St. Lucia Buns - Blue Monday

St. Lucia Buns...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1-1/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon saffron threads, chopped fine and soaked in a few drops of water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, divided use
4 cups unbleached flour + flour for kneading
Raisins for garnish

Directions:1) Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add milk and saffron and heat until just until warm. Pour into bowl of an electric stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt, 1 egg and 2 cups flour. Beat with paddle attachment until smooth and well combine, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add final 2 cups of flour. Using dough hook, beat until mixture is smooth and begins to climb beater. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until perfectly smooth. This dough has a wonderful velvety texture to it. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to coat all surfaces, and let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
2) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Punch dough down, roll into a cylinder 36 inches long. Cut 18 2-inch pieces from cylinder. Roll each piece into a 10-inch rope. Form each piece into an S, spiraling ends to form a figure eight. Transfer pieces to to prepared baking sheet. Let rise, covered, until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Brush buns with reserved egg. Tuck raisins into spirals at each end of figure eight. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Yield: 18 buns.

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Apple Cinnamon Bread

Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread (makes one 9×5 inch loaf)
Ingredients:

For the bread:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

For the swirl:
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

For the bread, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric mixture, beat oil and sugar together in a large bowl. Add eggs and beat until smooth and pale. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. With a spatula, fold in apples.

Pour half the batter in the prepared loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the swirl ingredients until combined. Spoon half of the mixture in 5 or 6 circles on top of the batter. With a knife, swirl the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the batter. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and repeat the swirl with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mix.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Recipe from AllRecipes

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Cinnamon and Sugar Pull-Apart Bread Recipes

Cinnamon and Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
Dough
2 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Filling
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups of flour.

Sugar.

Yeast and salt.

Set this flour mixture aside.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and milk.

Once the butter is completely melted take off the burner and add the water...

and vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.

Pour the milk mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Whisk together the eggs and add to the batter.

Keep mixing. Add 3/4 cup of flour and mix well. The mixture will be very sticky which means it's perfect. Place the dough in a medium greased bowl.

Cover with wrap and let it sit in a warm place to rise for about 30-45 minutes. Once the dough has doubled its size, knead in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover the dough again for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, start on the filling. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

Once the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface. Brush the melted butter on the dough and add the sugar mixture. Make sure everything is covered.

Using a shape knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into equal sized strips (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches wide). Then cut the strips into equal sized squares.

Stack the squares on top of each other to make 3 to 4 piles. Don't make stacks to high or your will be cussing when you try to place them into the pan. Also, your bread will come out prettier if you don't stack the squares perfectly aligned.

Place squares in the greased bread pan.

Take any sugar that fell off squares and sprinkle over the top and around the sides of dough. Cover the dough for another 10-15 minutes to rise.

While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place a cookie sheet under bread pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until outside of bread is golden brown.

Recipe from www.iheartfoodandsocanyou.blogspot.com.

CINNAMON AND SUGAR PULL-APART BREAD

Dough

2 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

2 eggs (at room temperature)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Filling

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and milk. Once the butter is completely melted take off the burner and add the water and vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.

Pour the milk mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Whisk together the eggs and add to the batter. Keep mixing. Add 3/4 cup of flour and mix well. The mixture will be very sticky which means it's perfect. Place the dough in a medium greased bowl. Cover with wrap and let it sit in a warm place to rise for about 30-45 minutes. Once the dough has doubled its size, knead in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover the dough again for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, start on the filling. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

Once the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface. Brush the melted butter on the dough and add the sugar mixture. Make sure everything is covered. Using a shape knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into equal sized strips (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches wide). Then cut the strips into equal sized squares. Stack the squares on top of each other to make 3 to 4 piles and place them in a bread pan. Take any sugar that fell off squares and sprinkle over the top and around the sides of dough. Cover the dough for another 10-15 minutes to rise.

While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place a cookie sheet under bread pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until outside of bread is golden brown.

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Braided Cinnamon Wreath

Braided Cinnamon Wreath

Author: Ana Maria Ciolacu from Just Love Cookin’

Yield: 1 Wreath 

Dough

•  2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
• 1 envelope active dry yeast or 0.6 Oz
• 1/8 cup melted butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp sugar

Filling:

•  1/4 cup softened butter
• 4-5 tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Mix the yeast and sugar with the lukewarm milk and let it sit a few minutes while the yeast bubbles and foams up.
2. Add the egg yolk, the melted butter, the flour and the salt, then knead the dough and shape into a ball.
3. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl, then cover and place in a warm space and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
4. Preheat oven to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Dust your work surface with flour, and roll the dough out to a thickness of 1cm.
5. Spread the melted butter across all of the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
6. Roll up the dough, and using a knife, cut the log in half length-wise.
7. Twist the two halves together, keeping the open layers exposed as described in the photo tutorial. Give a round shape, then transfer to a baking tray (buttered or covered with cookie sheet).
8. Top the remaining butter and sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit after 5-10 minutes to stop it burning. Top with icing sugar mixed with water if you want, just sprinkle some sugar, or eat it like this.

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Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Braid

Ingredients

• 2 cans Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls
• 2 cups chicken chunks, cooked
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 2 cups broccoli, frozen, steamed and chopped
• ½ cup light mayonnaise
• 1 egg yolk
• fresh rosemary

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, spread both cans of crescents length wise to form a long rectangle.
3. Press each of the seams to form a single layer of dough.
4. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cheese, broccoli and mayonnaise
5. Spread mixture over the center of the croissant dough evenly to create a log.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut horizontal strips 1 inch apart down each side of the crescent dough.
7. Fold the dough strips over the top of the chicken mixture, alternating left and right to create a braid.
8. Brush the top of the braid with a beaten egg yolk and sprinkle fresh rosemary on top.
9. Bake for 28 – 30 minutes until golden brown.

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Homemade French Bread

Ingredients
2 1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon oil
5 1/2 - 6 cups flour

Directions1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let this proof—or sit for a few minutes until it bubbles.
2. Add the salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and beat well. Add in 2 1/2 -3 more cups of flour. The dough should clean off the sides of the bowl and not be too sticky – but be careful not to add too much flour. Knead for a few minutes with your mixer.
3. Leave the dough in the mixer to rest for 10 minutes and then stir it down (turn on your mixer for 10 seconds) and then allow to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and divide into two equal parts. Roll each part into a 9×13 rectangle. Roll dough up, starting from long edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough. 
5. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at an angle on the top of each. Cover lightly; allow to rise 30 minutes. Brush entire surface with egg wash (one egg beaten slightly with 1 Tbsp of water). Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

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Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Source: The Changeable Table

Ingredients:

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread

12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup finely diced green onion

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

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Homemade Tortillas

Tortillas de Harina
Flour Tortillas (wheat)
(this are NOT to be confused with CORN tortillas. Corn tortillas are made with MASECA, this are made with plain wheat flour, or you can use whole wheat also. Flour tortillas are rolled with a rolling pin, NOT pressed with a tortilla press)

These tortillas are great for quesadillas or burritos (I guess you could even do “wraps” with them, as long as you use them warm, otherwise they’re not very flexible). They are moist and buttery, and even if they don’t come out perfectly round (mine never do!), you can wow your friends and family! They are not as good as my mom’s, but they’re pretty close.
UPDATE!(july 2012). I wrote this post 5 years ago. We had recently moved to Switzerland (still here), and I was trying to a)do something with my time (now I have an almost 4 year old to keep me busy), b)bring some familiarity back to my life, it was overwhelming to be in a new country living a new life.
I pinned this (and a couple other posts) on pinterest, just trying it out, and I am super surprised to see how many visits it brought. I will read the comments and try to update the recipe to answer questions. Thanks!

revisions/comments in red


(makes about 35 tortillas about 6 inches in diameter)

1 kilogram of Flour (all purpose OR whole wheat) + 1 cup for rolling surface (=2.2 lbs, OR 8 cups)
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used oil because it was easy to find in a Swiss supermarket. I had just arrived to Switzerland and I did not know the language or the products. Please feel free to use vegetable lard. Lard is actually the "traditional" ingredient) (Also, I've had good results using less oil/lard, so feel free to experiment)
1 tbsp. Baking powder
2 tbsp. Salt (or less)
1 1/2 cup warm water (as hot as you can handle to mix with your hands)

• Mix your dry ingredients
• Make a “hole” in the middle of your “mountain” of flour.
• Add oil (or melted vegetable lard) and water and start mixing .
• When the dough is firm enough to handle, knead it a bit on a flat surface.
• “break” pieces off the dough (about the size of a golf ball) by squeezing it with your thumb and index finger (like you’re choking it :))
• Make several round balls (called “testales”), and place them on a floured surface (cookie sheet works great).
• Let the testales rest for about 30 mins. covered with a damp towel. (comments say 1 hour works best, I will try that, although it's just too long for me to wait :)
• Place a testal on a floured surface. Flour your rolling pin and roll. Whatever technique you use for rolling… just spread them enough so they are bout 6 inches in diameter.(do not try a tortilla press for flour tortillas :)  It just doesn't work)
• Cook your tortillas on a “comal”, flat griddle or skillet at medium heat (mine was on 6 on an electric stove). You don’t need to oil the skillet (there’s enough oil in there). 
• Just like with pancakes, the 1st one is never good, but the rest are delicious.
• You can pile up the uncooked tortillas, they won’t stick.(but not more than 5, and keep them far from the hot stove, otherwise they DO stick together)
• My process is usually: flatten, place in comal, flatten another one, turn the one in the comal, flatten another one, remove the one from the comal and repeat!
• It takes about 1 minute to cook on the 1st side (you will see some bubbles appear on the surface, this is normal), then you turn and press with it down with a flat turner to make a bubble again it takes about 30 seconds on the second side.Do not overcook or they will turn hard like cookies. delicious cookies, but not good for burritos. 

Eat them warm with butter, avocado, queso, or refired beans, but to freeze or refrigerate, make sure you cool them spread out on a flat surface before bagging them.

(on the photos I had henna in my hands… they’re not dirty! Hehe)

thanks to all those who have taken the time to comment and give tips and feedback! I don't know why I cannot reply on each of your comments individually... but I read them and I appreciate them!

http://jazibesrecipes.blogspot.com

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