#51 Bread Dumplings

Never Fail Bread Dumplings

2 c. flour

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

2 slices bread (cubed)

2 tsp. dried parsley (optional)

Stir together flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  Lightly whisk together eggs and milk in a seperate bowl.  Add dry ingredients and bread to wet ingredients.  Mix together until well blended.  Divide dough into halves and roll lightly in flour.  Set dough aside for one hour.  Cook in boiling water for 10 minutes on each side.  Slice and serve with gravy.

#29 No Knead Bread

A friend posted on her blog about making this bread and I have finally tried it and I must share. It is the easiest bread you will ever make and the bread and crust are divine! It does take a long time to make, but only because it needs to rise for about 12 hours. But basically you mix it with a spoon and forget it, then go back do a couple of easy things and bake it for fabulous deliciousness! The recipe is from a 2006 recipe in the NY Times. Here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?ex=1320642000&en=d5976d62a4577548&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

And here is the recipe:

No-Knead Bread
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. (I used flour)

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic - I used my Pyrex dish that is smaller than the recommended size and did okay) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

This is what my dough looked like right after stirring it all together. Takes a minute tops.

These photos were taken with my phone as my camera battery was dead,

but I think you can get the idea!

And this picture shows the beautiful results - and it tasted even better than it looks! My friend who's post I read is now making it using a starter for a yummy sour dough bread. I may have to try that next!

#22 Coconut Banana Bread

2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tblsp) butter, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 c. mashed overripe bananas (about 3 large or 4 medium)
3 tblsp sour cream (I used reduced-fat)
1 c. sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted (see below)
1 c. chocolate chips

Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Generously butter two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans and dust with flour.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Toast coconut by heating in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until light golden brown. Set aside.

Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, bananas, and sour cream, beating until just combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips.

Divide batter between loaf pans. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes.

We had all these bananas turning black on our kitchen counter, and Steve asked if I'd make banana bread. Recipe adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook. It called for macadamia nuts and lemon zest, neither of which I had, as well as unsalted butter. Steve's mom loves chocolate chips in her banana bread and since one loaf was for her, I threw them in. It sounded weird the first time I heard of it, but hey, chocolate anything is good with me! Steve wasn't so sure about the toasted coconut at first, but then he liked it. I think it would be good with macadamias, if you had them, or pecans, also toasted.

#15 Swedish Coffee Bread

This one requires a bread maker but I am sure there is a way to do it without if you don't have one, I am not that bread savy so you will have to work it out yourself.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk (save the white for later)
2 tablespoons softened butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope active dry yeast (I think that is ~2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 teaspoons ground cardamom ( I did not have this and used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon)

2 egg whites, slightly beaten (I just used the one from above and that was plenty)
pearl sugar (I used the raw cane sugar but you can use regular white sugar too)

Directions:

Place ingredients in the pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer (I always put the liquids and the butter or oil and the sugar in first, then the flour and the ssalt and the other spices. Finally make a little depression in the flour and put the yeast in it.

Select the dough cycle; press Start.

When the machine is done (I believe it kneads for 30 minutes and rises for 1 hour), divide the dough into three equal portions. Roll each out into a rope about 12 to 14 inches long. Lay the three side by side and braid them together. Tuck the ends underneath and place on a greased baking sheet, cover loosely with a towel and allow to rise until double in size (I think it is another 45 minutes to 1 hour).

Preheat the oven to 375

Brush the braid with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Trust me you will know when it is ready, it becomes a beautiful brown!

***Make sure to add the yeast, I know from personal experience:) Also, by adding the cinnamon instead of cardamom it tastes a lot like the cinnamon burst bread at Great Harvest. It is a delicious bread!!!!