex-girlfriend. It is different form most banana breads in that it has both oats and whole wheat flour, and no white flour at all. Since it t is a quick bread it has a nice chewy texture and is not overly sweet like a lot of banana breads

The pecans provide just the right amount of texture to keep the bread from being bland to the tooth. All in all a quick and health loaf that kids and adults can enjoy. And it did use up most of the pecans!

So, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Orange Biscotti

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Aug 07, 2011 at 08:09:00 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This I thought that we'd make an Italian classic, biscotti! These hard, dry cookies are just the right thing to go with a mug of tea or a cup of coffee in the middle of the afternoon. They are a "twice baked" cookie which is how they get to be so crunchy. As an added bonus they last just about forever in an air-tight container. Which is a good thing because this recipe makes about 3 dozen small cookies or 2 dozen of the large ones.

The only difficult thing in this recipe is making sure that you get the almonds chopped down small enough (without becoming ground) that they provide the extra texture we are looking for without being so big that they make the biscotti crumble. But no worries, I'll give you good instructions on that.

So, put on some opera and let's bake!

Orange Biscotti

Ingredients:
¾ cup raw almonds
1 stick butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
Zest from an orange
2 tablespoons orange liquor (I like Grand Mariner but any kind will do)
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (if you are baking above 5,000 feet reduce this by half)
¼ salt.  

Sunday Bread - Sauerkraut Rye

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jul 31, 2011 at 07:37:27 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

Sorry about not being around last week, there was a death in my family. A quick trip to Michigan meant that I did not have time to bake anything nor post. But the good news is that this week no such occurrence happened so we have bread!

This week we'll make an easy and very tasty rye bread variation, Sauerkraut Rye. Many rye breads require a starting sour to boost the rye flavor. This recipe does not go that route. Instead it adds sauerkraut to the mix. It replaces the need for a rye sourer and really cuts down on the time needed to turn out a world class rye. It is not as assertive as some rye's but it has a medium crumb with a complex taste that develops as you chew. This is one bread that really shines as toast as well.

But enough talk, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Napoleons (Not Nearly As Hard As You Think)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jul 17, 2011 at 07:37:55 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

Okay, I know , I know, this recipe was promised for last week so you all would be able to have it for you Bastille Day celebrations, but the best laid plans of mice and men will often go astray and all that.

Be that as it may, this week we are going to tackle a pastry treat that many people find intimidating. The thing is there is no reason for that intimidation. A napoleon is really just some pastry you bake flat, cut up and then stack up with layers of pastry cream between. There is nothing here that should deter the home baker.

In fact this is a great recipe to practice making puff pastry and your pastry cream on. If you don't panic and have even a moderately steady hand, you'll do just fine.

So, without further adieu, let's bake!

Napoleons

Ingredients:

For Blitz Puff Pastry Dough

2 ½ cups bread flour
1 ¾ cups cake flour
1 lbs (4 sticks) butter
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup cold water

For Pastry Cream

4 cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
¾ cup corn starch
½ cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (use the good stuff not imitation vanilla flavor, damnit!)  

For Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Baking pans and special equipment: 1 sheet pan (15"x12"), Pastry bags or 1 small and 1 large zip top bags, 1 13"x9" baking pan.  

Sunday Bread - Best Ever Apple Pie!

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jul 03, 2011 at 07:55:31 AM MST

Happy Holiday Sunday Bread Heads!

So here we are in the midst of a holiday weekend and an eating holiday at that! So since there is nothing more American than Apple Pie, I thought I'd share with you my recipe for Best Ever Apple Pie!

This is a rather rustic style of pie, but it has some so the best flavors you can get. Now you'll notice that this calls for cinnamon sticks and half of a vanilla bean. These are kind of the premium ingredients and I do know that not everyone stocks these things in their kitchen. You can make it with vanilla extract and ground cinnamon, and I'll give you the portions for each of those as well. While there is a difference in taste, sometimes taste has to bow to cost and practicality.

This recipe uses Granny Smith apples. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere that you can get Northern Spy apples, use those instead, they are sooooo much better, but they are not available everywhere.

This is a two crust pie, and yes you really should be making the crust yourself. It is very easy (I promise, if you can make a scone (and there should be no one who admits to not being able to make a scone) you can make pie crust). Besides next week we are going to make napoleons which is harder so you want to practice you skills this week! All of you are baking along with this series, right?

Enough foreplay (is there ever enough? But that is a totally different topic!) let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Marbled Cherry Cheese Cake

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jun 26, 2011 at 08:04:30 AM MST

It is that time of year where there are lots and lots of fresh cherries in the stores, so, of course, it means it is time to make something fabulous with them! Last year about this time I taught you how to make a lattice top cherry pie, so rather than repeat myself, I decided that it was time to roll out the Marbled Cherry Cheesecake!

Now, there are folks who will say this is a New York style cheesecake, but I tend to think of it is as a Say Cheese Style Cheesecake. Back when I was a kid and working as an actor at the Performance Network Sandy and her crew of lovable hippies created Say Cheese and made some of the best cheesecake every. It was tall, and full of the tart flavor of real cheesecake and came in a variety of astounding flavors.

Say Cheese is long gone but I am dedicating this recipe to the memory of the place that showed me how real cheesecake should look and taste.

Cheery Cheesecake is often (almost always)  just a plain cheesecake with a cherry topping. I hate that, it is like calling vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce "chocolate ice cream". So I came up with a marbled style that is actually cheery in flavor, and then topped it with cherry confit.

You see that is also the other problem with most cherry cheesecakes, the recipes you will see call for "cherry pie filling" as if there is only one recipe for such a thing and as though buying it in a can is really the way to go.

It does take longer to make your own cherry confit, but since there is all this lovely fresh fruit around, why in the name of the FSM would you even consider the gloppy, corn syrup filled crap you can buy commercially?

To make a really good marble cheeses cake it is best to make two separate batters and then combine them. I don't know why this works better than making one big batter and adding to part of it, but it does.

So, this recipe takes some time. It will take all afternoon to make it and since it is a cheesecake, it will have to chill overnight before you can unmold it. However, as the Nuns said "Patients is a virtue you should never be, or act without" and it will be rewarded for those willing to take the time to make this show stopper of a cheese cake.

But enough of this! Let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Gluten Free Garlic Basil Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jun 19, 2011 at 08:30:09 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

For about as long as I've been doing this series people have been asking after gluten-free recipes. I have been tinkering with them off and on for a while, never really satisfied with what comes out of my oven. Well I have finally developed a recipe that I think worth sharing with you all.

The thing about gluten-free bread is that you have create a replacement for the gluten combined with the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast gives the bread its lift. In doing so I was reminded that all baking is an exercise in chemistry and microbiology.

What you need for a decent gluten-free loaf is eggs, starch and Xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is made from the, well, call it the shell (it isn't actually a shell) of a microorganism. It possess a lot of the same binding effects as gluten and comes in a convenient powder form and can be found at just about any supper market.

For the flour I used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose gluten-free flour. I tried their bread flour mix but it was way more expensive and, surprisingly did not give as a good a loaf as the AP flour. It has tapioca flour, two types of bean flour and potato starch in it.

The other thing I found is that it is important to have a more acidic dough that usual. This because yeast like an acidic environment and we want to give them every chance to grow. The addition of apple cider vinegar really helped in this regard.

Since there is no gluten, there is no point in kneading this dough. Just mix it up and pop it in pans and bake, like any batter bread. So now that I have given you all the background, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - French Bread And French Toast

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jun 12, 2011 at 07:26:40 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads! This week was crazy and I found myself without any time to bake. So this is a repost of a Sunday bread from earlier in the series. I promise there will be a new bread next week.

This week we're going to be making French Bread in the boulle  style. Also, since you all have been so good, there will be a recipe to turn your French Bread into French Toast!

French bread is really old school. It has four ingredients, flour, water, yeast and salt. That is it. But from those basic ingredients you can get one of the all time best breads, if you are willing to take the time to do it right.

Sunday Bread - Hazelnut Baklava

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jun 05, 2011 at 08:55:10 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week my neighbor turns 40 and she was a bit down. She asked if I'd make her some baklava. So, now you all get to learn how to make my version of baklava. There are tons and tons of different recipes for this Middle Eastern treat. Most of the time you'll find them with just walnuts or with pistachios as these are nuts that were introduced into the area long ago.

I take a different tack with this recipe. The idea was (it didn't work as well as I liked) to approximate the taste of Frangelico, which is a hazel nut liqueur. While I did not get the result I expected the combination of wild flower honey and roasted walnuts, almonds and hazel nuts did produced a distinctive baklava that have a darker and warmer flavor than traditional recipes. That is what we are going to make today!

Now, baklava is not hard, but it does take basically 24 hours to complete. Part of this is there are several steps and you have to wait for the cooked dish to cool completely before putting on the syrup and then it has to set for at least 8 hours. However it is completely worth the effort!

Unlike every other recipe I have shared with the Bread Heads, we will be buying our phyllo dough. Why? Because making onion skin thin bread dough by hand is something that only master bakers can do, and 99.6% of them buy phyllo dough for these applications in any case.  It is just too much brain damage for an outcome that will not be detectably better.

Now I know that some folks are nervous about phyllo dough. It can get wet and mushy, it can get dry and break and it just seems like a drag all the way around. Well, get over it. Really it is just about technique and being prepared. And if it breaks or tears, who cares? Just remember the basic rule of this series, don't panic.

So, without further adieu, let's make some baklava!  

Sunday Bread - Chocolate Almond Babka

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun May 22, 2011 at 07:43:10 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

There are about as many recipes for Babka as there are stars in the sky, but this one is mine! Babka are almost always twisted or spiraled in their form, allowing the fillings to be layered without actually layering them. This one is an Chocolate Almond Babka with raisins and walnuts. I also bake in cake pans that allows for the unique spiral affect.

There are a lot of steps in this break but it really only takes about 4 hours (including rising and baking time) and none of the steps are particularly hard. So if you want a really special and fairly easy treat for a brunch or tea this is your bread.

Now, let's bake!

Chocolate Almond Babka:

Ingredients:

For the Sponge:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 packages (4 ½ teaspoons) yeast
½ cup milk
1 ¼ cups hot (120 - 130 degrees) water

For the Dough:

½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cardamom
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3 cups all purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temperature.

For Filling:
16 oz almond paste
8 oz bitter sweet chocolate, melted
1 cup raisins, plumped in brandy or water
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Sunday Bread - Pogacsa (Hungarian Cheese Scones)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun May 15, 2011 at 07:47:55 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we are going to make my take on a classic Hungarian cheese scone called Pogacsa. It is great little snack but serves just as well for breakfast or lunch.

While I made this recipe in the traditional wedge form, you could just as easily use a biscuit cutter to make 3" round versions (these are particularly good for a brunch with as the bread for little sandwiches).

So, let's bake!

Pogacsa (Hungarian Cheese Scones)

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 packages (4 ½ teaspoons) yeast
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks butter)
1/3 cup milk
½ cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
1 cup of Romano cheese  (if you only have Parmesan in the house that is fine, but use the good stuff!) grated.
Egg wash of 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk

Sunday Bread - Sugar Loaf

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun May 08, 2011 at 09:38:27 AM MST

Happy Sunday and Mothers Day, Bread Heads!

This week we'll make a bread that is sure to be a hit (aren't they all?)! It is a variation of cinnamon sugar bread called Sugar Loaf. Instead of rolling up a dough covered with cinnamon sugar this bread uses sugar cubes, dusted with cinnamon to produce pockets of nearly liquid cinnamon sugar randomly dispersed through the bread. It makes for an interesting loaf to have with brunch. As well as a special sweet treat for any moms.

So, let's bake!

Sugar Loaf:

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar cubes
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 cups bread flour
1/3 cup whole milk
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot (120 to 130 degrees) water
3 tablespoons butter

Baking pans - 2 8"x4" loaf pans, greased or non-stick

Sunday Bread - Chocolate Orange Bread!!

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun May 01, 2011 at 07:14:46 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

We're going to be continuing on our "batter bread jag" this week. Last week on of the Bread Heads asked for a bread that was not leavened with yeast but baking soda instead. While this weeks offering is not leavened with baking soda it does using backing powder and no yeast at all.

It is a Chocolate Orange bread. This dark and barely sweet bread is the combination of chocolate, triple sec (you can use orange juice if you don't have any triple sec in the house) orange zest and honey, in a nice dense quick bread that is great at breakfast or with a nice mug of tea in the middle of the afternoon.

So, now that I have you drooling, let's bake!

Chocolate Orange Bread

Ingredients:

4oz unsweetened chocolate
½ cup (1 stick) butter
4 eggs
2/3 cup honey
2 cups mashed potato
½ cup triple sec or orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla (use the good stuff!)
Zest from 1 orange
2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt.  

Sunday Bread - Peanut Butter Batter Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Apr 24, 2011 at 07:31:40 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we are going to continue on our batter bread jag. I've been making these breads because they are fast, easy, delicious and they don't require any kneading. Some of the readers of this series don't have a stand mixer and do have arthritis so it has kind of left them out of the bread making-palooza that this series has become. I thought we should be more inclusive, thus a run on batter breads.

This week we have a fun and super easy on, Peanut Butter Batter Bread! It is a great loaf for the kiddies (even those in their 50's or later) with its great nutty flavor and texture. Think of it as the way to have a PB&J and you only have to spread on the J!

But enough talk, let's bake!

Peanut Butter Batter Bread

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup hot water (120-130 degrees)
¼ cup finely chopped salted roasted peanuts
¼ chunky peanut butter (any brand you favor)
¼ firmly packed brown sugar (dark preferred)
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups bread flour
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) yeast

Baking pans - If you have a 9"x5" pan you can make this in one pan, otherwise 2 8"x4" pans  

Sunday Bread - Bacon Italian Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Apr 17, 2011 at 08:13:19 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

A while back we did a Bacon Spoon Bread which got some good responses (how could it not? Bacon makes everything better) but I did get a request on an easier method. I have been thinking about it for a while and today I am ready to unveil the Bacon Italian Bread!

In looking at the bread I decided that the way to get the light airiness of the soufflé without all the eggs and the tendency to fall we would need to give up on the cornmeal and go with some kind of batter bread. I wanted to still have it be something other than a white bread, so I included some whole wheat. Adding just a touch of coriander to the mix brought up the bacon flavor and really brought the whole bread together.

The end result is a bread that has an open crumb, the flavor of bacon and the chewiness of a good Italian bread. Best of all for those who don't like to knead it is a batter bread so there is no requirement to knead. On the down side, mixing this by hand is a work out. It is easiest done in a stand mixer but I have done it by hand and had success so you should be able to as well.

Now that I have your mouths watering, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - French Bread For Fondue!

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Apr 10, 2011 at 08:18:31 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we're going to make a French style bread that I developed for Fondue. I have always thought that the best part of the bread for Fondue is the crust and the first inch inside the bread. When you use a Baggett you really don't get enough outer curst.

In order to get around that problem I modified a French bread recipe. It is braided which gives more area for crust, but it still wasn't quite right. The crumb needed to be airier with more little pockets.  To get this effect, I used a technique that I was taught in a peasant bread recipe. By deflating the rising dough six times before letting it complete its first rising, the bread develops many of the little air pockets and gives this light crumb.

As a final added step I bake it on a pizza stone. This gives a little more bounce to the bread as it bakes. If you don't have a pizza stone, don't sweat it, I have made this recipe on just a baking sheet and it is 95% as good.

Now that you have an idea of what has gone into the creation of this recipe, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Schiacciata Con Zibibbo (Flatbread with Raisins)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 07:57:43 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

Last week I got asked for a ciabatta bread recipe. Well, I don't really have a specific one that is mine, ciabatta is really just a batter bread that has enough flour to be shaped a little bit and baked. I am going to work one of my own up but it is going to take some experimentation before I have something I can share with you and be sure that it will turn out when you make it.

So, instead of ciabatta I am going to share with you a really old school Italian flat bread called Schiacciata Con Zibibbo (Flatbread with Raisins). I got it from the grandmother of a friend of mine, after I started sharing some of my bread with his family. This is a sweet bread that you can find just about anywhere they grow grapes in Italy. How will you be able to tell if it is really old school? Well, it uses lard, it calls for a pan that is 16"x 11" (which you won't have, I don't even have a pan those dimensions) and the way the sponge is made is like nothing else I've ever baked.

But don't worry, this is not hard, it is just a little odd and I've updated it to this century. This bread with rosemary and raisins and a sweet top is truly unique and definitely worth your while.

Now, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Oat Raisin Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Mar 27, 2011 at 07:25:29 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we're going to bake something for the kiddies. There are a lot of fussy eaters out there and getting something with some real nutrition down their little throats is sometimes hard than it really should be.

That is where Oat Raisin bread comes in. It is a loaf with whole oats, whole wheat, bran, raisins and molasses. The breads is hardy and a little bit sweet, all of which makes it a favorite breakfast bread for the little guys.

The sweetness comes from the ¾ cup of molasses in the dough, if you don't have rugrats in house or just want it to be a little less sweet don't be shy about cutting that down to ½ cup or even a ¼ cup.

But enough of that time and yeast wait for no man, so let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Parmesan Pepper Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Mar 20, 2011 at 07:14:15 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

I hear that there is some kind of sporting contest or tournament or some such going on that have millions of people camped out on the couch. Maybe you've heard of the March Misanthrope, I think it is called?

Anyway these rabid sports fans are going to be consuming a lot of crap, from chips to pizza to queso dip. What they really need is a good flavorful loaf to make a nice sandwich on, and we are going to provide them with a recipe that is not only easy but makes just a spectacular base for a sandwich!

Parmesan Pepper Bread is just what the doctor ordered! It is a white bread loaf with a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper, and best of all (for some) it is a batter bread, which means no kneading required!

Enough chit chat, let's bake!