introducing...

Bread of the Week
and Dessert of the Week

In an attempt to perfect my craft and learn lots of new thing (not to mention eat like a queen) I am going to be making something new every week.

This week:

Bagels (salt and sesame seed)

White Cake with raspberry filling and white chocolate frosting

Look out for these in the next two days!


they won't be coming out on any particular days of the week, more as just a weekly thing because- well- I'm not good with too much structure.

Bread Bowls and Beet Salad

Alright, here they are- bread bowls. Delicious bread bowls. You know the best thing about bread bowls? You need to carve out the inside which makes for an excellent "while cooking" snack.

I know I was asked to make soup for the bread bowls, but I almost got roasted alive in my house yesterday just making the bread. Something to do with near a hundred degree temperatures outside. So soup was out of the question. But after lots of thinking and talking the "why not put anything in a bread bowl" question came up. And really, why not?

Bread Bowls, this makes 2 good sized bread bowls
(taken from a recipe in the bread bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, one of my fav authors who has a blog!)

Dough Starter
1 c flour
1/4 c wheat flour
3/8 t instant yeast
1 1/4 t honey
1 1/3 water
Flour Mixture
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 t yeast
1 1/2 t salt

1. Mix starter mixture with a whisk until incorporated in a large bowl (the kitchen aid bowl is a good option).
2. Mix flour and yeast from flour mixture and pour over top of the starter.
3. Cover bowl and let rise for 1-4 hours, however long you have, the longer the better.
4. Add salt, put bowl on kitchen-aid and using the dough hook mix on low until incorporated, then mix on speed 4 for 5 minutes.
5. Put in greased bowl, covered, and let it rise for an hour, until doubled.
6. Shape dough into two large rolls and place on cornmeal covered baking sheet.
7. Cover and let rise for another hour.
8. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce to 425 for another 10 minutes, a thermometer inside should reach 200 degrees.
9. Let cool.

Beet Salad

While baking the bread I put a beet in foil and a couple cloves of garlic in foil into the oven. Let cook for 30 minutes then take out garlic. Turn off oven and let beet stay in oven to finish cooking.
Once cooled chop up beet into a large dice, and add diced cucumber and tomato.
To make dressing mix 3 T red wine vinegar, 1 t salt, 1 t pepper, and 1 t sugar.
Add plenty of grated pecorino romano and spoon into bread bowls. Delicious!

Orange Rolls

I absolutely love these rolls. If you have never had an orange roll, I wish I could lend you my grandmother, she always makes excellent orange rolls. They are simple, a lot like cinnamon rolls, but somehow work with dinner not just breakfast.

Orange Rolls

Your favorite white roll dough, enough for 2 dozen
1/2 c butter
2 oranges
1/2 c sugar

1. Mix dough and let rise once
2. Grate orange peels and add to sugar, mix
3. Melt butter and add juice from the oranges
4. Once dough has risen, roll out on a floured surface into a big rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick
5. using a pastry brush rub a thick layer of butter mixture over the entire surface
6. Coat in the sugar/orange peel mixture
7. Cut the dough into 1x5 inches thick and roll up like a cinnamon roll
8. put on a greased sheet pan in rows about 4x8
9. rub top with butter and more sugar
10. let rise again, for another hour then bake until tops are light brown at 350 degrees
11. Let cool and serve

The Trouble- Wheat Bread

The trouble of thirty posts in thirty days is the feeling of dread when you realize you might not make it. I have 20 minutes left in today though. Traveling and staying at someone else's house makes blogging a little tough. Before I left though I made sure to write down the recipe I wanted to share though. And by tomorrow night I will be back home.

Honey Wheat Bread (makes 2 loaves)

4 c whole wheat flour
2 c white flour ( I mix flours so it isn't SO dense)
4 t instant yeast
2 c whole milk, 70-80 degrees
¼ c honey
2 eggs
2 t salt
6 T butter, softened
wheat germ for dusting

1. Mix yeast, honey and milk. If you use instant dry increase it by 2 tsp and heat the milk.
2. Add eggs, salt and butter and mix
3. In kitchenaid or by hand knead in flour until it reaches a slightly stiff, not too sticky consistency.
4. Grease bowl, put in dough and cover. Let rise for 2 hours, until doubled in size. Shape into two greased loaf pans, sprinkle with wheat germ(to make it look pretty and rustic) cover and let rise for another hour.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes until the crust is a medium brown and the bread sounds hollow when you know on it.

20 minutes after it comes out of the oven cut off the end slice and eat it with honey and you will know heaven.