Naan

I love our local corner Indian restaurant. Every afternoon they have a fantastic buffet, chock-full of tandoori and chicken tikka masala, aloo mutter and veggie korma; as well as pakora, tikki, and samosa galore.

But best of all, to scoop up every spicy bite - hot, soft-yet-crispy naan, that buttery Indian flatbread that is to die for. Well, on the buffet at India Palace, the naan is the first thing to disappear. Usually you and your fellow diners enjoy your lunch with one eye on the buffet - once the piping hot naan hits the warming plate, you lunge to get yours before it's gone again, which doesn't take but a minute or two. Good stuff, that naan.

This one has a smiley face!

If you are like me and eat Indian out a bit too much for your pocketbook, then you decide to just make your own Indian at home. Much more economical. And yet, you strike out again if you try to get your naan at the grocery store: for one, it's a poor substitute to the fresh stuff. Secondly, you're going to pay a ton for 2 measly pieces. Ladies and gents, let me tell you: this is the point where you realize you just have to make the naan yourself.

Making your own naan is easy, cheap, and this recipe makes A TON so no worries about running out! Almost exactly what you get from the restaurants (I don't have the clay tandoor, but the grilled version here is pretty darn close). Give it a shot next time you make your own Indian at home - well worth the effort.


Naan
(from Allrecipes)





Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. white sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c. bread flour
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Laugen Brotchen

Yum! I love a good pretzel roll - salty, chewy, and that distinctively pretzel-y taste (kinda sweet yeah, and a bit doughy and Something Else that just can't be described). And yet, only with a pretzel roll you can eat alone with a nice spicy mustard OR you can use it for sandwiches. Brilliant!

This takes me back to when my parents always used to make pretzels at home, although they went the more "traditional" route and boiled the dough in a lye bath. I used baking soda, because I'm a wimp (and a klutz, so someone would have lost an eye if I'd done the traditional thing). They were still very good! If you haven't made homemade pretzels (or pretzel rolls) before, you are truly missing out. Quite the treat.

Laugen Brotchen (Pretzel Rolls)

(from RecipeZaar)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. warm milk
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 c. all-purpose flour
Kosher salt or pretzel salt
2 qt. cold water
1/2 c. baking soda

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix 1/3 cup of the warm (105-115 F) water with the yeast and let stand until foamy. Add the remaining cup of warm water, the warm milk, melted butter, and brown sugar and mix to dissolve the sugar.

Attach your dough hook to your stand mixer, and slowly add the 4 cups of flour until combined. Continue using your dough hook to mix the dough until it forms a nice, firm dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot long log and cut into 12 even pieces. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a damp cloth and let sit for 30 minutes.

Pat dough into rolls, or form pretzel knows and arrange on a lightly floured surface, about an inch apart, and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.

In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a rolling boil and add the baking soda. Drop the rolls -- one or two at a time -- into the boiling water and boil for no more than 30 seconds, turning them over once. Carefully remove with tongs, spatula, or slotted spoon and hold above the pot to let drain.

Deposit boiled rolls into the greased baking sheet (6 per sheet) and sprinkle lightly with pretzel or kosher salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Bake the rolls on the upper and middle racks of the oven for 8-10 minutes until brown all over -- if necessary, shift pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through, for even baking.

Let the rolls cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Cinnamon Buns

Every year for my husband's birthday, I get up early and make him cinnamon rolls. Most years I just use pre-made stuff (you know, like the biscuits in a can?). This year, though, I decided to make them from scratch. The Daring Bakers made cinnamon rolls last year before I joined up, and they looked so good. I decided that this year, I was making those yummy looking cinnamon rolls for the Hubs.

I made the bulk of the recipe the night before, then set my alarm for 3am to pull the dough out of the fridge to temp (!). We weren't disappointed: warm and gooey, sticky cinnamon goodness stuck to your fingers while you pulled apart the soft bread for breakfast: cinnamon rolls (buns) have a special place in this world, and the warm just-out-of-the-oven ones are insanely good. Just trust me, and give these a shot.

There is a reason 90% of the Daring Bakers threw away their previous Cinnamon Roll recipe and made this their main stay.

Cinnamon Buns

(from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice)

Ingredients:

6 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 Tbsp. shortening or unsalted butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. lemon extract OR 1 tsp. grated zest of 1 lemon
3 1/2 c. unbleached bread or all-purpose flour2 tsp. instant yeast*

1 1/8 to 1 1/4 c. whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature

1/2 c. cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar + 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon)

White fondant glaze (at the end of the recipe.)

*Instant yeast contains about 25% more living cells per spoonful than active dry yeast, regardless of the brand. Instant yeast is also called rapid-rise or fast-rising.

Making the Dough: Cream together the sugar, salt, and shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large metal spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand).

Whip in the egg and lemon extract/zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball.

Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Fermentation: Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Form the Buns: Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don´t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.)

Prepare the Buns for Proofing: line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so that they aren´t touching but are close to one another.

Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.

Bake the Buns:Preheat the oven to 350 F with the oven rack in the middle shelf for cinnamon buns. Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool the buns: Cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon buns are usually topped with a thick white glaze called fondant. There are many ways to make fondant glaze, but here is a delicious and simple version, enlivened by the addition of citrus flavor, either lemon or orange. You can also substitute vanilla extract or rum extract, or simply make the glaze without any flavorings.

Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange extract and 6 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as is needed to make a thick, smooth paste.

When the buns have cooled but are still warm, streak the glaze over them by dipping the tines of a fork or a whisk into the glaze and waving the fork or whisk over the tops. Or, form the streaks by dipping your fingers in the glaze and letting it drip off as you wave them over the tops of the buns. (Remember to wear latex gloves.)

Cheese Bread

Madison, Wisconsin: Home of Bucky, State Street, Ella's Deli, and the Wisconsin Capital. Aside from being known for these things, it is also home to a pretty stellar Farmers Market.

One of the highlights at that Farmer's Market, most attendees would agree, is Stella's Bakery's Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread. Many people buy it and it never makes it home - no, instead they munch down on the hot loaves while perusing the rest of the market. The bread is a basic white, but with molten chunks of spicy cheese inside. Amazing, best treat ever I would imagine.


I have never had it myself, but from what I hear it is not to be missed. I've been thinking about this odd little loaf of bread a lot lately because, well, for one I always miss my home state and these things creep into my little brain. But for another, I've been terribly excited that our own town's Farmers Market has fired up finally. Farmers Market + some random image of home relating to Farmers Markets = cheese bread. Get it? They don't have the fancy cheese bread at our Farmers Market, unfortunately. But hey, why not give it a shot at home, right?

The recipe I used as a base for this can be found here, it's a basic Amish sweet bread. It's a good basic bread recipe, and very easy to follow. The original recipe linked actually makes a very sweet bread, almost like the Hawaiian Sweet Bread you can buy in grocery stores. But: I wanted less sweet and more cheese (CHEESE!), so I made several changes. Less sugar, more kneading, a bit more rising time, and the cheese (which I chunked rather than shredded, so that the chunks would still be visible and tasty in the finished loaf instead of melting into the dough).


I think it turned out quite well. Hubs and I tore into it while it was still hot, and I like to think it had many of the same characteristics I've heard about Stella's cheese bread: warm, soft bread with gooey chunks of melted cheese studded throughout. Yum! So if you want a bit of a treat, I recommend you give this a shot. Or fly into Madison to hit up their Farmers Market on a Saturday morning, I guess there's that option too...



Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

2 c. warm water (~110 F)

1/4 c. white sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 c. vegetable oil 6 c. bread flour, sifted

1 c. cheddar cheese, cubed

2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, cubed

2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam (about 10 minutes).

Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.

Punch dough down. Add cheese and jalapeno to dough and knead for about 5 minutes, until the cheese chunks are dispersed throughout (you will have some seriously bumpy dough!). Then divide dough in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Focaccia

Ah, focaccia. Focaccia is a sort of Italian flatbread, kinda like pizza but more like a traditional bread (confused yet?). It can be topped with any number of things: onions, herbs, tomatoes, olives, the sky's the limit there. The word 'focaccia' itself is derived from the Latin focus meaning "center" or "fireside" (the hearth was the center of the home). The recipe is at least 2,000 years old, and still going strong today. And for good reason! It is the easiest bread, good for beginners and something that can be thrown together quickly on a weeknight.

This is a very speedy, easy focaccia recipe that I found at the blog Itzy's Kitchen. And big thanks to Erica for sharing this little gem! I love the fact that you mix the dried herbs into the dough, so it doesn't need a ton of stuff on top if you don't have the time/energy to top your dough. And great with soup or stew: it's just amazing warm from the oven, and perfect for dipping into your soup bowl.

Easy Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white sugar

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 c. water

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 c. mozzarella

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and all herbs/spices. Mix in the vegetable oil and water. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.