Bread

December Daring Baker’s

December 28, 2011 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Our Daring Bakers Host for December 2011 was Jessica of My Recipe Project and she showed us how fun it is to create Sour Dough bread in our own kitchens! She provided us with Sour Dough recipes from Bread Matters by AndrewWhitley as well as delicious recipes to use our Sour Dough bread in from Tonia George’s Things on Toast and Canteen’s Great British Food!

Russian Rye Bread

Servings: 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves and excess rye starter to keep for further baking.

Rye Starter – Day 1:
Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup hot water
Total scant ½ cup

Directions:

In a plastic container, mix the flour and water into a paste.

Set the lid on top gently, cover with a plastic bag, to prevent messes in case it grows more than expected!

Set somewhere warm. It should be a very sloppy, runny dough, which will bubble and grow as it ferments.

Rye Starter – Day 2:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup water (at 104°F/40°C)
scant 1/2 cup starter from Day 1
Total scant 1 cup

Directions:

Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 1, cover, and return to its warm place.

Rye Starter – Day 3:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup water (at 104°F/40°C)
scant 1 cupstarter from Day 2
Total 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons

Directions:

Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 2, cover, and return to its warm place. If you notice it has a grey liquid on top, just stir this back in and continue as normal.

Rye Starter – Day 4:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup hot water
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons starter from Day 3
Total about 1¾ cups

Directions:

Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 3, cover, and return to its warm place. At this point it should be bubbling and smell yeasty. If not, repeat this process for a further day or so until it is!

Rye Starter, ready for baking.

Russian Rye Bread – Step 1: Production Sourdough

Ingredients

1/4 cup less 2 teaspoons rye leaven (starter)
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons whole (dark) rye flour
1 1/4 cups water
Total 2½ cup

Directions:

Mix everything into a sloppy dough. Cover and set aside for 12-24 hours, until bubbling. Set aside the remaining starter for further loaves – see the Notes section for tips!

Russian Rye Bread – Step 2: Final Dough

Ingredients

2 cups production sourdough (this should leave some (½ cup) to become your next loaf of bread!)
2 1/3 cups rye flour (light or whole)
1 teaspoon sea salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons water (at 104°F/40°C)
Total 5 cups plus 3 tablespoons

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together to form a soft dough. With wet hands, scoop the dough up and put it in a well-greased loaf tin.

Put the tin inside a large plastic bag, blow it up, and seal it. This should make a good little dome for your bread to proof inside. Set aside somewhere room temperature to warm.

The dough should be ready to bake with in anywhere between 2-8 hours, depending on how warm it is. I proof mine by a sunny window in about 4 hours. If the dough was halfway up the tin when you started, it will be ready when it reaches the top (i.e. almost doubles in size).

Preheat the oven to very hot 470°F. For a large loaf, bake for 50-60 minutes, reducing the temperature to moderately hot 400°F gas mark 6 after about 10-15 minutes. If baking in small loaf tins, bake for 35-45 minutes, reducing the temperature after 10 minutes. If you are unsure about whether it is done, give it a few minutes longer – it is a very wet dough, so the extra time won’t hurt.

Leave to cool on a cooling rack, and rest the loaf for a day before eating it.

Daring Baker’s October Challenge

October 27, 2011 by Lynsey 1 Comment

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

Can I just say how excited I was when I saw this challenge? So very excited! I love learning about and trying new foods. And when those new foods are from another culture, I love to read the history of them and learn about how those particular foods play a part in their everyday life. Before this challenge I had never heard of Povitica, but now I can say that I’ve not only heard of it but I have enjoyed it as well.

I’m sure a lot of you are thinking to yourselves, “What is povitica, exactly?” Well here’s a brief history. First of all it is more commonly known as a nut roll.
” A nut roll is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough (usually using milk) that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste made from ground nuts and a sweetener like honey, then rolled up into a log shape. This ‘log’ is either left long and straight or is often bent into a horseshoe shape, egg washed, baked, and then sliced crosswise. Nut rolls resemble a jelly roll (Swiss roll) but usually with more layers of dough and filling, and resemble strudels but with fewer and less delicate dough layers. Fillings commonly have as their main ingredient ground walnuts or poppy seeds; see also bethy.

Nut rolls can be found in the United States and in Central European cuisines. In the United States, “nut roll” is a more or less generic name for pastries of this type, no matter where they originate.[1] Nut rolls are known also by many specific regional names, including: potica, gubana, guban’ca, or povitica in Slovenian; orechovník in Slovak; makowiec in Polish; Povitica,Gibanica, Orahnjača in Croatian (walnut variant, Makovnjača for variant with poppy seed, in Croatia can also be made with carob); and kalács and bejgli in Hungarian.

Regional variations on nut rolls are part of weddings, for Easter and Christmas, as well as other celebrations or holidays.”
Source: Wikipedia

This challenge appealed to me for so many reasons. I won’t bore you with all of the reasons, but here’s a few. I love trying new recipes! I love making bread, and lastly I enjoy experimenting with new flavors and fillings. This challenge allowed me to do all of that! The traditional fillings for the bread seem to be more sweet; cream cheese, walnut, and apple and cinnamon. Although I kept with tradition for this challenge I would love to see how this recipe would turn out by using some fillings of the savory nature.

I was so impressed with this bread. It tasted delicious, and the appearance of it was almost like a cinnamon roll in loaf form. I can’t wait to try other flavor variations. And the holidays are coming up, so this would be a perfect option for a gift for a foodie as well as another option for a dessert!

Povitica

Ingredients:

To activate the Yeast:

2 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp all-purpose flour
½ Cup warm water
2 Tbsp dry yeast

Dough:

2 Cups whole milk
¾ Cup sugar
3 Tsp table salt
4 Large eggs
½ Cup unsalted butter, melted
8 Cups all-purpose flour, measure first then sift, divided

Walnut Filling:

7 Cups ground English walnuts
1 Cup whole milk
1 Cup unsalted butter
2 Whole eggs, beaten
1 Tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Cups sugar
1 Tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tsp cinnamon

Topping:

½ Cup cold STRONG coffee
2 Tbsp sugar
Melted Butter

Directions:

To Activate Yeast:

In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into ½ cup warm water and cover with plastic wrap.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes

To Make the Dough:

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling, stirring constantly so that a film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F.

In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, ¾ cup sugar, and the salt until combined.

Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups of flour.

Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick. Note: Gradually add the flourI did not use all 8 cups of flour.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1.25 pounds)

Place dough in 4 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.

To Make the Filling-

In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.

Heat the milk and butter to boiling. Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:

Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly) Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches in diameter.

Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of melted butter on top. Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer. As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking. When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.

Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll. Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced. Repeat with remaining three loaves, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan. Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of ½ cup of cold STRONG coffee and 2 tablespoons of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.

Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter. Check the bread at 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown.

You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, still in the bread pan. Remember, the bread weighs about 2.5 and it needs to be able to hold its own weight, which is difficult when still warm and fresh out of the oven. Allowing it to cool in the pan helps the loaf to hold its shape.

It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife.

Deep Dish Pizza Dough

June 6, 2011 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

I am always looking for new ideas to incorporate into pizza dough, I’m always looking for that recipe that makes me think of my favorite pizza place. No, there’s not just one type of dough that goes with just any pizza; pizza dough is kind of like a mood, you have to be in the mood for a particular type of pizza and that pizza has to have just the right crust. Sometimes there is nothing better than a fluffy crust with a nice crunch on the bottom, other times I want a thin crust to go with whatever pizza I’m making; but when you’re making a deep dish pizza you have to have just the right amount of bread to topping ratio.

Deep dish pizzas are so filling; there’s so much more to the toppings/fillings than a regular pizza. There has to be the perfect balance of bread to toppings, if you have too much bread it takes away from the taste and you can barely enjoy an entire piece of pizza without feeling stuffed. I think this dough is perfect for a deep dish pizza; it packs a lot of flavor, has just the right amount of that wonderful bread texture (not too much) and then the bottom and sides are perfectly crisp. Although the toppings and cheese are a huge part of a pizza you have to have the perfect “canvas” to hold them all together. This dough is perfect for any deep dish pizza your heart desires.

Deep Dish Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

3 Cups flour
1/2 Cup cornmeal
1 Teaspoon salt
2 1/4 Teaspoon (1 package) dry yeast
3/4 Cup beer, room temperature
1/4 Cup water + 2 Tablespoons
2 Teaspoons sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Place 1/4 cup warm water and dry yeast in a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix cornmeal, salt, sugar, and 2 cups of flour. Once all the dry ingredients are combined, add the beer, melted butter and yeast and and mix slowly to incorporate. If the dough is still tacky gradually add in the last cup of flour, a little at a time, until a ball begins to form.

Place ball of dough on a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes (you can also use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment). Once dough begins to form a ball cover and let rise for 1 hour in a large greased bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl, punch down and knead for 3 minutes. Rub softened butter over the dough, place in a bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour.

Remove the dough, divide into two even pieces and roll into desired size. Place in a preheated deep dish pan (or on a pizza pan/stone), prick with a fork to avoid air pockets and cover in desired toppings.

Recipe Source: A Lynsey Original

Whole Wheat Pitas

November 5, 2010 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

I made these pitas to serve with these chicken gyros. They were very good, and I was very pleased with the results, especially since this was my first time making pitas. They had a little crispiness on the outside but the inside with soft and fluffy, a great combination but a little different from the traditional pita bread.

Next time I make these, I will make them a little more thin to start out with since they do rise for a bit before they cook. Other than them being a little too thick for my taste they were very delicious and had a great flavor, they also complimented the gyros very well. Not only did we use these to make gyros, we also cut them into triangles and ate them with roated red pepper hummus. Oh yes, that recipe will be coming very shortly.

All in all these were pretty easy to make. Don’t be intimidated by food from different ethnicities; be a little adventurous and branch out from time to time. You’ll never know if you can make your favorite dish at home if you don’t try!

Whole Wheat Pitas

Ingredients:

2 1/4 Cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons wheat gluten (I used Hodgson Mill)

1 Teaspoon salt

3 Teaspoons raw honey

2 1/4 (1 package) Teaspoons yeast

1 1/2 Cups warm water

Directions:

Place the raw honey in a small, microwave safe dish and warm until softened. Add honey to the water and stir together.

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, gluten, salt and yeat and whisk together until combined. Pour the water and honey mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture and mix until combined. Gradually add the remainder of the flour until the dough becomes tacky, kneeding for approximately 5 minutes.

Separate the dough into 8 balls. Roll each ball into a circle that is about 1/4 inch thick and 6 inches in diameter. Sprinkle with cornmeal (on both sides) and place on lightly greased pan. Let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Place the pitas in the oven and bake for 4 minutes, flip and bake 4 more minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately wrap in a dish towel for 4-6 minutes.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Garlic Knots

January 28, 2010 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Fresh baked is one of my favorite things, there are som any different types that can be made and so many things that can be done to it. It is also the perfect accompaniment to many different foods; salads, pasta, soup and so much more. I made them to go with a pasta dish but the day after I made sandwiches with them and they were great as well. I have seen these rolls on multiple blogs and from the moment I saw them I knew I had to try them. These rolls tasted just as good, if not better, than rolls I’ve had in a restaraunt and they definitely exceeded my expectations. The taste and texture were perfect and the glaze gave it just the right amount of garlic and butter flavor. This recipe was also very easy to follow; the only problem I had was that the dough didn’t get to the right consistency so to fix the problem I just added a little more flour. After I got the dough to the right consistency it was pretty easy to form the rolls. At first, I have to admit, I was a little intimidated of making the knots but after I made the first one I realized how easy it was. This is the first bread that I have made that was formed in some type of shape, other than a loaf or a drop biscuit, and I really enjoyed making them and it has definitely inspired me to make more breads that have to be shaped or braided. If you are interested in making yeast breads but intimidated by them this would be a great recipe to try for your first time. They are incredible and I can’t wait to make them again!

Garlic Knotts

Ingredients:

For the dough:

3 Cups bread flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 Tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 Cup milk
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp lukewarm water

For the glaze:

2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 Tsp. Italian seasoning, optional

Directions:

To make the dough, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl of a stand mixer and mix the ingredients together with the paddle attachment. Add in the water and olive oil, mix until the ingredients have formed a ball. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 8 minutes; or until dough is smooth and elastic. Lightly oil another bowl and transfer dough to that bowl, turn dough once to lightly coat and then cover with a towel and let dough rise until it’s double in size or about an hour.

Divide the dough into 10 pieces of the same size. Roll each piece into a rope that is about 10 inches long and then tie in a knot. Take the end lying under the knot and bring over the top, tucking it into the center. Take the end lying over the knot and bring it underneath, tucking it into the center.

To make the glaze, melt the butter and then stir in garlic.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, brush rolls with glaze, place rolls in oven and bake until lightly brown about 15-18 minutes.

Recipe Source: Amber’s Delectable Delights

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

September 23, 2009 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Spencer loves cinnamon raisin bread. It seems like he gets a loaf almost every time we go do our major grocery shopping. I don’t know why but I’ve never really thought about trying to make it before. The idea came to me one day while I was looking at some food blogs I saw on Le Petit Pierogi where she had made some homemade raisin bread. I thought that was a great idea, I mean we buy it quite often and since it seems to be one of Spencer’s favorite things I might as well give it a shot and see if the homemade version turns out any good. I’m so glad I attempted this recipe, it was so good and it definitely hit the spot. Spencer loved the bread, it definitely met his expectations as well as mine.

This recipe was very tasty and very easy to follow. This recipe makes three loaves of dough, so keep that in mind while mixing it. Be sure the bowls that you use to mix in and let the dough rise in are large, you’ll definitely need room to maneuver while mixing and the dough will need plenty of room to expand and rise. If you have a sturdy mixer with a dough hook I definitely suggest using that; if you attempt to use a handheld mixer it won’t be strong enough once the flour starts being added and if you knead it by hand your arms and hands will be worn out by the time you’re finished and you’ll be up to your elbows in dough. Be sure you allow ample room for both mixing and letting the dough rise. The dough rose perfectly, and the consistency was perfect, it was light and fluffy. It was very easy to work with too.

I definitely recommend making this recipe if you are a fan of cinnamon raisin bread, you won’t be disappointed. This would be great for breakfast, with a cup of coffee or for a snack. It will hit the spot no matter when you eat it. We loved it, and I know I will be making this again.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups milk
1 Cup warm water
1 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups white sugar, divided
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup raisins
8 Cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons milk
5 Tablespoons cinnamon, divided
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with warm water while mixing the dough. This will allow the raisins to become nice and plump.

Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to bubble, stir occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm.

Pour yeast packets in a large mixing bowl and then add warm water. Let yeast dissolve in the water and set aside until frothy (about 10 minutes).

Once yeast has dissolved mix in eggs, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Gradually add the flour to form a stiff dough. Once flour is mixed, place the dough on a floured surface, add raisins, and begin to knead for a few minutes until the dough becomes smooth.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat all of the dough. Place a towel over the dough and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove dough from the bowl and roll on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/2 an inch thick.

Pour the two tablespoons of milk on the rolled dough and moisten. Spread the milk over all of the dough with hands.

Mix 1 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon together. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the moistened dough.

Tightly roll the dough, long ways.

Cut the dough into three equal pieces. Place pieces in 3 greased loaf pans. Let the dough rise for another hour, uncovered.

Bake dough at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for just a moment. Melt butter and spread over the top of the loaves. Remove loaves from pan, place on rack and let cool. Let cool before slicing.

Recipe Source: Seen on: Le Petit Pierogi, Originally from: Recipe Zaar

Pizza Dough

September 14, 2009 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

It seems like Spencer and I have been eating quite a bit of pizza lately, but it’s all been from restaurants. Although all of the pizza we have had lately has been good, it’s just not the same as homemade. I also like making homemade pizza because you can make pretty much any type of pizza you want and you have total control over the quality of the ingredients. It just makes you feel a little bit better knowing what ingredients go into the product you’re about to eat.

I have made a couple of pizza dough’s in the past, one being my own recipe and the other being a daring bakers recipe, which were very good but this time I wanted to try something a little different. The last pizza dough I made had wine in it and I loved the flavor it gave to the dough and I wanted to try something similar this time but not have the flavor be so strong or the taste be so sweet. After I thought about it for a while I decided to make it using beer, I could not have been happier with the flavor. It had a great flavor, you could taste some of the beer but it wasn’t too overwhelming. All of the flavors in the dough went together perfectly and every flavor could be tasted, but there wasn’t one that was too strong or overpowering. Spencer was so impressed with the end result, and said that when he ate the edge of the crust with nothing on it he could taste all the flavors in the dough and liked the dough by itself. I believe this will be our “go to” pizza dough recipe now. It was so easy to put together, and I believe it will compliment a variety of pizza toppings.

I used all of the dough to make one crust. It came out to my desired thickness; it wasn’t too thick but wasn’t too thin either. If you are a thin crust person just split the ball of dough in half and make two pizzas or freeze one half. Even when I used all of the dough I didn’t think it was too much crust for one pizza, even the outer edges of the crust weren’t too doughy. I would urge you to try this dough, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup warm beer

1 Package dry yeast

2 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

2 Tsp sugar

2 Tsp honey

1 Tsp olive oil

1 Tsp salt

Directions:

Pour dry yeast in a medium bowl and then add the warm beer. Let rest about 2 minutes, until yeast has disolved. Add sugar, honey, salt, and olive oil and mix together. Add flour and mix together well, one mixed place dough on floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, don’t overwork otherwise dough will be too tough.

Form dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, sprinkle with a little flour and drizzle a little oil over the top of the ball, cover bowl and set aside to let dough rise for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, while the oven is preheating place baking stone in as well to preheat. While oven is preheating roll out the dough (or toss) into desired size. Once dough is ready and the oven is hot, remove the stone and place dough on the stone and poke with fork multiple times to prevent air bubbles. Place the dough in the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove dough and add favorite toppings and then place back in the oven to warm ingredients and melt cheese.

Recipe Source: Lynsey Lou’s Blog

It's World Nutella Day! Nutella Rolls

February 5, 2009 by Lynsey 1 Comment

That’s right, Nutella has it’s own special day and there’s a website just for the occasion just click here to visit it. Sara of Ms Adventures in Italyand Michelle from Bleeding Espressothought that Nutella was so incredible that it deserved it’s own special day. Why not give Nutella it’s own day of honor; this creamy chocolate spread tastes so good and can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways.

Anyone who wanted to “honor” Nutella on World Nutella Daywas encouraged to make something using Nutella. It didn’t necessarily have to be a special or original recipe, it could be something as simple as spreading Nutella on a piece of bread and enjoying it. It’s so easy to find something to pair with Nutella!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Nutella, here’s some background:

“Nutella®, in its original form, was first created in the 1940s by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero company. At the time, cocoa was in short supply because of rationing due to World War II, so chocolate was very limited.

So Mr. Ferrero used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Piedmontregion of Italy (northwest), to extend the chocolate supply. The original version of Nutella spread was called “pasta gianduja,” pasta which means paste, and “gianduja” which is the name of a carnival character famous to the region, a character that can be found in the first advertisements for the product. This original form of Nutella was actually made in loaves and wrapped in tinfoil, so it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children. But many children, as you could imagine, would throw away the bread and only eat the pasta gianduja! So Mr. ferrero altered the product into a paste that came in a jar, so the paste could be spread on the bread. This then became known as “supercreama gianduja,” because it was a spread-able version of the gianduja. “Supercreama gianduja” was eventually renamed “Nutella” in 1964, with the origin of the word being “nut” and the “ella” giving it a soft ending.

The early version of Nutella spread was received very well once introduced, since it was a much more inexpensive way for people to enjoy something that tasted so good…a kilo of chocolate at the time was 6 times the cost of a kilo of pasta gianduja. So Nutella was a product that everyone could, and did, enjoy. The product became so popular that Italian food stores started a service called “The Smearing”. Children could go to their local food store with a slice of bread for a “smear” of “supercrema gianduja.”

Nutella was first imported from Italy into the U.S. over 20 years ago, in 1983, mainly in the Northeastern part of the country. The popularity of Nutella grew steadily over the next 10 years, and demand became so strong that the Ferrero company decided to build a plant in the U.S., in Somerset, NJ.”

This information was taken from: Nutella USA

Since finding out about National Nutella Day I knew I wanted to make something. I thought about different recipes and I looked at entries from previous years just to get some ideas. I thought about it for a while and then I thought that “Nutella Rolls” would be something new and interesting. It’s basically a take of cinnamon rolls but instead of the cinnamon filling it would be a Nutella filling. Sounds pretty awesome, right?

The Nutella Rolls were pretty easy to make. The only time consuming part of the whole process was waiting on the dough to rise. Once the dough had finished it’s rising process I had them put together in no time. These rolls would be a great for breakfast or dessert. You must try them fresh out of the oven too; that’s pretty hard to beat.

Nutella Rolls

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 Package quick rising yeast

1/2 Cup warm water

5 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 Cup sugar

1 Egg, lightly beaten

3/4 Cup warm milk

1 1/2 Teaspoon salt

3 1/2 Cups flour

1 Tablespoon honey

For the filling:

1 Jar Nutella spread

2-3 Tablespoons instant coffee grounds

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the topping/glaze:

1 3/4 Cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted

2-3 Tablespoons milk (add 1 spoon at a time until mixture reaches desired consistency)

1/4-1/2 Cup mini milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Pour yeast packet in a small bowl and then add warm water. Set aside to let dissovle.

In a mixing bowl add the melted butter, sugar and egg and mix well. Once mixutre is combined add in salt, yeast mixutres and 1 cup of flour and mix. After the flour is mixed add honey and 3/4 cup milk and incorporate completely. Once the milk and honey is mixed in slowly add the remaining flour and knead util mixture pulls together and makes a ball…about 5-10 minutes. (You can knead the dough by hand or with an electric mixer and dough hook)

Place down in a bowl that has been sprayed with Pam and the bottom is lightly sprinkled with flour. Spray top of dough ball with Pam/cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with flour. Cover bowl with a dish towel and let sit until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 hour and a half.

Once the dough has doubled in sides, role out on a well floured surface. Role the dough until it’s about a 9×15 rectangle. Once the dough has been rolled pour the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over it and spread.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the melted butter.

Spread entire jar of Nutella spread over the dough, making sure all of the dough is covered.

Sprinkle the Nutella with the instant coffee granules and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Once the Nutella is spread and the sugar and coffee are sprinkled begin rolling up the dough. Beginning at the 15 inch side, role the dough and press the edges to to seal. Cut the dough into 12-15 slices, slices will vary depending on how big the dough is cut. (I got 14 slices out of mine)

Place rolls on either a greased cookie sheet or in a round pan. (If you don’t have a ran pan, just place in a circle on a cookie sheet.) Let the rolls sit and rise another 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

After the rolls have set for 45 minutes sprinkle with 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Place in a preheated oven. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until rolls are a golden brown and cooked all the way through. Remove rolls from oven to cool.

For the icing/glaze:

In a bowl mix together butter and powdered sugar. When the mixture begins to thicken begin adding the milk and mix together until reaching a thicker consistency that can still be easily drizzled.

Once the glaze is complete drizzle or pour over the Nutella rolls and the sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips over the glazed rolls.

Once the rolls have completely cooled transfer into a well sealed container.

Recipe Source: Lynsey

White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins

January 10, 2009 by Lynsey 1 Comment

I love the combination of chocolate and pretty much anything; I just think that there are endless combinations. I try to pair new things together from time to time just to see what I can come up with. Although the combination of white chocolate and cranberries is nothing new, they are two flavors that I’ve been wanting to work with for quite some time now.

I had planned on making some cookies with white chocolate and cranberries but one day muffins sounded good to me so I decided to incorporate the flavors in the muffins instead. The muffins turned out incredible! They weren’t too rich for breakfast; they were just right. All of the flavors just blend together and compliment one another so well.

I also made them in a large muffin pan and that made it even better. I just love the “Texas” size muffins, so any chance I get to use my pan I do! There is a trick to cooking in a pan where the muffins are larger; turn the heat down and cook them a little more slowly than you normally would. If you cook them at the normal temperature then the outsides cook a lot faster and end up burning before the inside cooks completely. These were such a hit the first time I made them that I’ve made them three more times since.

My mom tried them while she and my dad were visiting and she requested that I make them and bring them when we had Christmas. Spencer took some to work for his breakfast a few times and he let some of his co-workers try them and I have recently received requests from them for a batch. Needless to say they have been a big hit since I created my recipe.

Now on to the good stuff!!!

White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups flour
1 1/4 Cups sugar
1 3/4 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 Cup shortening, (I used butter flavored Crisco)
2 Teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon all spice
Dash of salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
3/4 Cup milk
2-3 Eggs, slightly beaten (It just depends on the consistency after the first two are mixed in; if the dough still seems to be a little stiff then add the 3rd egg)
1 1/2 Cup cranberries (I used dried but you can use fresh if you prefer)
1 Cup white chocolate chips
Sugar in the Raw, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. (Preheat to 350 if using a muffin tin with “normal” size muffins)
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Once all the dried ingredients are combined cut in the shortening with a pastry blender. Blend the dough until the shortening is incorporated completely; the mixture should look like a lot of tiny balls.
With an electric mixer mix in the nutmeg, cinnamon, all spice and vanilla. Once well mixed add in the milk. Add eggs in one by one until all have been added. Once everything is mixed together stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips.
Pour into greased muffin tins. For the “Texas” size muffins I spooned a little over 1/3 cup of muffin batter in the tins. Place muffins in the oven and bake on 325 for about 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with Sugar in the Raw. Remove muffins from pan and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before placing in a well sealed container.

WCC Muffins
Recipe Source: A Lynsey Original

Triple Cheese Threat

November 6, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

When I think grilled cheese, it just takes me back to my childhood. I love grilled cheese sandwiches, there’s not a lot to them but they are so very good. Sometimes all it takes is a tall glass of milk and a hot grilled cheese sandwich to hit the spot. It really hit the spot for supper!

This isn’t you’re everyday, regular grilled cheese!!! There is nothing wrong with the classic grilled cheese sandwich (it’s a classic for a reason), but I decided to put a little spin on it. I took the Cheesy Cornmeal Breadand made a grilled cheese sandwich, but made more of a grown up version. The end result was nothing but awesome! This is one of the simplest recipes but it is so good, and it definitely settles the craving for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Triple Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

4 Slices of Cheesy Cornmeal Bread

1/4-1/2 Cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/4-1/2 Cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Butter, for bread and skillet

Mayo

Directions:

Although I’m pretty sure everyone knows how to make a grilled cheese sandwich I’m going to walk through the steps anyway!

Preheat a small skillet with a dab of butter over low-medium heat. Butter one side of the cheesy cornmeal bread slice and place buttered side on the skillet. Spread a little mayo on the side of bread facing up. Sprinkle a generous portion of cheese (the more the better in my opinion) on the bread. Take second slice of bread and spread a little mayo on in and place on top of the cheese. Spread butter on the side of bread facing up. Cook until golden brown, flip and cook other side until it’s golden brown and the cheese melted. Serve up with a tall glass of milk and go back to your childhood!

Recipe from: Lynsey Lou

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