Cinnamon + Raisin + Bread = Awesome

I was browsing TasteSpotting in my Google Reader today and happened across this amazing recipe for Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread.  With my several week craving for cinnamon rolls, I figured this bread would do the trick.  (For some reason, I didn’t want to actually make cinnamon rolls.  I’m not exactly sure why…)

It not only looks cool, but it tastes amazing!  I made three very slight modifications to the recipe because of ingredients on hand.  I used half & half instead of milk (we’d just run out), used half wheat flour, and raw sugar instead of white sugar.  Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written.

Don’t let the length of the recipe instructions scare you.  It’s really written out for someone who is newer to bread baking.  For the most part, it’s a very basic bread recipe with a twist at the end where you roll it out and put the filling in.  I hate rolling dough out and even for me this was easy.

It’s worth the effort.  Trust me.

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Bread: A Comforting Constant

Bread is becoming a comforting constant in this household.  A relatively new thing, bread baking has worked its way into our kitchen several times in the past month or so.  No, not holiday bread baking, but actual, every day, sandwich bread baking.  I know I’ve talked about this recipe before, but as I continue to use it, it only gets better.  This round, I decided to tweak it a little (I just can’t help myself) and subbed in a cup of whole wheat flour.

BAM!  Instant wheat bread.  Not the hearty stuff you might think of, but more of a Sara Lee wheat bread, soft and fluffy.  I’m considering other tweaks I could make to it.  I bet it would adapt well to a sort of breakfast bread (cinnamon raisin bread, anyone?) as well as a more savory type (mmm… cheddar garlic…).  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, I give you a little bread porn to hold you over.  (I apologize in advance if anyone is currently on a low carb diet.)

P.S. I make my bread by “hand”, i.e. stand mixer.  I use a mixer and bread stones.  It works beautifully.

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Fall Is Here

Which means baking and crafting have kicked into high gear.  Today I made bread from this recipe and oh. my. gosh.  So good!  The Hungry Mouse never disappoints and this is no exception.

The recipe makes two loaves.  While one turned out beautifully, the other had a bit of an overrising/air bubble issue.  Oh well, it’s not the outside that matters.  See?

While waiting during the various rising stages and watching evening tv with the hubby, I knit up this little hat for my friend who is preggers.

While it may look very holiday, it is, in actuality, Huskers colors.  I’m thinking about putting a little felt “N” on it so it looks less elf and a little more “go team!”.  The yarn is Plymouth Dreambaby DK.  The pattern is based loosely on the Jelly Beanie hat from Rowan Classic Bambino.

Stay tuned for more weather induced cooking and crafting as the season progress…

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Bread from Sour Milk

So, I’ve been getting raw milk from a co-worker who has a farm.  The cow’s name is Sasha and every week I visit her for my quart of milk (and often a dozen farm-fresh eggs).  One of the quarts I got two weeks ago didn’t get the cream skimmed off soon enough and went a little sour.  DO NOT USE YOUR MILK IF IT IS PASTEURIZED AND HAS GONE SOUR!  Pasteurized milk is actually decomposing, whereas raw milk is merely changing into another form.  Ok, now that we understand that, let’s move on.  So, many people like to drink sour milk (it’s like buttermilk), but I am not one of those people.  Not wanting to waste my cup and a half of slightly sour milk, I scoured the internet for an appropriate recipe.  I came upon Buttermilk Wheat Bread at AllRecipes.com.  While it is written for the bread machine, a few changes make it perfect for the oven.  I skimmed the comments and saw that many people had kindly listed those changes for me.  And, because I was out of wheat flour, mine is entirely white flour.  Below is the recipe with my modifications.  This may just be the best bread I’ve ever baked…

Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups soured raw milk (or buttermilk)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

Directions

Warm the milk to around 110 degrees.  Add milk and the melted butter to your stand mixer.  Pour in the yeast, sugar, and salt and mix briefly.  Let sit for a minute to proof.  Add in the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well.  Use the dough hook attachment if available and knead for 3 – 5 minutes.  Turn once in oil to coat and let rise in a warm place 45 minutes or until doubled.  Punch down and place in greased loaf pan.  Let rise another 15 – 30 minutes, depending on desired loaf size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on rack.  For softer crust, apply butter to the top as it cools.

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Making Dough

Monday, my darling hubby was wonderful and went to the grocery store for me.  I gave him a list, but neglected to put bread on it (we had just run out).  Him, not being psychic, did not realize I had forgotten to put bread on the list and so, did not buy it.  This being totally my fault, and really not wanting to make a trip to the store for one item, I decided to make do (or dough as it were).  I had all the ingredients on hand and no plans to leave the house.  Perfect bread making opportunity!

I have been stalking bread recipes on AllRecipes for some time.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my Artisan Bread.  But it’s just not soft enough for sandwiches.  Plus, a little variety is always nice.  After much browsing and reading of comments, I had added Grandma VanDoren’s White Bread recipe to my virtual recipe box.  Now the opportunity had arrived to give this bad boy a test run!  I cut the recipe down to a third of the original size.  (If it flopped, I didn’t want three loaves of nasty bread.)  Using the suggestions of some of the reviewers, I doubled the yeast to halve my rising time (it really works!!!) and used AP flour instead of bread flour.  Making a “sponge” was definitely new to me, but it seemed to work well (and according to my mother was very common back in the day).  The bread rose quickly and was ready to go in the oven by the time I finished eating dinner.  It baked up nice and golden and fluffy.  Definitely a soft white bread, I think I may use the suggestion of covering it with foil for the last 10 minutes so the crust doesn’t get as crispy.  All in all, this is a fabulous white bread recipe.  Definitely a keeper in my book!

P.S. It makes excellent toast!

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Bread!

Well, it’s sort of bread..  It’s gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, sugar-free bread (try saying that five times fast).  It’s from this fantastic recipe on Gluten Free Goddess.

It didn’t rise very well, but I’m not sure if that’s due to a chilly house or needing more egg replacer.  I’ll just have to make more and find out.  In the meantime, it’s back in the oven.  (Again, due to not rising well.)  But the end I sliced off to test was delicious.

(Yes, it’s only day three of the Elimination Diet and I’m already trolling the internet for gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, everything-free recipes.  Don’t judge until you’ve given up caffeine *and* bread *and* pretty much everything else that’s delicious.  Except sushi.  I can still have that.  Phew!)

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Bun in the Oven & Other Things

Now, before you get all excited, I mean actual bread.  I’ve finally baked a loaf from the new book I bought,  Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  It is what it says, it’s a cookbook that lets you bake yummy bread using very little of your time.  I carved off a hunk of the Master Recipe from the fridge, shaped it, let it rest, and threw it in the oven.  Now, it’s important to note that I didn’t have cornmeal (so it stuck to the stone) and I didn’t follow the directions exactly because, well… I was getting schnockered on cherry-apple cider (of the hard variety from here.  There was a beer tasting at Bear Creek Beers where a friend works, so we went and saw this stuff and oh. my. gosh. is it good!).  But, despite the slightly deformed looks, this little baby was delicious!!

(I think it kind of looks like a cooked Pokemon.  Don’t you?)

Speaking of delicious babies… I finished the pink baby Matinee Jacket (terrible segue, I know).  So, since it was a WIP from 2008 that I had been avoiding… it counts as my Finishing Friday! (Man.. I wish this blog had sound effects!)

Pink Baby Matinee Jacket

Pattern: Garter Stitch Matinee Jacket from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino 2
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK Col. 267 “Strawberry”
Needles: Size 3 Addi Turbos
Ribbon: Something I had in the ribbon box.  Looks like a “by the spool” type from JoAnns or Michaels.

This is definitely a fast and easy project when you work on it.  Once I decided to finish it, it took about 3 – 4 days of break/lunch knitting and some chair knitting at home to finish both fronts.  The back had been done for a while.  I think next time, I’d work it in the round with provisional cast ons for the sleeves.  That way I could just kitchener the top and bottoms of the sleeves together using the garter method as shown in Woolly Wormhead’s fantastic book Going Straight.  That book not only has awesome hats, but is my ultimate reference for kitchener stitch these days.

On the Frogging Friday front, I haven’t decided yet.  I have this capelet that’s been bothering me for a bit.  It’s been lounging for quite some time and I’m considering ripping it and re-purposing the yarn into an entrelac stole.  Thoughts?

For next week’s Friday contemplation:

To Finish?

Cargo Pants – These were originally slated for Tyler, but he grew too quickly.  They just need the pockets sewn on and the elastic cut and sewn in.  The major question is, who should they go to once I finish them?  Should I find a small child, or just put them in the baby box to wait for the right recipient?

Finn Socks V2 – These were testing the pattern I wrote up for little baby socks.  I have one completely finished.  Should I knit the other one and find them a baby?

Cabled Coat – Another baby project.  Originally slated for Anthony’s new baby brother, Gavin.  Since I obviously didn’t make that date, should I try to finish it for him before winter is over?  I have the back done and most of one front.  It’s not a hard pattern, but does require concentration.  Plus, it will take me a little time to figure out where I am on that front and untangle the yarn mess that Michelle’s kitten so graciously created by wrestling the attached skein.

The Chicken, the Piggy, and the Shroomy, and the Gnome – I know I need to finish these.  In fact, they’re even felted.  They just require stuffing, sewing, and eyes.  Heck, I could have them finished in a short evening.  Why haven’t I finished them yet?! (I think the Gnomey’s hair fell down the vent.. may have to be creative on that one…)

To Frog?

Comfy Bolero – This one I was very excited about and got sidetracked.  Should I frog it and re-purpose the yarn, or attempt to finish it?

Capelet – The capelet mentioned above.  It was supposed to be to keep me warm during meetings, but I just never got it finished.  The rows have gotten really. really. long. and it’s driving me crazy.  I haven’t touched it in six months at least.  Do I (wo)man up and finish it or frog it and do the entrelac that seems to be on my brain?

–

Ok, enough of that.  I’m feeling overwhelmed just looking at this small chunk of the list.  Perhaps I’ll just avoid it all and start another project.  I do have a bowtie hanging around my neck (figuritively) that I promised a friend.  I can’t seem to find the yarn that I bought for it.  I may have to go to the yarn shop.  Darn.

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