Mutant Muffins

As much as I love eating popovers I actually think I like the process of making them even more. It is like watching some fascinating science experiment that mutates right in front of your eyes. Out of nowhere this seemingly harmless batter just begins to morph and expand into this magical mushroom cloud in your oven. When this happens it leaves the middle of the popover full of giant air pockets which are perfect for holding little pools of melted butter just waiting to trickle down your chin, now doesn't that sound good.

Sharp Cheddar Popovers

2 eggs

1 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, well packed

In bowl, beat eggs, water, salt and flour until smooth, using a wire whisk. Blend in the cheese. Grease popover pans generously, you may also use a muffin pan.                                                                                                              ]

Fill cups no more than 2/3 full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 minutes longer. Remove from cups. Pierce a hole into side of each popover to allow steam to escape to keep popovers crispy. Keep in warm oven no longer than 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 popovers.

Photo/JMackinell/Flickr

No Knead To Thank Me!

photo/andinou/flickr


There is nothing like the taste and smell of homemade bread fresh from the oven. Hopefully if you were fortunate enough you either had a mother, grandmother or aunt kneading away in the kitchen at that silky aromatic yeasty dough. I do not wish to short change the men here since they are excellent cooks and bakers as well...or you had a father, grandfather or uncle kneading away in the kitchen at that silky aromatic yeasty dough.

Anyhow if you did grow up in a "A daily homemade bread kind of house" you know how special homemade bread can be and how important the people who make this bread are. It takes a lot of muscle to make bread and what happens when the bread bakers we love and adore no longer are able to knead the dough? Maybe its arthritis, tendinitis or it's just that they don't have the strength they use to but still want the pleasure of providing homemade bread for their loved ones.
Sure we can all get off our behinds and get in the kitchen to help but with these recipes there is just no knead to.....they can do it all by themselves! Now pass the butter while the bread is still warm I am starving.

Home Baked No Knead Bread

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 tbsp. soft shortening
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
3 c. sifted flour

Pour warm water into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water, stir until dissolved. Add shortening, salt, sugar and 1 1/2 cups flour. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Stir in remaining flour and beat with a spoon until smooth, 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape batter from sides of bowl. Cover dough with clean cloth and let rise in a warm place, free from draft until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. When batter has risen, stir down by beating about 25 strokes. Spread batter in a greased loaf pan (9"x5"x3"). Batter will be sticky. Let rise in warm place until batter reaches 1/4" from top of pan, about 40 minutes. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown. When done, brush top with butter while still hot.

No Knead French Bread

1 pkg. dry yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. soft shortening
4 c. sifted all purpose flour

Measure flour into bowl, add water, then yeast. Let yeast dissolve thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Let set 10 minutes, then cut through dough with a wooden spoon. Do this 5 times at 10 minute intervals. Turn dough out on floured board and divide in half. Let rest for 10 minutes, then roll each ball into a loaf. Make several diagonal slashes across each loaf. Let rise double. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

No Knead Raisin Bread

1 1/3 c. hot water
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. warm water
4 pkg. active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
6 1/2 c. flour
2 c. seedless raisins

GLAZE:

1 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Mix hot water, sugar, salt and butter; cool until lukewarm. In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add first water mixture to eggs, flour and raisins. Beat until well-blended, about 2 minutes. Cover, let rise in warm place until more than doubled, about 50 minutes. Punch batter down and beat vigorously be hand, about 75 strokes. Turn into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans or two (1 1/2 quart) casserole and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan immediately. Beat glaze ingredients until smooth and shiny. Pour icing over bread when cool, letting it drip down the sides.

XXX Mimi

Despite what you are about to read let me make it perfectly clear that this is a family friendly site. Some of the words only sound X-Rated but by the time you get to the end of this post you will quickly realize that we actually have a G-Rating for Gee that's hilarious!
My great aunt Mimi use to love dill bread toasted, she use to get a packaged brand from the grocery store. Then when that became hard to find we found this sliced rye bread that was seasoned with dill which wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the dill toast as well and would usually join her for a slice or two. I noticed that my aunt was really longing for the plain dill bread that she use to get but it turned out the company had stopped making it. I had said; " Mimi we could probably just make it ourselves it's basically just a white bread with some dill weed and dill seed in it". Mimi said; "I don't know sweetheart, I have never used a dill dough before you may have to work with the dill dough by yourself".
The moral of the story.....You do not need four hands to work with a dill dough, according to my aunt Mimi two hands are all you need to make a dill dough rise!

Dill Bread

1 package of dry yeast (1 tbsp.)
1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. dried dill seed or 3 tbsp. of fresh
1 tbsp. dried dill weed or 3 tbsp. of fresh
1 c. evaporated milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. of Melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar, dill seed, and dill weed. Let mixture stand at room temperature until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Stir in remaining sugar, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter and salt. Stir in flour to make a stiff dough. (Dough will be sticky.)
Grease bread pan with Pam. Knead dough and place in pan, covering with waxed paper. Let stand in warm place until dough rises about 1 1/2 inches, about 30 minutes or more if dough hasn't risen enough. Bake until brown, about 35 minutes. Brush top with melted butter. Remove bread and cool on rack.

Yellow With Envy

If yellow squash could talk they would probably say; “What’s the deal with zucchini bread? What, you’ve got something against yellow? Banana’s are yellow and you use them in bread, so why not us?” I guess if yellow squash could talk they would be right we always make zucchini bread under the guise that we have such a surplus of it. I have actually had times when I have an over abundance of yellow squash, so why not treat it the same. It actually makes very good bread; it is just a slight bit sweeter than its green counterpart.

Yellow Squash Bread

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of shredded yellow squash

Combine first 5 ingredients; set aside. Combine eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in big mixing bowl. Beat well. Stir in squash. Add dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove to wire rack and cool completely.

Photo courtesy of Carlos Porto/flickr

That's One Sharp Loaf of Bread

My mother always said I should by stock in a grated cheese company, I just love the stuff. Although “Parmigiano Reggiano” seems to be the grated cheese that is touted the most, I have always leaned more towards a good "Pecorino Romano". Romano cheese is sharper, stronger and has more bite. Don’t get me wrong I love and do use Parmesan in and on many things it has a wonderful flavor, just quite a bit milder. I have always enjoyed really strong sharp cheeses; one of my favorite eating cheeses is “Extra Sharp Aged Provolone” as well as “Grana Padano”. These sharp cheeses are delicious eaten with a drop of good aged "Balsamic Vinegar" placed upon each bite.

Sharp Italian Cheese Bread

5 cups Bisquick

6 eggs

2 cups Romano cheese

1 cup milk, room temp.

6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Teaspoons black pepper

1 egg yolk

Combine Bisquick, cheese and pepper in large bowl. Beat eggs, milk and oil with electric mixer. Add to dry ingredients (mix with spoon). Generously grease 2 (12 1/2 x 4 1/2) pans. After putting dough in pan smooth top with wet hand.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 minutes until lightly browned. Brush top with beaten egg yolk. Bake 10 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Italian Bread Salad "Panzanella"

Growing up in an Italian family we always had a good hearty bread with our meals.
Unfortunately for the birds, our family also had a delicious way to recycle some of the stale bread beyond the usual bread crumbs or stuffing mix. They would take the stale bread and mix it with fresh vegetables, herbs, olives, garlic and olive oil to make a salad. This wonderful salad that I just described is called Panzanella. It’s a great way to enjoy the fresh vegetables and herbs of the season.

Panzanella

Tomatoes, any kind will do (amount is up to you)

3 or 4 cups of stale bread, use a good crusty bread (bite size chunks)

1/2 bunch fresh basil

1/2 bunch parsley

1 large clove of fresh garlic, minced

1 small Red onion (sliced or chopped)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin oil

1 Tablespoon of red wine vinegar

Olives (optional)
Arugula (optional)
Cucumbers (optional)

Break bread or cut into nice size chunks. Chop basil and parsley. Mince garlic. Cut red onion; mix all ingredients together, except bread. Add bread just before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Pepperoni Bread A.K.A. Stuffed Bread A.K.A. Anything Bread

This is one of those recipes that you can turn into so many different things that you could almost call it;"Anything Bread".The more colorful the fillings you choose to use the prettier the pattern is when you slice it . My Aunt Jay made hers with italian Sausage, she would use the italian sausage my Uncle Louie made in his butcher shop. His sausage had just the right amount of fennel seed and spices. The only real trick is not overstuffing it, this way you can roll it up into a neat little loaf without it bursting. Even if it does burst a little, it won't harm the taste any.


Pepperoni Bread

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed in refrigerator overnight

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup grated Provolone cheese (other cheeses optional)
1 cup grated mozzarella

3 tbsp. melted butter

3 1/2 oz. pkg. thin sliced pepperoni, quartered

Roll dough out to 9 x 12 inch rectangle. Brush 1/2 of the butter lightly over dough. Combine oregano, seasoned salt, parsley flakes and garlic powder sprinkle over buttered dough. Arrange pepperoni on top and cover with cheeses. Roll like a jellyroll very tightly to look like a loaf of French bread, pinch to close. Lay seam side down on pan. Brush with remaining butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cool before cutting.