Category: Bread

Peasant Bread

On By sarafillmerIn BreadLeave a comment

I was watching The Great British Baking Show the other day and it was Bread Week! After watching an hour of people making all these delicious loaves of bread I knew I had to make some for myself. I found this peasant bread on Pinterest years ago and for some reason never added it this site! I am rectifying this mistake finally because it such an easy, versatile bread that can be made in under 3 hours and shaped numerous different ways. This time I made a “faux”ccocia and it might be my new favorite way. I will note the different preparations in the description below. Recipe courtesy of alexandracooks.com.

  • 4 cups bread flour (all purpose works if that’s all you have)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 cups water, 105-110 deg*
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast**
  • 2 tablespoons softened butter

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add in the water, stirring until all the flour is absorbed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and leave to rise in warm place for at least an hour. (You can use the proving setting on your oven if you have it, otherwise, you can turn your oven on to 350, let it preheat for one minute, then turn it off. This will create a slightly warm environment for your bread.)

After your loaf has risen, preheat your oven to 425. There are multiple ways to bake this loaf: two greased 1 pound Pyrex bowls, one greased 2 pound Pyrex bowl, 1 greased 8×4 loaf pan and small Pyrex bowl. In this post I used a 9×13 greased cake pan to make a faux-ccocia bread and it’s definitely my favorite. When making the foccacia spread the dough out in a thin layer to fill the cake pan then use your fingers to create dimples in the bread. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and any other herbs you like such as chopped rosemary. The combinations are endless!

The dough will be very sticky so keep that in mind when you are putting in your chosen baking dish. If you are using two greased 1 pound Pyrex bowls use two forks to help you separate the dough. After you have transferred the dough to your preferred pan, let it rise uncovered for another 20-30 minutes in a warm spot. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce the heat to 375 and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. Turn it out of the bowls, if using, and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

The Best Coffee Cake

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Breakfast, DessertLeave a comment

This is a recipe that I have been meaning to get on the site for a while and it’s finally happening! This is far and away the best coffee cake I’ve ever had, and I think that if you try it, you will agree with me. Once again, it comes from cookiesandcups.com who is my go-to for sure fire recipes. I have added some nonfat dry milk powder because I think it gives it that something extra. I also subbed full fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because it’s what I had in my fridge. I also left off the glaze because it doesn’t need it in my opinion, but I’ll include it here in case anyone else wants to try it.

Cinnamon Filling

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup all purpose flour

Cake

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder*
  • 2 teaspoons nonfat dry milk powder
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 2/3 cup all purpose flour

Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2–3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl prepare the cinnamon filling by whisking together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside. To prepare the crumb topping, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl until it resembles coarse crumbs. Use your hands to mix to form larger crumb pieces. Set aside. For the cake, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, salt, baking powder and nonfat dry milk powder and mix for 1 minute until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and milk in alternating portions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined and smooth, again, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Spread half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling evenly on top of the batter. Carefully spread the remaining cake batter on top of the cinnamon layer.  Evenly sprinkle the crumb topping on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. If making the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and drizzle on top of the cooled cake.

*If you are like me and live at high altitude, reduce the baking powder to 2 1/2 teaspoons and increase the flour by a 1/4 of a cup.

Scallion Pancakes

On By sarafillmerIn BreadLeave a comment

This past summer I tried my hand at growing some new things, and the one that I was most pleased with were my onions. I grew a sweet onion and a white onion and they were beautiful. A side product of that venture was a huge supply of scallions because I had more onions than I had room for in my garden bed. I made these scallion pancakes and everyone inhaled them. They were slightly time consuming but not necessarily more so than my tortillas, so while I wouldn’t make them every day, they are a delicious treat if you have some time.

  • 2 1/2 cups white flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • Sesame oil
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • High smoke point oil for the pan, such as vegetable, canola, or peanut oil

Mix 2 1/2 cups flour with 1 cup water until it forms a smooth dough. Knead by doubling the dough over and pressing it down repeatedly, until the dough is even more smooth and very elastic. Coat this ball of dough lightly in sesame oil and put it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. Cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Lightly oil the back of a large metal baking sheet (or a smooth stone countertop or pastry board). Roll out one part of the dough on the back of the baking sheet. Roll until it is a thin rectangle at least 12 x 9 inches. Finely chop the bunch of scallions. (I usually use the green tops and just the very top of the white parts.) Set them on your work surface along with a small bowl of kosher salt. Lightly brush the top of the dough with sesame oil, then sprinkle it evenly with chopped scallions and kosher salt. Starting from the long end, roll the dough up tightly, creating one long snake of rolled-up dough. Cut the dough snake in two equal parts. Take one of these halves and coil into a round dough bundle. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes and ideally longer, while you repeat this process with the rest of the dough. Pat a coiled dough bundle into a flat, smooth, round pancake. You can do this with a rolling pin or with your hands. Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, and oil it with a drizzle of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil. When the oil shimmers, pick up the pancake dough and lay it gently in the pan. It should sizzle, but not burn. Cook for 2 minutes on one side. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side, or until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the pancake dough coils. Cut the pancake into wedges and serve immediately with soy sauce or another dipping sauce.

Elevated Cinnamon Rolls

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, BreakfastLeave a comment

A while back there was a trend on TikTok where you take the somewhat uninspiring tube of cinnamon rolls and jazz them up with extra heavy cream and butter and sugar and cinnamon. I made them one day when all my family was in town and they were so delicious I haven’t made them any other way since. At this point I figured it was high time to get it on the website so I don’t have to troll social media for the recipe any more. I have made this with frozen and refrigerated cinnamon rolls and both work great.

  • 2 cans cinnamon rolls
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 pan, then lay out your cinnamon rolls. In a microwave safe bowl, melt your butter. While your butter is melting, pour 1 cup of heavy cream all over the cinnamon rolls. Once your butter is melted, add the cinnamon and brown sugar and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture over the cinnamon rolls and then cover the dish with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes until the rolls are cooked and the cream is mostly absorbed. Serve with the icing that came in the tube.

Breadsticks a la Olive Garden

On By sarafillmerIn BreadLeave a comment

The copycat cookbook I have has some really great recipes, and this breadstick is one of my families favorites. With only one rise of about 45 minutes, it is an easy one to whip up on a weeknight. Also, don’t skimp on the buttery topping, because although it sounds like a lot, it is not overpowering.

For the Dough:

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast, I use instant
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water, 105-115 degrees
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, adding more if necessary
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Buttery Topping:

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and let sit for 10 minutes. (If using instant yeast, skip this step and just add the sugar, water, and yeast to the rest of the ingredients.) Add flour ,salt, and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Knead dough for a few minutes, until dough is smooth and not sticky. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment. Pull off pieces of dough and roll into strips. Cover the dough with a light towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Bake breadsticks for 6-7 minutes, then brush with the buttery topping. Return to the oven for 6-7 more minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with the rest of the buttery topping. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Squares

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Breakfast3 Comments

Over the Christmas break I binge watched Magnolia Table on Discovery plus. One of the most intriguing recipes I saw was her cinnamon squares, which she described as the middle part of the cinnamon roll. I’m glad I watched her make it because if I hadn’t I might not have rolled them out properly. Make sure you use your rolling pin to really meld those layers so they don’t puff up too much in the oven. Also, the recipe makes a huge batch so I plan on freezing the leftovers in pairs to heat up later in the coming weeks.

For the Dough:

  • 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
  • Two 1/4-ounce packets active dry yeast (I used 4 1/2 teaspoons of instant yeast)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups milk, warmed
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for the dough and pans
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

For the Filling:

  • 2 cups pecan halves
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
  • 2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, milk, butter, eggs, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add the flour and stir until the dough comes together. Rub softened butter on top of the dough and around the bowl. Cover and let stand in a warm spot for 1 hour. (If you use instant yeast, just put all the ingredients in the bowl and mix.) The dough will not rise very much.

To make the filling: In a food processor, combine the pecans, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and process until the mixture is well blended and paste-like (do this in two batches if necessary). Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Generously dust a work surface with flour. Punch down the dough and place it on the work surface. Roll it out into a 16 x 24-inch rectangle.

Spoon two-thirds of the filling mixture over the dough. Spread it to cover the dough to the edges. Starting on a short side, fold the sheet of dough two thirds of the way, then fold the other side over in a tri-fold pattern, pressing the edges together, and roll it out a little bit, til you approximately a 14×16 rectangle. Spoon the remaining filling on top of the dough and spread it to cover the dough. Starting at a short side, tri-fold the dough again and lightly roll it back into a 12×18 rectangle. Use a chef’s knife to cut the dough into 24 roughly 3-inch squares. Arrange the squares on the prepared pan so that they are touching. Brush the tops of the squares with beaten egg.

Bake until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Summer Strawberry Cake

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Breakfast, Dessert1 Comment

I started following a food blogger named Smitten Kitchen about 6 months ago and one of the things I like about her is that she makes recipes with simple ingredients, but they have a sophistication to them that takes it to the next level. This recipe is one such example. Very simple, but very tasty. Add to that the fact that our strawberry harvest was excellent this past June and you have a winner.

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the top
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 10″ pie pan, or 9″ deep dish pie pan. Whisk flour or flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth. Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer (though I had to overlap a few to get them all in). Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries. Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream.

Toasted Coconut Dutch Baby

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, BreakfastLeave a comment

While I was visiting family in Dallas a couple of years ago I found a cookbook by the food blogger Joy the Baker. It said it was a celebration of butter and sugar and I can’t think of a better recipe to represent that than her toasted coconut Dutch baby. The Dutch baby is a cross between a pancake and a crepe and is baked in a piping hot cast iron skillet. It is so delicious it doesn’t even need syrup, although I like mine with a dollop of Cool Whip!

  • 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature*
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup butter

Place your cast iron skillet on a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Spread coconut in a thin layer in a skillet over medium heat and stir until the coconut starts to brown. Make sure to keep a close eye on this because it can go from toasted to burned in seconds! Let it cool while you gather the rest of your ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt and 2 tablespoons of cooled coconut. In a separate medium bowl whisk your eggs and sugar together until thick and pale. Add milk and whisk to combine. Add the milk mixture, all at once, to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Mixture will be thin. Carefully pull the rack out of your oven and put the butter in the pan to melt. As soon as the butter has melted, swirl the pan so it coats the sides and bottom. Pour the pancake batter over the melted butter and immediately return to the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until browned and puffed along the sides and center of the pan. While the pancake bakes prepare any fruit you would like to serve with it, banana and pineapple go really well!. Once baked, remove from the oven and top with your choice of fruit and remaining toasted coconut. Slice into thick wedges, served with syrup of your choice.

*To speed up getting your eggs to room temperature, place them in a container of warm (not hot) water. In just a couple of minutes they will be room temp!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Dessert1 Comment

My husband and I enjoy watching home renovation shows and one of the ones we enjoy is Home Town. A couple of episodes back they shared a recipe for pound cake that I knew I had to try. It was super delicious but make sure to cook it long enough. I pulled mine out after an hour and a half and it still wasn’t quite done in the middle. I think next time I’ll put it in loaf pans instead of a Bundt pan.

  • 3 sticks of butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 6 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups flour

Cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until well combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the flour and salt until well combined. Put in a well-greased Bundt pan or two loaf pans. Put in a cold oven and cook at 300 for at least an hour and a half or until done.

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Breakfast, Dessert1 Comment

I am one of those people that loves having buttermilk in the fridge, but can never seem to use all of it before it expires. Such a happenstance occurred last month and I googled the best way to use up a lot of buttermilk. This recipe popped up because it uses a whole cup of buttermilk and who doesn’t love a blueberry muffin. This recipe is a winner in so many ways, but I think my favorite part is the way these muffins bake up. Because you fill it to the top of the pan with batter, you get this beautiful looking muffin that you can’t help but want to eat.

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons nonfat dry milk powder*
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • coarse sparkling sugar to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard size muffin tin with parchment paper liners and spray each one with nonstick spray for baking (If the muffins are just for your family to save time just generously spray your muffin tin with baking spray). In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nonfat dry milk powder. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually mix the buttermilk into the flour mixture, stirring gently and being careful not to over-mix. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter. Use a large scoop to divide the batter evenly into each muffin well. They will be filled to the very top. Sprinkle generously with sparkling sugar! Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

*I have started adding nonfat dry milk powder to all my baked goods and it adds just a little something something to my desserts. It is entirely optional though so if you don’t have any the muffins will still be delicious.