Method

Add the yeast to warm water (1/3 cup) and let sit for a few minutes.

In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment add the yeast/water mix and then add the shortening and the milk. Mix on low, then one at a time add the eggs, salt, nutmeg, sugar, and half the flour. Slowly mix the ingredients together.

Then add the rest of the flour and put on the dough hook. Mix for a couple

of minutes.

Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and let rest for an hour, or until doubled in size.

Then turn out and divide into as many pieces as you want to make. We made around 24 donuts.

Place the donuts on a baking sheet and cover for about a half hour.

Frying

In a cast iron pan, or dutch oven bring about 1 1/2 inches of oil to about 365 degrees F.

Place 3 or 4 donuts in the pan for about 1 minute on each side.

Turn out onto a sheet pan to let cool.

Jelly Filling

In a sauce pot add about 2 cups of fresh berries, we used blueberries on medium heat. Then add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 cup of sugar. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Once cooled, pipe the mixture into the donuts. We used a ziplock bag with a piping tool on the end of it.

This hearty rye bread is an adaptation on Rose Levy Beranbaum’s bread from her book “The Bread Bible.” While this bread does take careful planning and execution, it doesn’t have too many steps and with a little planning, this bread is quite manageable to make. Overall it will rise about 4 hours, however you can make the sponge the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. That way, you only have two rising times in the baking bowl and one rising time on the baking sheet.

Because this bread, even though slightly laborious, turned out lovely. It has a real, nice rye flavor coupled with the caraway seeds. As we served this bread, the comments were – “This taste like a REAL Jewish Rye Bread” and “This is just like a bread from a deli.”

Sponge
¾ cup bread flour
¾ cup rye flour
½ teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cup water, room temperature

Flour Mixture
2 ¼ cups bread flour
½ plus 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
½ tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cornmeal

Method:

Make the sponge by mixing bread flour, rye flour, yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set it aside and cover it with plastic wrap.

Make the flour mixture by mixing the bread flour (reserve ¼ cup), yeast, caraway seeds and salt. Gently place the flour mixture on top of the sponge, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment 1 to 4 hours (you can place it in the fridge after one hour and leave it overnight if it’s more convenient).

To mix the dough by hand, add the oil and stir the dough together. Knead the dough together in the bowl until it comes together, then knead it on a floured surface for 5 minutes to develop the gluten structure. Cover it with an inverted bowl and let rest for 20 minutes. Knead the dough for another 5 to 10 minutes until it’s very smooth. Add some additional flour if the dough is sticky.

You can also do this step using a machine. Then, using a dough hook, mix the mixture (and add the remaining ¼ cup of flour), on low for about 1 minute, then increase the speed to medium and mix for 10 minutes. Knead in some flour on the counter if the dough is too sticky.

Now, place the dough in a lightly greased 2-quart bowl (or dough rising container). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 ½ to 2 hours, ideally in 75 – 80 degrees. (If your kitchen is colder than that, you can put your oven on warm for a minute, then shut it off and leave the dough inside the oven for the rising period).
Once it’s doubled, scrape it out on a floured surface, give it a business letter turn (stretch the dough out and fold it on top of it a couple of times). Place it in the oiled bowl again, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest a second time until it’s doubled, about 45 minutes.

Now, turn the dough on a lightly floured surface, press it down to flatten it slightly. Round the dough into a ball about 5 ½ inches by 2 ½ inches high (you might need to press out quite a bit of air in order to make such a small ball). Set it on a cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet, cover it with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (it is recommended that you pre-heat the oven an hour before baking). On the lowest shelf in the oven, place a cast-iron pan or a sheet pan. Above, place a baking stone or a sheet pan.

Now slash the bread a couple of times, mist it with water and quickly set the baking sheet on the hot stone. Toss ½ cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and shut the door immediately. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes until the bread is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 190 degrees. Halfway through baking, lift the bread from the pan and set it directly on the baking stone, also turn it around for even baking. Let cool on a wire rack.

Ciabatta is a classic artisan Italian bread with a golden crusty outside and a very light, airy inside. The best ciabattas have large wholes distributed evenly throughout the loaf, while the crust is firm and slightly “wrinkly” on top. This recipe, being an adaptation from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Ciabatta, accomplishes all those things. It produces the kind of bread that you dream of when you first lay your eyes on bread making – a real artisan bread with good flavor, but even more importantly, wonderful texture.

While the time schedule is similar to those of other artisan breads – you make a biga that most conveniently rests in the fridge over night, it is isn’t a terribly busy schedule. Once the biga is done, all you need is slightly over three hours back and forth. Ciabattas are made with doughs with exceptionally high water content, and that makes it almost impossible to knead by hand. Therefore, you’re better off utilizing a mixer.

It is a lot of fun working with this dough. The very wet dough is so smooth to the touch and really interesting to shape. You have to be careful not push out too much air, however it is a slight challenge, because the dough is so malleable and almost slippery. When making this bread, you certainly want some steam in order to produce a nice crust, so prepare the cast-iron pan and have ice ready on hand.

1 bread

Dough Starter (Biga)

½ cup plus ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/16 teaspoon instant yeast
¼ cup water, room temperature

Dough

Scant 1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup water
Dough Starter (Biga)

Method:

1. Make the biga by mixing together all purpose flour, yeast and water in a small bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes until it is very smooth. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let sit in room temperature for about 6 hours until it has doubled and is filled with bubbles. Now you can either use it right away, or refrigerate it up to 3 days.

2. Make the dough by whisking together the flour and the yeast. Mix in the salt, then add the water and the biga. Using a mixer, mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for a few seconds until the floured is moistened. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes, then lower the speed to medium and continue to beat for another 2 minutes.

3. Scrape the dough into an oiled 1 quart bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until tripled, 1 ¼ hour to 2 hours, ideally in 75 – 80 degrees. (If your kitchen is colder than that, you can put your oven on warm for a minute, then shut it off and leave the dough inside the oven for the rising period).

4. Scrape the dough out on a generously flour-sifted counter, the dough will be quite wet. Sift more flour on top of the dough. Trying to maintain as much air as possible inside the dough, gently push the sides of the dough together in order to produce a wrinkled pattern on the bottom of the dough which will later become the top. Make large dimples in the dough, using your finger tips, about one inch apart, then push the sides together again. Now, carefully lift the dough up and invert it onto a lined baking sheet. This can be rather tricky, since the dough is so loose and you don’t want to flatten it too much. If you have two people on hand, it makes it easier since you both can lift it with large pancake flippers from both sides and gently tip it over to the baking sheet. Again, push the sides together and shape it to 4 ½ inches wide, sift more flour on top and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Allow to rise about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees (it is recommended that you pre-heat the oven an hour before baking). On the lowest shelf in the oven, place a cast-iron pan or a sheet pan. Above, place a baking stone or a sheet pan.

6. Gently set the bread on the hot stone. Toss ½ cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and shut the door immediately. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 450 degrees and continue to bake for about 20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and an instant read thermometer in the center reads 214 degrees. Turn the bread around halfway through baking. Once the bread is done, turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar and allow the bread to cool slightly in the oven for 5 minutes. This process helps to develop a nice crust.

Remove it from the oven and set it on a wire rack and let cool completely.

This bread features a pretty dark rye crumb flavored with a fair share of nutty hazelnuts. The result is a flavorful bread that is very nice sliced thinly and topped with some butter and an aged cheese.

If you’re looking for a bread that has a nice crust and would be a good choice served with a soup dish or pasta, as well as just with some butter and cheese for breakfast, then this would be ideal. This bread features a pretty dense crumb with an intense rye flavor which is enhanced even further with the addition of whole hazelnuts. The amount of nuts is pretty high, however then you’re sure to get a good amount of hazelnuts in every slice. The dough is quite wet and would be a bit tricky to knead by hand, therefore it would be recommended to use a mixer.

If you’re not that passionate about rye, then you could easily substitute part of it for extra bread flour, or replace it with whole wheat for a slightly sweater, rounder taste.

Ingredients:

Method:

Combine water, bread flour and rye flour in the mixer bowl. Let hydrate for 10 minutes, then add the starter and the salt and work the dough in the mixer on medium for about 12 minutes. When the dough has developed some nice gluten (it won’t be fully developed since the rye content is pretty high), add the hazelnuts and combine on low for another minute or two. Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl covered with oiled plastic wrap for about two hours. Fold the dough in the bowl once during that time.

Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for a day or two, whatever fits your schedule. (You could also skip this step and simply let it rise for another hour before baking.)

About two – three hours before you want to bake, bring the dough out and let it come to room temperature. About 30 minutes before the bread is going in the oven empty the bowl and shape a round or a longer loaf on a piece of parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap until it’s ready to bake.

Bring the bread in a 450 degree oven on a bread stone along with some ice cubes to create some steam. After about 15 min lower to 400 degrees, and bake the bread altogether for about 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 200 degrees.

Let cool on a baking rack and ideally let rest for at least an hour before you cut into it.

This bread is an adaptation on Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Prosciutto Ring” from her book “The Bread Bible.” She calls for using prosciutto, however we replaced it with cooked bacon bits. This bread is relatively fast and easy to make and it is simply delicious! The bacon provides such a good and prominent flavor along with freshly ground black pepper. This bread does not only contain bacon, it is brushed with bacon fat both before going into the oven as well as once it’s done cooking.

Rose Levy Beranbaum provides excellent advice regarding all her breads, such as for example cooking the bread with a couple of ice cubes in order to provide a moist environment in the oven. This methods helps the bread produce a nice and crispy crust.

This bread makes a good meal just as is. Rich, flavorful, with an excellent aroma and nice texture, it gives you a lot of return for relatively little effort.

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ teaspoon instant yeast
½ teaspoon black pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup water, room temperature
4 ounces cooked bacon, cut in ½ inch pieces
2 tablespoons bacon fat

Method:

Mix the flour, the sugar, the yeast and the pepper together in a large bowl. Add the salt and mix well. Add the water and work the dough together with a wooden spoon. On a floured surface, start kneading the dough for about 10 minutes or until it is very elastic. Knead in the bacon pieces. Dust lightly with flour, cover with some plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

Now, roll the dough into an 18-inch rope, shape it into a ring and overlap the ends together. Set the bread on a silpat (or parchment paper) and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about an hour, until the dough has almost doubled.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees (it is recommended that you pre-heat the oven an hour before baking). On the lowest shelf in the oven, place a cast-iron pan or a sheet pan. Above, place a baking stone or a sheet pan.

Just before baking, brush the bread with bacon fat. Insert the whole silpat into the oven and place it on the hot baking stone. On the underlying pan, toss ½ cup of ice cubes.

After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to 400 degrees and remove the silpat (place the bread directly on the stone or the sheet pan). Also turn the bread around for even browning. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the bread is deep golden brown. When the bread is done, turn the oven off, open the door slightly and leave in for another 5 minutes.

Move the bread to a cooling rack and brush with another coat of melted bacon fat. Let cool completely.

Cinnamon rolls are a great treat to have with coffee or tea, anytime of year, however it's specially nice to have during the colder months of the year. Cinnamon buns do vary slightly between various recipes – for example, American recipes usually make large buns which have a very sweet topping. The Scandinavian version of cinnamon buns on the other hand is usually smaller, a tad less sweet, flavored with cardamom and topped with some pearl sugar or sliced almonds. The cinnamon roll is actually so popular that October 4th has been named the official Cinnamon Bun Day.

The method of making cinnamon rolls is quite simple, and the flavor could easily be varied depending on what you have on hand. If for example you have some berries, then combine them with some cornstarch and sprinkle on after the butter mixture. Thinly sliced apples and pears are also options as well as nutella instead of the butter cinnamon spread. The possibilities are endless!

Here is a Swedish recipe that produces very buttery, tasty cinnamon rolls which would be great to freeze in order to take out on one of those days when you need something special with your coffee, or when you have unexpected visitors.

For the wheat dough:
1 1/4 cup milk (3 dl)
1 tablespoon cardamom
2/3 cup sugar (1 1/2 dl)
½ teaspoon salt
2 packages of yeast (50 g fresh)
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour (11-12 dl)
150 g of butter, room temperature
 
For the butter filling:
200 g butter, soft
1/3 cup sugar (1 dl)
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Method:

Heat milk slightly or let come to room temperature. Crush the cardamom in a mortel if you have one. Cut the room temperature butter in small cubes. Combine the milk, cardamom, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl. In a separate measurement container mix the flour and the yeast. Start adding the flour mixture into the milk mixture, a little at a time. Once you have incorporated all of the flour, or as much as you see fit, make sure the dough is well distributed, then cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about one hour.

In the meantime, combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon for the filling until smooth. Set aside.

When the dough has risen, divide it in two parts. On a floured surface, roll out one part of the dough into a ½ – 1 inch thick rectangle. Spread half of the butter-cinnamon mixture on evenly, all the way out  to the edges. Then start rolling from one end until you meet the other end. Cut with a knife this roll into about 12 pieces (about 1 inch each). Place each piece on a paper muffin tin and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the other batch. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 45 minutes – 1 hour.

Brush each bun with an egg wash. If you have pearl sugar, or if you prefer sliced almonds, then place on top of each bun, if not simply do the egg wash. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Let cool on baking rack. Once the rolls come out of the oven and cool slightly, you can always dip the tops in  granulated sugar for some extra crunch and sweetness. 

Light Scandinavian Rye Kavring Bread is a dense, slightly sweet bread that is perfect to enjoy with a sharp cheese. In Denmark, Kavring is often used to make “smorrebrod” which basically is a name for elaborate sandwiches with a selection of different toppings. Traditionally kavring is made with a course rye flour, however here we have used regular rye flour, since the coarse version is difficult to come by.

This recipe was adopted from one by Anna Bergenstrom, a well known Swedish writer of cookbooks, and it’s quite easy to make as long as you prepare in advance. Apart from most other bread recipes, this one doesn’t require any kneading. You simply stir all the first day ingredients together, let it sit until the next day, add the remaining ingredients, stir well (or use a mixer if you don’t feel like mixing too hard by hand) and then place in loaf pans, rise and bake. The method is very easy and the result is very good. This bread is typically Scandinavian in texture and taste with little gluten development, a flavored, slightly sweet taste and a moist crumb.

2 Loaves

First Day
¾ tsp yeast
1 tbsp salt
¾ cup yogurt
2 cups water
¾ cups steel cut oats
4 cups rye flour

Next day
1 tbsp whole cumin
1 tbsp whole fennel
2 cups flour
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
100 g butter, melted & cooled
¾ cup sunflower seeds

Method:
Stir yeast, salt, yogurt and water together. Add the oats and lastly the rye flour. Stir until everything is well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 24 hours.

Next day, crush the spices in a mortal and pestle, Mix the spices with the flour. Add corn syrup, melted butter and sunflower seeds into the bowl from yesterday. Stir well, then lastly add the flour. With a wooden spoon, work the dough together well and make sure there are no flour pockets.

Pour/scoup the sticky dough into two oiled loaf pans. Add some flour on top of the dough and gently press down with your hand to remove any air pockets, then poke a couple of times with a fork on top of each loaf. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1.5 – 2 hours.

Bake the loaves in a 350 degree oven for about 45- 55 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer in the center reads about 205 degrees.

Remove the breads from the pans and wrap in bread towels, so the loaves don't dry out. Preferably let the bread sit for a day or two (in a plastic bag) before cutting into.

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I'm also sending over this bread to wildyeastblog for the yeastspotting post.

Homemade Glazed Donuts are easy to make and are much fresher than anything from the store. If you have ever wanted to make Krispy Creme donuts at home then this recipe comes pretty close.

Method

Add the yeast to warm water (1/3 cup) and let sit for a few minutes.

In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment add the yeast/water mix and then add the shortening and the milk. Mix on low, then one at a time add the eggs, salt, nutmeg, sugar, and half the flour. Slowly mix the ingredients together.

Then add the rest of the flour and put on the dough hook. Mix for a couple of minutes.

Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and let rest for an hour, or until doubled in size.

Then turn out and divide into as many pieces as you want to make. We made around 24 donuts.

Place the donuts on a baking sheet and cover for about a half hour.

Frying

In a cast iron pan, or dutch oven bring about 1 1/2 inches of oil to about 365 degrees F.

Place 3 or 4 donuts in the pan for about 1 minute on each side.

Turn out onto a sheet pan to let cool.

Sugar Glaze

In a bowl mix together 1/8 cup milk or half and half with about 2 cups of powdered sugar. Glaze the tops of the warm donuts.

This wholesome loaf is an adaptation from America’s Test Kitchen and it provides everything you want from a whole wheat sandwich bread: nice wheat flavor, sweet undertones of honey, a slightly denser consistency, and a generous amount of healthy wheat germ, whole wheat and rye. This bread is actually relatively quick to make and this recipe produces two loaves.

Coming from America’s Test Kitchen (Cook’s Illustrated), you can trust that this loaf has been tested numerous times in order to provide a fool proof recipe. And the method is straight forward: it doesn’t require a starter dough since the straight dough method is used. We kneaded this dough by hand, and we provide instructions for that method, you could however knead this dough in a mixer.

Make this nice bread and use it for sandwiches and toast. When toasted, the mellow honey flavor comes through especially well. It is also delicious with just some butter when it’s still warm.

Two 9-inch loaves

2 1/3 cup warm water (110 F)
1 ½ tablespoon instant yeast
¼ cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup rye flour
½ cup wheat germ, toasted
3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

Method:

1. Combine water, yeast, honey, butter and salt in a bowl. Add the rye flour and the wheat flour. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 ¾ cup of the whole-wheat flour and the full 2 ¾ cup of the all-purpose flour.

2. Add 4 cups of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes in order to develop the gluten. Add another 1 ½ cups of the flour mixture and beat with the wooden spoon to make a thick dough. Turn it out on a floured surface and work the dough together. Knead for about 3 minutes until you have a nice dough. Cover with and inverted bowl or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Knead for another 5 minutes.

3. Now, place the dough in a lightly greased 2-quart bowl (or dough rising container). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour, ideally in 75 – 80 degrees. (If your kitchen is colder than that, you can put your oven on warm for a minute, then shut it off and leave the dough inside the oven for the rising period).

4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. On the lowest shelf in the oven, place a cast-iron pan or a sheet pan. Above, place a baking stone or a sheet pan.

5. Press down the dough and divide it in two equal pieces. Gently press each piece down into a rectangle, 1 inch thick x 9 inches. Roll the dough into a cylinder and pinch the seams together. Place each bread, seam side down in a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf. Cover the dough with an oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 30 – 45 minutes.

6. Set the bread on the hot stone. Toss ½ cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and shut the door immediately. Bake for 35 to 46 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and an instant read thermometer in the center reads 205 F degrees.

7. Once the bread is done, remove it from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let cool completely.

This basic recipe came together as we wanted to create very basic, soft whole wheat rolls spiked with sweet raisins. In order to get nice and light rolls we made sure to let the dough rise a couple of times in between kneading and shaping the rolls. A combination of whole wheat flour, wheat germ and all-purpose flour is used, and the rolls have a nice wheat flavor without being too heavy and dense.

We made 16 quite small rolls, however you could divide the dough into 12 pieces in order to produce slightly larger rolls.

Starter

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ tablespoons honey
1 cup water, room temperature

Dough

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons dry milk
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup raisins

Method:

1. Make the starter by combining the flour, yeast, honey and water in a medium bowl. Whisk the dough for about 3 minutes to incorporate air. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in room temperature for 1 – 4 hours (alternatively refrigerate after one hour overnight, then make sure to take the dough out at least an hour before moving on to the next step.)

2. In a separate bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, dry milk and instant yeast. Whisk well, then add the salt. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes. Add the all-purpose flour to the dough and work the dough in the bowl until you have a rough dough, then knead it on a floured surface for 2 minutes, adding as little flour as possible. Cover it with an inverted bowl or oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes.

3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 - 2 hours, ideally in 75 – 80 degrees. (If your kitchen is colder than that, you can put your oven on warm for a minute, then shut it off and leave the dough inside the oven for the rising period). Scrape the dough out on the floured surface and add the raisins, knead the dough well to incorporate the raisins evenly, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

4. Cut the dough into equal pieces. This dough will make 16 quite small rolls, or 12 larger rolls. Divide the dough into the desired number. Then roll out the rolls, one at a time and set on lined baking sheets, 1-2 inches apart. Cover the sheet pan(s) with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rest until almost doubled, 1-2 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. On the lowest shelf in the oven, place a cast-iron pan or a sheet pan. Above, make sure you have two oven shelves free in case you’re utilizing two sheet pans (alternatively cook the two sheet pans in two batches).

6. Set the sheet pans in the oven. Toss ½ cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and shut the door immediately. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. Once the rolls are done, remove them from the oven and set them on a wire rack and let cool completely.