Sunday Bread - Tiramisu

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Mar 13, 2011 at 14:45:46 PM MST

Okay, so not such a happy Sunday for the world, is it Bread Heads? I went back and forth about posting this today, what with the disaster in Japan (earthquake, tsunami, partial meltdowns, volcano's) but I finally came to the conclusion that there has to be some normality, even in the face of disaster. It is to that end that I post this recipe for Tiramisu.

Tiramisu used to be wildly popular, both in the US and in Italy. It has now been relegated to over-processed and dubious servings at Italian restaurant chains. Which is really sad, because there is nothing very hard about making it, if you have a hand mixer and about an hour of work time and 6 hours of chill time you can have it tonight.

This dish owes its inspiration to the English dish trifle which stale cake, usually soaked in some kind of rum or other liquor and then folded into whipped cream. This dish gets it richness from the egg yolks and egg whites that a whipped separately then combined with whipped cream.

Yes, that is right this is a raw egg dish so there is some chance of salmonella but it is pretty small. To reduce it even further I use the freshest eggs I can find. People do get sick from this kind of thing, all I can say is that I never have, so you will have to be your own gage on this.

So with that word of caution, lets bake!  

Sunday Bread - Pain Noir (French Style Black Bread)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Mar 06, 2011 at 08:44:10 AM MST

This week we're going to take a walk on the wild side and try a Pain Noir. This is a French style of black bread. It is a combination of rye flour, corn meal, whole wheat and white flour. How do you get those grains to have such a dark color? Well you cheat, of course, using molasses and unsweetened chocolate we get this great dark color!

One word before we start. This dough is sticky. I mean early stages of brioche sticky. You have to have a good spatula and a willingness to get your hands goopy if you are going to make this bread, even with a stand mixer. If you are going to do it by hand then you will need a dough scraper to help you turn and fold the dough.

A dough scraper is a good investment in any case. It makes it easy to clean the work surface after making things like croissant dough, or Danish dough. You can find them at your local restaurant supply store for a few dollars. I like the metal ones but I have many friends who swear by the plastic ones. It is totally your call.

Now; let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Jalapeno Cornbread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Feb 27, 2011 at 09:19:58 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week you're going to get two recipes for corn bread. Why? Because one of the Bread Heads doesn't have a stand mixer and can't knead bread with his hands and asked for more than one cornbread recipe that he could make. Since we're going to be moving on from cornbread this week, that means two recipes for the price of one!

We'll be making two of my favorite American style cornbreads this week. What I call Regular Cornbread and Jalapeno Cornbread. The Jalapeno bread features not only the spicy peppers but onions, cheddar cheese and creamed corn. You can make them as loaves but I like to make them as muffins. They turn out just slightly spicy and a little bit sweet, with great texture and a complex flavor.

The Regular Corn bread is rich and moist using cream, milk and butter in the mixture. It is moist enough not crumble but still firm enough to serve with stews or chili.

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

Sunday Bread - Chocolate Covered Cherries

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 09:35:41 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we're going to do something a little nice for your Sweetheart, we're going to go make chocolate covered cherries!

As with just about every recipe I am going to tell you that there really is nothing very hard about this, and it is true! The big thing you need to make these treats is a candy thermometer. If you have that and this recipe you can make one of the all time great "I Love You" treats and you don't have to buy it from the store!

Part of the trick of chocolate covered cherries is getting the fondant to melt from the liquid in the cherry. There are several different types of fondant that will do this. I like one that does not completely melt because I have found it stores better. What you get is a liquid center around the cherry then a bit of white fondant and then the chocolate. I like a rum flavor with this, so I buy cherries in the summer then store them in dark rum in a canning jar to be ready for use. Since that means we should have been talking about cherries in July for this, you can substitute with maraschino cherries.

But enough talk! Let's make some candy!  

Sunday Bread - Bacon Spoon Bread (Cornmeal Souffle)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Feb 06, 2011 at 08:37:20 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we'll continue our exploration of cornbreads with a favorite out of the Virginia, Bacon Spoon Bread. It is not really a bread but more of a soufflé made with corn meal, bacon and cheddar cheese. That is why it is called spoon bread, you can't really turn it out onto a rack to cool (you wouldn't want this cool anyway) you have to serve it with a couple of spoons.

For all of that it is a great side dish. It comes out light and fluffy with a great corn smell that goes very well with just about any roasted meat.  

Sunday Bread - Broa (Portuguese Corn Bread)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jan 30, 2011 at 08:55:30 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week were going to start on a round of corn bread recipes. Now, I should warn you that this is not just going to be variations on the standard quick bread corn bread which is really a batter and does not rise except in the pan. We'll probably do some of both.

In any case we are going to kick things off with Broa, which is a Portuguese style of corn bread. What makes this bread unique is that you pulverize the corn meal in a blender or food processor. It gives the bread a lighter crumb and texture than you run-of-the-mill corn bread. The addition of olive oil also brings a different flavor to the party.

But enough talk! Let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Royal Hiberian Brown Soda Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jan 23, 2011 at 08:24:20 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we're going to continue on the mini-Whole Wheat binge I've been for the last couple of weeks. Almost everyone has made or had Soda Bread before. It is a bread that is not kneaded and uses only baking soda for its leaving. These little breads can be quite tasty but they are often really dense.  

Sunday Bread - Cloud Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jan 09, 2011 at 09:29:11 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads. I went back and forth about posting this today, given the events in AZ yesterday but my Grandmother taught me that life has to go on and that when there is tragedy one of the most life affirming things is food. So today we will affirm life and dedicate this post to all the dead and wounded in AZ.

We have baked a couple of different types of French bread in the past. Folks are always concerned with the crumb and wanting to get more airy open crumb. I don't have a problem with getting that so I have come to the conclusion that part of the trouble is experience. To help out those who don't have the time to bake a few hundred batches of bread, today we'll bake a new loaf I came up with, call it Cloud Bread.

Sunday Bread - Vort Limpa

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Jan 02, 2011 at 08:54:21 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads! And welcome to the New Year!

It is hard to believe that I have been posting about baking for an entire year, but the calendar does not lie. This week we're going to take care of a request. A while back a reader asked if I knew of a black bread that was sweet but with a bitter overtone and might be served in a bread basket at a German restaurant. I did, though it is actually a Swedish bread called Vort Limpa.  

Sunday Bread - Croquembouche! (Creampuff Tower)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 11:03:39 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

We are in the trough of the Holiday season, the time between Solstice and New Years. Even though the "eating" holidays are pretty much over there is a still one last chance to rock the world of your friends and neighbors with a New Years Eve dish. One of the best show stoppers you can make is the Croquembouche.  

Sunday Bread - Chocolate Covered Caramels

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Dec 19, 2010 at 09:21:31 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread (Candy) Heads!

All knowledge is dangerous, some pieces more so than others. This week I'm going to share a very dangerous piece of knowledge, how to make caramels!

Like bread there is a lot of really crappy caramel out there in the world. Good caramels should be creamy, with a strong dark note of cooked sugar. It should not be too soft nor too sticky. The good news is that I have a perfect recipe for caramels that anyone with a candy thermometer can make.  

Sunday Bread - Chocolate Covered Butter Creams

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Dec 12, 2010 at 09:46:38 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

As promised this week will start three weeks of candy making. Like many of the recipes I share with you all, candy making is one of those things that everyone thinks is really impressive and hard, but the reality is there is nothing difficult to it. It merely requires the right equipment, the main piece being a good candy thermometer.

This week we are going to make chocolate covered butter creams. The centers are a honey fondant which is then flavored and dipped in chocolate. Another form of fondant is what is used to give cakes that ultra-smooth frosted look. Because this particular fondant has honey in it, the flavor actually improves over time.

Enough chit chat, lets make some candy!  

Sunday Bread - The Oxford Fruit Cake

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Dec 05, 2010 at 07:51:55 AM MST

When people tell me that they don't like fruit cake, I completely understand. They have never had a real fruit cake, instead they have had some gloppy over processed thing with one of the greatest sins against nature, the commercially candied green maraschino cherry. Who could like such a thing?  

Sunday Bread - Dog Biscuits

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Nov 28, 2010 at 08:09:28 AM MST

Happy Holiday Sunday, Bread Heads!

This week I got a request for something fun that kids (under ten) could help with. Thinking about it, Dog Biscuits came to mind. There is almost no way to mess these treats for hounds up, it involves using cookie cutters and the dough is stiff enough that is can be mixed by putting little hands right in the bowl and mashing the ingredients together!  

Sunday Bread - Toasted Oat Scones

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Nov 21, 2010 at 08:45:33 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week is of course the week where we thank the monkey, you know Thanks, Gibbon! Okay so now that we have dispensed with my seven year old nephews joke let's talk about baking. Most folks will be telling you things you can make for the holiday, but I want to give you something for that day after, Black Friday.

If you are going to be out there braving the crowds (not my idea of fun, but your mileage may vary) you need something that will give you plenty of energy and keep you going with others 52oz Mocha Latte has worn thin. For this application there is nothing better or easier than a Toasted Oatmeal Scone.  

Sunday Bread - Chocolate Center Loaves

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Nov 14, 2010 at 09:33:22 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

So, lets start with a little housekeeping. This series is in the process of becoming a book. I am working on re-baking all the recipes from this series and taking new pictures for the book. I am self publishing it through Amazon and have high hopes that it will be ready in the first week of December (we'll see and I'll keep you posted if that changes). It is tentatively going to be called "A Liberal Sprinkle of Flour".

But enough of that, you came here to get a new bread recipe and I have a good one for you. It is another version of bread with chocolate. This recipe is similar to Petite Pan Au Chocolate, but it much easier and faster. Instead of individual brioche rolls filled with chocolate, these are actual loaves with of white bread with a rich chocolate center. The bread is made with milk and butter so it is also rich, but without the eggs that make a brioche.

So, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Raisin Coffe Cake (But Its Really Bread!)

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Nov 07, 2010 at 10:06:26 AM MST

Happy Sunday Bread Heads!

This week we're going to blur the line between cake and bread. This recipe has  a bread that is filled with nearly half as much raisins as flour! It is topped with a streusel topping and goes by the name Raisin Coffee Cake. While it might not be what most folks like of as "coffee cake" there are very few who refuse a second piece.

 So, enough teasing, let's bake!  

Sunday Bread - Honey Dinner Rolls

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Oct 31, 2010 at 07:45:56 AM MST

This week we're going to fulfill a request for dinner rolls. Specifically rolls that the dough can be made ahead of time and just pinch off enough for the amount of rolls you want to make. This is good timing as it is that time of year where more dinner parties are starting and, of course, Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  

Sunday Bread - Gladys' Butter Tarts

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Oct 24, 2010 at 07:06:43 AM MST

This week I am going to share one of my childhood favorites. The time is Thanksgiving, you walk into the Grandma's house and there you see the table for the deserts, there is pumpkin pie, pecan pie, the inevitable ambrosia salad (urg and uck!) but the star of the show is the heaping platter of Butter Tarts.  

Sunday Bread - Pumpkin Walnut Bread

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Sun Oct 17, 2010 at 05:01:48 AM MST

This week was a bit of a tough one, I had to run to Michigan for my Grandmothers funeral. That does not mean that there was not time to make some fabulous bread; just that it had to be rather quick and easy.