Homemade Bagels

Mike & I looove bagels. So I decided to make my own. This recipe from Pennies on a Platter is perfect. The bagels are soft on the insise, slighty crunchy on the outside. Yummm!

Bagels

Found on Pennies on a Platter, originally from Baking Bites

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1 3/4 cups water, warm (100-110F)

4-5 cups bread flour (not all purpose)

1 tbsp salt1 egg, for egg wash

Optional Seasonings:

Poppy Seeds

Onion Powder

Caraway

Sesame Seeds

Kosher Salt

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar and water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in flour and salt. Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.
If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

When dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces (first quarters, then halves). Shape each piece into a tight ball, pinching the corners together at the bottom of the dough. When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.

Once dough balls have rested, the bagel shape can be formed. Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers and be sure to make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. Let bagels rest for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and preheat the oven to 400F. (I used a deep dish skillet because it’s wider.) Line a baking sheet with paper towels and another baking sheet with parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal.

Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes on each side. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to the paper towels to drain for a moment, then place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining bagels.
Brush boiled bagels with lightly beaten egg (a pastry brush is a good tool for this) and sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for 24 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack (bagel will soften slightly as it cools). Slice and toast to serve.

Tender Honey Yeast Rolls

Yeast intimidates. It never rises right for me, so I'm never happy with my final product. Well, this time I was determined to get it right. So I used my candy thermometer to make sure the water was the perfect temperature for the yeast - after 2 tries, it was perfect. I got the yeasty smell and the foam! I was beyond excited.
These rolls are amazing, I'll be making them again soon!



Thanks to A Cookie a day for the recipe!

4 cups bread flour *I couldn't find bread flour in my grocery store, so I used all-purpose flour (Start with 3 if you are hand kneading)
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package dry yeast (1/4-ounce)
Vegetable cooking spray

Hand kneading instructions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the honey, egg and oil. Add roughly 3 cups of the flour and the salt until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, working in the remaining flour as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky, until the dough is smooth and elastic, 8 minutes. Do not be tempted to add too much flour. The dough should stay soft and will become less sticky with kneading.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Bread Machine Instructions:
Follow manufacturer’s instructions for placing first 7 ingredients into bread pan; select dough cycle, and start bread machine. Remove dough from machine (do not bake).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 30 seconds. Cover dough, and let rest 10 minutes.

Punch dough down, and divide into 12-18 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, and place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 minutes. Uncover and bake at 400° for 13 minutes or until browned. Remove rolls from pans, and serve warm or at room temperature.
(About 5 minutes into baking I topped my rolls with 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp honey to give it that golden brown shiny coat)

Whole Wheat pizza dough

My husband could eat pizza every day for every meal - seriously. So I'm always looking for ways to make it more homemade and more healthy. When I saw this recipe for whole wheat pizza dough over on A Year in the Kitchen, I knew I had to try it.

I made the dough the day before I needed it, but I think next time I should do it same day. When I made it, I wrapped it in Saran Wrap and stuck it in the refrigerator. Well, twice it grew and broke the saran wrap! So by the time I went to roll it and stretch it out - I could have made 2 pizzas! So I just made a nice, thick crust!

This is the pizza after it's been baked, before we added toppings.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 packet active dry yeast
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. warm water
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all purpose flour

Add water, yeast and sugar to a mixing bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, yeast will bubble. Turn the dough hook on and add in the flours. If the dough is too sticky, add another 1/4 c. all purpose flour. Let it knead for 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 1-2 hours.

Roll out dough, and place on a pizza pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Add toppings (I used pizza sauce, pizza seasoning from Penzey's, shredded mozzerella and parmesan cheeses and turkey pepperoni) and put back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Crockpot Bread

What? Crockpot bread? How the heck do you make bread in a crockpot? That was the first thing I thought when I saw this recipe over at Sweet Savory Southern. But heck, I'm always up for baking, and really - how hard can this be!?

Well, this bread didn't turn out to be my favorite. Part of the bottom got way too dark - if I make it again, I might not cook it on high at all, just low for 3 or so hours. I'm not sure. It was also very dense, I like a fluffier bread. Feel free to tweek as you'd like!

Classic White Bread

101 More Things To Do With A Slow cooker
Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring
10-15 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
1 envelope (.25 ounce) of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat flour & 1 3/4 or so cups AP flour)

DIRECTIONS:
In a bowl combine yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water. Allow yeast to foam, about 5 minutes. Add egg, oil, lukewarm water, salt, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 cups of flour. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on low. With a wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour. Place dough in greased 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours. (Again, I think I'd cook it on low 3-4 hours since the bottom of mine got too dark) Remove stoneware from cooker and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Home-made Bread

I've been wanting to try my hand at making my own bread for a while now. But really, it's got to be hard to make your own bread, right? Well, I needed some "me" time yesterday, so I took a 1/2 day at work, and came home to relax. But - I got bored. So I decided it was the perfect time to try my hand at homemade bread. I found a recipe for Classic White Bread from Chelley, over at Sugar & Spice. I thought this would be the perfect base to my bread. In the end, I'm not terribly happy with my bread. It didn't rise correctly - but, I'm going to try again this weekend with warmer ingredients.

I am copying the recipe from Chelley, with the changes I made in red.

Classic White Bread

(Source: Peter Reinhart The Bread Baker’s Apprentice pages 265-269)
Makes two 1-pound loaves, 18 dinner rolls, or 12 burger or hot dog buns

4¼ cups (19 ounces) unbleached bread flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white flour)
1½ teaspoons (.38 ounces) salt

3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) sugar

2 teaspoons (.22 ounce) instant yeast

1 large (1.65 ounces) egg, slightly beaten, at room temperature

¼ cup (2 ounces) butter, margarine, or shortening, at room temperature, or vegetable oil

1½ cups (12 ounces) buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature

1 egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water until frothy, for egg wash (optional)

sesame or poppy seeds for garnish (optional)

1. Mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Pour in the egg, butter, and milk and mix with a large metal spoon (or on low speed of the electric mixer with the paddle attachment) until all the flour is absorbed and the dough forms a ball. If the dough seems very stiff and dry, trickle in more milk until the dough is soft and supple.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook), adding more flour, if necessary, to create a dough that is soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Continue kneading (or mixing) for 6 to 8 minutes. (In the electric mixer, the dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick ever to slightly to the bottom.) The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 80° F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size (the length of time will depend on the room temperature).

4. Remove the fermented dough from the bowl and divide it in half for sandwich loaves, into eighteen 2-ounce pieces for dinner rolls, or twelve 3-ounce pieces for burger or hot dog buns. Shape the pieces into boules for loaves or tight rounds for dinner rolls or buns. Mist the dough lightly with spray oil and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

5. For loaves, shape as shown on page 81. Lightly oil two 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans. For rolls and buns, line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment. Rolls require no further shaping. For hamburger buns, gently press down on the rolls to form the desired shape. For hot dog buns, shape as shown on page 80, although without tapering the ends. Transfer the rolls or buns to the sheet pans.

6. Mist the tops of the dough with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Proof the dough at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it nearly doubles in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 350° F for loaves or 400° F for roll and buns. Brush the rolls or buns with the egg wash and garnish with poppy or sesame seeds. Sandwich loaves also may be washed and garnished, or score them down the center and rub a little vegetable oil in the slit.

8. Bake the rolls or buns for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and register just above 180° F in the center. Bake loaves for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through for even baking, if needed. The tops should be golden brown and the sides, when removed from the pan, should also be golden. The internal temperature of the loaves should be close to 190° F, and the loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

9. When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving. Rolls should cool for at least 15 minutes on a rack before serving.

Enjoy! Once I make it again, if I'm happier with the results I'll post new pictures!

Pita Bread

When I Saw Chelley over on the WC board posting about making her own pita bread, I knew this was a recipe I just HAD to try. I've always loved Pita bread - it reminds me of the summers I had off from school as a kid. I guess my mom must have made me sandwiches with pita bread or something, but it brings back such great memories. But it never ocurred to me to try and make my own. Thanks for the great idea Chelley.

This recipe is straight from Sugar & Spice - Chelley's blog

Pita Bread
Makes 8 pitas

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon sugar or honey

1 packet yeast

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water, roughly at room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, or shortening

Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon. All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water [I had to add a bit more flour to get it to the right consistency].

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. If you are using an electric mixer, mix it at low speed for 10 minutes.

When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it’ll be easier to shape.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven. This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick - 6 inches in diameter. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.
Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet [I used parchment paper] and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.

Open the oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface [I made 2 at a time on my baking stone]. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, but it isn’t necessary [I baked mine for about 5 minutes each].

Look how poofy they got! It was so fun to watch them poof up in the oven!! I can't wait to dig into my lunch tomorrow - leftover pan-chicken with garlic, lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese in a homemade pita! Enjoy :)

Strawberry Bread

My grandmother, mother, sister-in-law and I went to the opening of the local strawberry patch this past weekend. Unfortunatily, due to the rain - most of the berries were rotten. We got a few good ones though, enough for me to make this great recipe I found on the nest. Amy from Skinny Food by Amy shared this recipe with me, and I was so excited when I saw it! It's really a wonderful bread, I highly recommend it.

This recipe is copied from Amy's blog. I used the full fat version since I did not have the low fat ingredients on hand. I'm sure it's great either way.

Strawberry Bread

Hard to believe, but I reduced the calories by 100 calories per serving on this bread, and am sure that I didn't impact the taste much at all! My dad bought a flat of Louisiana strawberries late last week, and so I have been trying to figure out ways to get rid of the strawberries since their lives are at their end..lol. This helped me rid of a pint and in an awesome way!

This bread is delicious, especially with a dollop of cool whip. I want another piece but I know I snacked enough earlier when I got home lol. Here is the original recipe with my substitutions from AllRecipes.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups fresh strawberries

* 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 1/8 cups AP flour)

* 2 cups white sugar (1 cup splenda, 1 cup white sugar)

* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (12 oz. no sugar added applesauce)

* 4 eggs, beaten

* 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans (omitted because I hate pecans)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

2. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans. Divide batter into pans.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.I did end up just baking this in a 8x8 pan since I couldn't find the loaf pans :(. Worked out just fine! All in all this was delicious and I'm looking forward to this for breakfast tomorrow morning!

**I used my Pampered Chef mini-loaf stoneware pan, and it worked great!

Zucchini Bread

Well, I gave away/ate all the bread before I had the chance to take a picture. But the recipe is from a cookbook that my Great Grandfather created after my Great Grandmother passed away. It contains all her favorite recipes. So this has a very special place in my heart. I don't know where she got this recipe, but it makes a great bread!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs (beat with a fork)
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2" peeled, finely grated zucchini squash
3 tsp vanilla - Beat
1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups flour, sift into above
add 1 cup nuts (I didn't)
Greased tins, 325 degrees, 1 hr

This made me 4 large mini-loaves.

Banana Bread

I got this recipe from the Desserts cookbook from Weight Watchers, but I modified it heavily. I am posting my version here:

Banana Bread

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

3 egg whites

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (2 cups)

Combine ingredients and cook at 375 degrees for 55 minutes. I baked this in my pampered chef mini-loaf stone, and had 4 perfectly sized loaves of banana bread. It is so rich and moist and wonderful - I highly recommend.

WW: 1/6 of a mini loaf is 2 points