Quick and Easy Homemade Bread

UPDATE: I've made this recipe about a thousand times now and realized, thanks to a sweet friend, that there were a few tiny errors in the ingredient measurements. Sorry for the inconvenience and happy baking!


I've never been much of a bread-maker, but after going through many recipes and modifying them into one quick and easy recipe, I've found myself baking this bread several times a week. This is probably going to be the easiest bread recipe you'll ever try, and you will be shocked by the results! My husband agrees that this bread tops the bread from our local bakery, and there's nothing like hot, fresh bread right out of the oven! This bread is light and airy with a crispy crust that is deliciously nutty thanks to a healthy drizzle of olive oil. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Yields: One loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup warm water

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. white vinegar

olive oil

cornmeal

Assembly:

Combine water and yeast in a stand mixer and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Using the dough hook, mix in the flour, vinegar and salt until the dough comes together. Form dough into a ball and drizzle with olive oil. Let sit, covered, in a warm place for a minimum of 30 minutes. Punch the dough down and form it into a loaf (keep it on the thin side as you will be letting it rise for a second time). Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet (use a small one so you can fit it into the microwave) and place the loaf on top. Brush with olive oil. Microwave a cup of water for two minutes. Put the baking sheet in the microwave with the hot water and allow the loaf to rise for another 20-30 minutes (don't let it rise for more than about 40 minutes tops or you will have dough that takes over your entire kitchen!). Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Flip the loaf and bake for another 5 minutes. Sometimes I place an oven-proof bowl of boiling water in the oven to help the bread retain its moisture, but it's not necessary. Let the bread cool for 2-3 minutes before slicing and serving.

Christmas Cookies!

So the picture below is not of the best quality, mostly because I was shooting on the kitchen counter at 6am just trying to fit a few of each of the cookies onto a plate. I was going to wait and photograph the cookies on their platter on Christmas Eve, but I wanted to have this post up by that morning. Anyway, I spend most of Tuesday baking six different kinds of treats (I did not include my dipped marshmallows in this picture, but I will devote a post to them soon) and delivering them to friends in town. Some of the recipes are original, and others are adapted from great recipes I found online or in magazines. I hope you enjoy them and yourselves this Christmas!

1. The bars on the bottom are adapted from my Halloween recipe (search sidebar for "candy bars"). I used my basic batter recipe and added 3/4 cup shredded coconut, 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and 3/4 cup broken pretzels).

2. The pecan sandies in the middle are adapted from Martha Stewart's pecan cookies (if you Google "Martha Stewart pecan sandies" it will take you to her website. You can also just go straight to her site and search. The changes I made were to add a little extra vanilla and use pecan chips (I upped the amount by about 1/4 cup) instead of ground pecans. I love biting into the pecan pieces! I also made them as drop cookies instead of forming the dough into balls. These cookies are super simple, require few ingredients and are rich and buttery.

3. The shortbread cookie recipe is adapted from one of Ina Garten's desserts. You can find the basic recipe by searching for "shortbread ina garten" on http://www.foodtv.com/. I added about 1/3 cup of 1% milk to my dough (this helped with the rolling out process becaus the dough is very crumbly) and used cutters to shape tree cut-outs. I microwaved raspberry, apricot and strawberry jam for about 30 seconds each and spread them on the cookies after dusting the top layer with powdered sugar.


4. I came across a nice and easy recipe for peppermint patties in our local paper (the original recipe was by Allison Campbell, Executive Chef at Harvest Fresh Market). I accidentally bought corn syrup containing vanilla, so I left the vanilla out when I made them. Instead of using plain chocolate, I melted 50% Andes mint chips with 50% semi-sweet chocolate chips to create the chocolate coating. To dip them, my husband suggested placing each cookie on a potato masher before dipping it in the chocolate. Worked like a charm!

5. The sandwich cookies on the right are oatmeal-peanut butter with hazelnut chocolate creme filling. Soooo goood!!!! I've been making these cookies for years and base them on an old Dan and Steve recipe from Food Network. It's long gone from the website, but here is my version:

Makes about 15 cookies

Ingredients:
1/3-1/2 cup Nutella
1 stick of softened butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup quick cooking oats

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 330. Cream peanut butter and butter until fluffy. Beat in sugars on medium speed, adding vanilla and the egg after 1 minute. Add baking powder and soda, and flour and mix on medium speed for an additional minute. Stir in oats. Using two greased teaspoons, drop small (1/2 inch) spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely, then place a dollop of Nutella on one cookie and sandwich with another (using a twisting motion works well to evenly coat the cookie). Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the Nutella to set.


Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Technique Tuesday: Some Thoughts on Baking

During the holidays I find myself baking all the time. Whether it's just for my husband or to take over to a friend's house, there always seems to be something baking in my oven. I typically make 4-6 different types of cookie or bar for Christmas Eve and sometimes make homemade truffles for gifts. Whatever your holiday tradition, I know you'll agree that there's just something so special about home baked treats for your family and friends. I thought I would use this week's Technique Tuesday post to talk a little bit about some of the 'tricks' to turning out great baked goods.

1. Ingredient temperature is important
When you bake, you should make sure that your butter is room temperature (unless you're making a pie crust, then you will need very cold butter). Leave your eggs and liquids out of the fridge for 10 or so minutes to take the chill off of them. This will ensure that your ingredients mix well and your dough doesn't seize up on you.

2. Choose the right vanilla
It is well worth it to spend a little bit more money on some great quality vanilla (and some vanilla beans, if you're feeling adventurous!). Don't buy imitation vanilla; it does not impart that delicious vanilla flavor that pure vanilla does. My favorite type of vanilla to use is Mexican vanilla (you should be able to find this at your local Mexican grocery, if you have one), but pure vanilla (McCormick's is the easiest to find) is wonderful too.

3. Pay attention to the type of chocolate
Be aware of the differences in the type of chocolate you are using. There are so many different varieties out there now, so just read the package before you end up accidentally using dark chocolate in a recipe that calls for semi-sweet (I've done this with brownies before~ I accidentally bought special dark cocoa powder. I don't happen to be a fan of dark chocolate, so I was pretty disappointed). I typically buy semi-sweet chips to use in everything from brownies to bars to chocolate chip cookies and pancakes.

4. Baking requires measurement
Sometimes I have a difficult time writing down my recipes to post on this blog because I tend to be a 'grab a handful and toss it in' kind of girl. I rarely, if ever, measure (unless I'm trying to figure out how to get a recipe from my table to my blog!) when I cook. Baking, however, is a totally different thing. I definitely use measuring cups and spoons when I bake. It is a far more precise endeavor than making an omelette or pasta sauce. Just make sure you don't get too hung up on the measurements. Once you get the hang of basic recipes (like brownies), you'l be able to eyeball some ingredients and make adjustments based on creativity.

5. Convection versus standard oven
A few years ago I received a blessing in disguise when lightening hit my neighbor's house and subsequently fried my stove. I ended up buying a Jenn-Air duel fuel (gas range, electric oven) double convection oven/range. I LOVE IT! Typical me did not read the manual before baking and absolutely overcooked my first dessert. Convection ovens require a different heat setting than traditional ovens, so make sure that you read your oven manual if you buy convection. On my oven, I've found that I have to lower the heat by about 20-25 degrees so that I don't scorch my food.

6. Tools of the trade
Make sure you pay attention to the types of tools you use when baking. For example, if you're making any kind of dough with yeast, you will want to use a dough hook. There is also a paddle attachment that comes with the Cuisinart for making different kinds of dough. Also, make sure you have a full set of measuring spoons and cups; spray them with nonstick spray before measuring sticky ingredients like honey or peanut butter. I like to keep a hand mixer handy for smaller jobs like making frosting, so that I don't have to use my big Cuisinart. A final tip is to invest in a silicone liner. This will come in so handy if you're making delicate cookies or candies and don't want them to stick to your pan.

Mmmmm....fudge and mint!

This is an adaptation of my basic brownie recipe that I use all the time. You can reinvent this recipe a million different ways, from adding raspberry jam to making a peanut butter/cream cheese topping that bakes right into the brownies. It's one of my husband's favorite desserts and is a great base for a sundae. It's so easy to make that it was the first thing I cooked after coming home from the hospital when my daughter was born.

Fudge Mint Brownies














2 cups butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. Creme de Menthe
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup Andes mint pieces

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and Creme de Menthe. Add dry ingredients and mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with Andes mint pieces. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting.