OK, if you are new to this site, then the first thing you should know about me is that I am a bread fanatic. I love it all. Sourdough, whole grain, quick, cornbread, overnight, you name it, I will eat it with pleasure. But I am especially eager to enjoy bread that has at least some redeeming qualities. Besides of course tasting wonderful!

Doesn’t mean I always succeed in staying clear of those breads which have no nutritional value whatsoever. Because, bottom line, I am only human. But I honestly do endeavor to eat bread that is not only pleasantly palatable but would be moderately acceptable to a hard-nosed dietician. (Which BTW, is not an easy feat to accomplish!) So, in this recipe, I am using whole wheat pastry flour in place of all-purpose flour, raw honey rather than processed sugar, and veggie oil instead of butter. (I’m pretty sure a dietician would still frown on me even considering this to be a quasi-healthy cornbread. But there are just some things I do not intend to discuss with anyone who relies on scientific facts rather than how I want to perceive a situation.)

Wait! I sound just like many Americans who disvalue science in favor of what’s easier for them personally. Or believe what some nut case tells them is true. So, perhaps I should take a step backward.

So, in full disclosure, this cornbread is quick and easy to build and ever so tasty. And it is possibly healthier than other cornbread recipes. But it is never going to be considered a health food or better for you than steamed broccoli, spinach, or a naked green salad. (But it’s still really good.)

Peace and love to all.  

1 c. fairly finely ground cornmeal  

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

½ tsp. kosher salt  

2 tsp. baking powder

1 lg. egg

¾ c. whole milk

¼ c. sour cream

3 T. raw honey

¼ c. veggie oil

Whisk the corn meal, flour, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, milk, sour cream, honey, and oil together.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is lump free. 

Pour into a buttered 8×8-inch pan. Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Warm before serving.

Miles had been enjoying the sun with his brother. But when I came in to take their picture, he had to move and then pose for me. Such a darling boy.

The true sun worshiper in the family. Max will follow the sun wherever it happens to appear. Love this little critter.

I often serve leftovers from the previous dinner when I have overachieved on the amount I prepare. (This happens more often than not! We simply can’t eat as much as days of yore.) So, in an effort to change things up a bit, I often add a new and different side dish to stave off gastronomic boredom. And this is the result of wanting a new and exciting addition to thrill and delight our tastebuds as we slurped down the leftover Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (on site) that I had served the night before.

I knew what I wanted was a bread product that leaned towards the nutritious side. Well as much as possible and still taste great and not at all like buttered cardboard! (Believe me, in all my years of trying to bake low calorie, nutritious bread products, I have baked my fair share of edible cardboard. So, I know whereof I speak!) Anyway, I researched several on-line recipes and came up with this recipe. And we both thought the biscuits were wonderful. Full of flavor, tender and moist, and a wonderful base for butter and jam (Mr. C.) and honey (me). And the biscuits had been ever so easy to make.

You will notice that in many of my biscuit, cookie, cake, muffin, and quick bread recipes, my instructions remind you to not overbake whatever it is your baking. I find that one of the mistakes many otherwise excellent cooks make is that they tend to leave certain baked goods in the oven just a few minutes too long. So, a quick reminder for us all.

For tender and moist Biscuits: If you are unsure if a biscuit is done, use an instant read thermometer and remove from the oven when the internal temperature reaches between 205 and 210-degrees. Once out of the oven, immediately transfer to a cooling rack.

For perfectly baked Cookies: Pull the cookie sheet out of the oven when the cookies are just set unless otherwise directed. Underbaking is better than overbaking.  And the good folks at Southern Living recommend letting your cookies cool right on the baking pan instead of on a separate cooling rack. The only exception is shortbread cookies. They need to be overbaked just a bit to provide that lovely crunch we all appreciate.

For perfectly moist Cakes and Muffins: When the top of your cake or muffins becomes more golden or darker and starting to pull away from the side of the pan, gently press on the top with your fingers and check to see if the cake or muffin springs back fully. That’s a good sign to reach for your instant read thermometer.

For most cakes the internal temperature should read between 200 and 205-degrees. For muffins, 205-degrees. Just be sure to avoid 212-degrees and beyond, because that’s the temperature that water turns to steam, which means you’ll start losing precious moisture very quickly. And loss of moisture results in a dry or tough consistency in both cakes and muffins.

For moist and tender Quick Breads: Quick breads are perfectly done when the internal temperature hits between 200 and 205-degrees. Most recipes almost always give the baking time rather than the temperature. So, to ensure perfectly baked quick breads, start checking the internal temperature at 20 minutes if the recipe bake time is stated between 20–30 minutes.

OK, that was my quick and dirty lesson on not overbaking some types of baked goods. And do forgive me if I seem to be preaching to the choir. But as a choir director with over 20 years’ experience, preaching to the choir just comes naturally to me. But then I figured that everyone needs a quick reminder occasionally. I know I sure do.

Well, my work is done here for the day. It’s still sunny and warm outside so I thought I might forget about all things kitchen and treat myself to a bit of a read in our courtyard. May you also make the time to treat yourself to whatever it is that brings you pleasure.

I found this on Facebook when I went online this morning. It pretty well sums up my philosophy on life as an older person. So, I thought I would share it with you.

And as always, peace and love to all.

By Mário Raul de Morais Andrade

(Oct 9, 1893 – Feb 25, 1945)

Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian and critic, photographer

“I counted my years and found that I have less time to live from here on than I have lived up to now.

I feel like that child who won a packet of sweets: he ate the first with pleasure, but when he realized that there were few left, he began to enjoy them intensely.

I no longer have time for endless meetings where statutes, rules, procedures and internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be achieved.

I no longer have time to support the absurd people who, despite their chronological age, haven’t grown up.

My time is too short:

I want the essence, my soul is in a hurry.

I don’t have many sweets in the package anymore.

I want to live next to human people, very human, who know how to laugh at their mistakes, and who are not inflated by their triumphs, and who take on their responsibilities.

Thus human dignity is defended and we move towards truth and honesty.

It is the essential that makes life worth living.

I want to surround myself with people who know how to touch hearts, people who have been taught by the hard blows of life to grow with gentle touches of the soul.

Yes, I’m in a hurry, I’m in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give.

I don’t intend to waste any of the leftover sweets.

I am sure they will be delicious, much more than what I have eaten so far.

My goal is to reach the end satisfied

and at peace with my loved ones

and my conscience.

We have two lives.

And the second begins when you realize you only have one.”

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

2¼ c. whole wheat pastry flour, fluffed 

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp.  kosher salt

4 T. (½ stick) frozen unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes  

1 c. cold buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, see recipe below)

Pre-heat the oven to 425-degrees. Line a medium sized baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your food processor, mix the pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add the cold butter and whirl just until the butter is evenly distributed and the dough resembles coarse meal. Whirl in the buttermilk until just blended. The dough will be quite wet. Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured countertop or pastry cloth. Knead the dough 4 to 5 times until it comes together, dusting the dough lightly with flour as needed.

Pat the dough gently with your hands into a disc and fold the dough over itself 2 to 3 times. This will help create layers in your biscuits. Then pat the dough into a roughly 1-inch-thick square. Cut the biscuit with a sharp knife that has been dipped in flour. (I got 12 various sized biscuits.)

Transfer the biscuits to the prepared sheet pan leaving about 2-inches apart.

Increase the heat to 450-degrees and place the biscuits in the oven. Bake until a light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Do not overbake. The internal temperature should be about 205-degrees.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Biscuits are best served warm slathered with a bit of butter and either honey or jam.

To warm the biscuits, place in microwave on high for about 25 seconds. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.   

BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE

1 T. white vinegar

milk (I use whole milk)

Pour the vinegar into a one cup liquid measuring container. Add enough milk to make exactly one cup. Gently stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes before using. You might see some light curdling, so stir the mixture again just before using. Even if you don’t see a texture change, the acid in the milk will still work its magic in the recipe.

I love to bake bread because it is so darn forgiving. I mean truly, bread is really, really hard to mess up. In fact, you have to go out of your way to make a bad loaf of bread. Take this bread for example.

I wanted to explore the wonderful world of oat bread, but I didn’t want to use either some type of oil or butter. So, for my liquid I used whole milk. Of course, there is a bit of fat in whole milk, but not as much as churned butter or oil. I also wanted to use my sourdough starter and whole wheat flour. And of course, since I was thinking healthy, I decided to add a bit of wheat germ to the mix. Why not? And because whole wheat bread almost cries out for a bit of sweetener, I used 3 tablespoons of real maple syrup. And the result – great! Moist and flavorful bread. And I was able to build the dough and shape the bread the day before I needed it.

I often make bread dough ahead, shape it, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Especially if I have other commitments the next day. Then all I have to do is remove the bread from the fridge the next day, let it sit out on the counter for a couple of hours to come to room temperature and perhaps rise a bit more, then bake it off. And the prep work from the day before, just a fleeting memory. And fresh out of the oven homemade bread on the day it’s needed.      

Now I know some of you are new to bread baking. If that’s the case, I recommend you go to my post entitled Bread Baking 101. It is full of information and step-by-step instructions. And it might even be of help!  

And for those of you who build bread on a regular basis, 2 thumbs up! You are doing the right thing. As you already know, homemade bread is easy and inexpensive to build, contains no ingredients even a person with a PhD in linguistics can pronounce, makes your entire home smell wonderful as it bakes, and tastes fantastic. What more could anyone possibly ask from the 4 basic ingredients in bread – flour, water, yeast, and salt? Bread truly is the “staff of life”! And found in virtually every society. So, I plan to keep “society” with bread for the rest of my life. And make it from scratch as much as possible.

As always, peace, love, and understanding to all.

1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

½ c. warm water

¾ c. sourdough starter (fed or discard)

1½ tsp. active dry yeast

1 c. whole milk

3 T. maple syrup

1½ tsp. kosher salt

¾ c. whole wheat flour

2 T. wheat germ or wheat bran, opt. (wheat germ is healthier, but I use both)

2½ c. bread flour, more or less

veggie oil

cooking spray, for greasing the loaf pan or pans

Instructions:

Combine the rolled oats and warm water. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, active dry yeast, whole milk, and maple syrup. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Then add the oat mixture, salt, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and 2 cups of the bread flour.

Using the bread hook, mix and knead the dough until the dough is fairly sticky and part of the dough adheres to the bottom of the mixing bowl. Add additional flour as needed.

Pour a bit of oil around the dough, and using a stiff rubber spatula and your hands, round the dough into an evenly greased ball. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1½-2 hours or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough.

Grease 1 (9×5-inch) loaf pan or 2 (7½ x 3½-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray. (Divide the dough in half if you are using smaller pans.) Shape the dough, place in pan(s), cover with plastic wrap (I grease the plastic wrap before placing on the loaf or loaves), and place in refrigerator overnight.  

Remove from fridge and place on counter for 1-2 hours or until the dough is about ½ inch over the top of the pan or pans.  

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 35-40 minutes for a single loaf. (25-30 minutes for 2 loaves). If making a single loaf, check after about 25 minutes to make sure the top is not getting too brown. If the top is already brown, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top. Continue baking until the internal temperature of the bread reaches at least 195-degrees.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan or pans. Allow the loaf or loaves to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  

    

These muffins came about because I made Curried Pumpkin and Peanut Soup (recipe on this site) for dinner the other evening. What is the connection, you might wonder? Well, the only pumpkin I had in the pantry at the time was a large (29-oz.) can. And all I needed for the soup was two cups. That left me with a surplus of about a cup and quarter of pumpkin. And knowing myself as well as I do, unless I did something with that tiny bit of pumpkin right away, it would undoubtedly reside in a small container in our freezer until which time I decided the freezer needed cleaning out. Then I’m reasonably sure I would throw the pumpkin out just on general principle. So, I’m sure as you can clearly understand why I needed to do something with the extra pumpkin right away. And what better use of pumpkin than in a pie, or bread, or muffins.

So, never having worked up a pumpkin muffin recipe, I decided it was jolly well about time! And the recipe you find below is what I came up with.

And of course, because I have a propensity towards gilding a lily, I figured a crunchy crumble topped muffin would be preferable to just a regular, run of the mill unadorned muffin. And guess what? I was right! Because this recipe makes for a wonderful, tasty treat.

Now I am not going to fool you into thinking that this is a healthy treat. Because you can find hundreds of healthier ways to make a pumpkin muffin. But, if you are like us, we don’t eat muffins very often. So, when we do, we want to go first cabin. (So to speak.) And if this isn’t a “first cabin” muffin, then I never learned to drive when I was 12. And I did learn to drive when I was 12! On my uncle and aunt’s farm in Nebraska. On the narrow lanes that accessed various fields of corn in my parent’s brand new 1956 Ford station wagon. And because I couldn’t go very fast, I couldn’t have hurt myself or the car even if I had tried. The 8-foot stalks of corn were obviously at risk, however. But somehow, I managed to keep the car in the middle of the lanes. And boy oh boy was that fun. I still remember that exhilarating experience. And I still can’t begin to believe my parents actually let me drive the car all by myself. Now, would I have let my own children do anything like that at 12 years old? Heck no. But I’m still glad that my parents were crazy enough to put their trust in me.

So, if you too want to bake a muffin that is sure to please anyone who is lucky enough to sample your largesse, then may I suggest you give this recipe a try. And the crumble part, it would be perfect for just about any type of muffin. Sure, it adds unnecessary calories to any muffin. But hey, life’s short. We need to treat ourselves periodically. So, I say – go for it!

Peace and love to all.  

Crumble Topping recipe:

½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ c. granulated sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

pinch kosher salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, slightly melted

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle the butter into the bowl while stirring the mixture with a fork until crumbles form. Do not over-mix. (You want chunks of dough.)

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. (It will harden.) Then, evenly drop bits of the mixture across muffins just before plopping the muffins into the oven.

Muffin Batter recipe:

1⅔ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

½ c. granulated sugar

½ c. light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

slightly rounded ½ tsp. ground ginger

slightly rounded ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg or freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp. kosher salt

¾ c. chopped walnuts

2 lg. eggs

½ c. vegetable or canola oil

1¼ c. canned pumpkin  

¼ c. whole milk

Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

In a large bowl mix the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together. (I do this with my right hand making sure all the brown sugar lumps are broken down and evenly distributed.) Then stir in the chopped walnut pieces.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, pumpkin, and milk together until well blended.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently just until combined. Do not overmix. 

Using a #16 levered (scant ¼ cup) scoop, plop the pumpkin mixture into the paper liners filling them a little over ¾ full. Just before baking, sprinkle evenly with crumble mixture.

Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The muffins will stay moist for up to 5 days. Keep them in the fridge in an airtight container. Bring them to room temperature before serving. The muffins can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Makes 16 muffins.

    

OK, I get bored easily. When it comes to food that is. Everything else, well suffice it to say I truly haven’t been bored since I was about 12. And then only during the summer because I had two younger brothers who bugged me, and I had read all the books at our local branch of the King County library deemed appropriate for my age.

So, the other evening when I decided to serve chili for dinner, I decided to prepare some kind of new bread offering as an accompaniment.

I began by searching the internet for inspiration. I knew I wanted to include some sourdough starter and cornmeal, but my mouth was really wanting more of a soft dinner roll. Basically, I wanted a fusion roll. (After all, it’s very hip to prepare fusion cuisine these days. So, why not a fusion bread somewhere between sourdough bread and cornbread? Just proves I can be just as cool and trend conscious as the next dame given the right impetus!)

Anyway, I found this wonderful recipe on the zestysouthindiankitchen.com site. Well, this recipe with a couple of minor changes, that is. And the rolls turned out just what my mind envisioned. And my taste buds craved. Well, almost. The rolls were a bit sweeter than I like, even though I had already reduced the amount of sugar from Swathi’s original recipe. So, below you will find the sugar amount given in a range. Next time I will use only 2 teaspoons of sugar. But if you like sweeter rolls, go for the larger amount of sugar.

Well, I’m off to do battle with WordPress (WP), my self-publishing blogging platform. (Think of WP as a factory for making web pages.) It appears that people who signed up to receive automatic notification of new posts on their email are no longer receiving notice. And I can’t always get pictures transferred from my computer to my posts. Grrrrrr. So, I am at a bit of an impasse as to how to get my problems resolved. There is really no one I can just call for assistance. Well, that is, without an outlay of dollars and a considerable amount of frustration! (On both sides I might add! Because I am definitely not what anyone would consider a “tech savvy person”. In fact, quite the opposite.)

In the meantime, if you have signed up for automatic notification, just go to my site every few days or whenever you have nothing better to do, to find out what I have been up to and to view new recipes hot off the press.

Well, Mr. C. had a gig last night and another one tonight. So, that’s 2 days in a row that he will be keeping me up past my bedtime. But that’s just fine with me. Anytime I can spend an evening listening to Andy play with others to make really good live music, I am a happy camper. My wish for you is that you too get to experience something you truly enjoy as often as you wish. (Or even a little bit more often than you think you can reasonably handle.) Because this is it dear friends. And we only go around once.  

Peace and love to all.

½ c. + 2 T. sourdough starter (either fed or discard)

1½ tsp. active dry yeast

1 c. whole milk

2 tsp. – 2 T. granulated sugar (depends on how sweet you like your dinner rolls)

1¼ tsp. kosher salt

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

⅓ c. fine cornmeal

2 T. potato flour, instant mashed potatoes, potato flakes, or leftover mashed potatoes

2⅔ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed

veggie oil (to grease the bowl)

1 sm. egg + 1 T. water for egg wash

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the sourdough starter, yeast, milk, and sugar together. Let sit for 5 minutes. Then add the salt, butter, cornmeal, potato flour, and 2 cups of the all-purpose flour. Using the dough hook, knead the dough until soft and elastic. Add additional flour as needed. (The dough should form a ball around your bread hook with just a bit of dough sticking to the bottom of the bowl.)

Pour a bit of oil around the dough in your mixing bowl, and using a stiff plastic spatula and your hands, form the dough into a lightly greased ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough and divide the dough into 10 rolls (or how many ever you want). Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. (The dough will be sticky, so a bit of butter on your hands helps you form the dough into balls.)

Cover and set aside for another 45-60 minutes. While the rolls rise, whisk the egg and water together. After the second rise the rolls should be puffy but not to the point of being doubled in volume.

Carefully brush the rolls with the egg wash and bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature should read around 200-degrees.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Great with soup, chili, or stew. Or any old time for that matter! Absolutely delicious sliced into two halves and toasted for a breakfast treat. Jam or honey is fabulous on these rolls.

And you’re correct, I already have a recipe for Pain de Campagne on this site. And it too makes for wonderful eating. But it’s not a recipe for overnight bread. And sometimes what I require is for the dough and first rise to happen one day, and the baking of said dough to occur the next day. Because somewhere along the line we have become super busy. And our social life recently seems to have spun a bit out of control. Now do not get me wrong. I love being involved with Andy’s musical events and get-togethers with friends. But our bustling schedule often leaves me with time constraints. And who doesn’t have time issues if they are busy living a full and rich life? So, concessions must be made. And preparing the bread dough on day 1 and baking the bread the next day is an allowance I am gladly willing to make if it results in homemade bread. So, you will undoubtedly be seeing more recipes from me that feature 2 day breads.

There are excellent articles provided by the fine people at the King Arthur Baking Company that explain the how and why of making bread in more than one day. Two articles that I was lucky enough to find were most beneficial. “Why multiday breads are actually the easiest breads of all” and “Can I refrigerate my bread dough and bake it later?” I suggest you read these two articles if you also find yourself in the position of not having a chunk of time long enough to devote to baking bread. I learned a lot from these two articles, and plan to use my newfound knowledge with some of my favorite same day bread recipes.

Now about this bread. It’s really good. It possesses enough flavor from the small amounts of rye and whole wheat flavor to be interesting. The texture is a bit chewy and perfect for wiping up any gravy or sauce on your plate that might happen to require mopping up. (So much more dignified than licking your plate or bowl.)  

So, if you too are a bread lover, give this recipe a try. And if you do bake bread routinely and have yet to bake a loaf in a cast-iron Dutch oven* or clay baker*, then I encourage you to seek out a cast-iron Dutch oven at your earliest convenience. And if you happen to already own a 5.5 to 6-quart cast-iron Dutch oven, you are set to go. If not, a garage sale, Good Will, your local thrift store, or brand new from William-Sonoma purchase would suit just fine. Plus, you can always use your Dutch oven to make stew and other delectable dishes. So, a very versatile kitchen tool to own.

And baking bread is an easy and cost effective way to ensure your kitchen smells wonderful. Because I’m telling you the truth, nothing smells better than bread in the oven. If I go to heaven, and that’s a big “if”, you realize, I want my room to smell like baking bread 24/7. I mean really, what could be more heavenly!?

As always dear friends, peace and love to all.

1¼ c. warm water

1 c. sourdough starter discard

1½ tsp. active dry yeast

1½ tsp. kosher salt

2 T. rye flour

6 T. whole wheat flour 

1 T. vital wheat gluten flour

3 c. bread flour, more or less

extra virgin olive oil 

Place the warm water, sourdough starter, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt, rye flour, wheat flour, vital wheat gluten flour, and 1 cup of the bread flour. Mix together with your bread hook. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add enough remaining bread flour to make a soft, elastic dough. Dough should ball up around the bread hook, leaving just a bit stuck to the bottom of the bowl. The dough should be a bit sticky, but not tacky. Pour a bit of oil in the bowl and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a ball, completely greased with the oil.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 90 minutes. Punch down once during this rising.

Cover a small cookie sheet with a rectangle of parchment paper. (Use a large enough piece of parchment paper to allow for lifting the dough into a Dutch oven or clay baker.) Gently shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball on the parchment paper. Dust with a bit of flour and place in refrigerator overnight. (No need to cover the dough.)

Remove the dough the next day and slash an “X” on the top. Allow the dough to sit on the counter for about an hour while you pre-heat your oven to 500-degrees. If you are using a Dutch oven or clay baker, place it along with the lid on the middle rack of the oven at the same time you start your oven pre-heating. You want your clay baker or Dutch oven to get hot right along with the oven.

Remove the Dutch oven or clay baker from the oven being very careful not to burn yourself. Carefully, using the sides of the parchment paper, lower the dough into the hot Dutch oven or onto the base of the clay baker. Cover and carefully return to the oven. If you are using a baking sheet, just place the baking pan in the oven.

If you are using a Dutch oven or clay baker, bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and allow to finish baking. Total baking time is about 40-minutes. The top should be a lovely golden brown. The internal temperature should reach at least 205 degrees. If using a baking pan, check if your bread is done after 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and carefully lift the parchment paper and bread out of the clay baker or Dutch oven onto a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.

*The high heat inside the Dutch oven or clay baker allows the water inside the dough to evaporate. Because you have the lid on top, the steam is trapped inside and creates a hot and steamy environment. This helps your bread to stay moist and flexible so it can rise and expand easily. The humid environment also promotes a crispy and shiny crust.

There is not one person I know who doesn’t enjoy a great bit of homemade bread with dinner. Not one! But because most of us don’t eat bread with dinner every evening, dinner rolls especially have become kind of a specialty item with nostalgic overtones.

Thick slices of homemade bread or dinner rolls were always served at dinner when I was a child, along with coffee for the adults and milk for us kids. I’m sure milk is still served to kids routinely, but as far as coffee and some type of bread product at each and every dinner, I think things have changed dramatically in that regard. At least coffee is never served with dinner here at Chez Carr, and bread only sparingly.

Personally, I would love to have bread with every meal. But realistically eating bread 3 times a day is not the best choice for continued good health. We almost always have some type of bread product with our easy over eggs for breakfast. But lunch and dinner we try to be good. Doesn’t always work out that way. Because what would I be thinking if I didn’t serve cornbread with chili, for example. (You see how this works? How I justify a bread product with dinner occasionally?)

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that for me bread is a treat. And I love it when bread is served in a restaurant. Because it’s usually pretty darn good bread. So, realizing I’m not any different than most people, I love to serve homemade bread to dinner guests. The menu doesn’t always warrant a side of bread. But when it does, I try to make it happen.

So, if you too enjoy serving bread to your family and friends, I hope you enjoy this slightly altered recipe that I was lucky enough to find on the sallysbakingaddiction.com site. (Great site BTW!) Easy rolls to prepare. No special ingredients required. Just a perfect, soft, buttery, slightly herby flavored delight. And a great recipe for entertaining because the shaped rolls must spend some quality time in the refrigerator. So, making the dough and shaping the rolls the day before is a great way to free up some of your time when you are preparing a meal for guests.

This recipe is just a bit different than the Overnight Soft Herb Rolls recipe already on this site. So, now you have a choice. And who doesn’t appreciate choices? Unless of course, it’s a choice between a freshly baked plain croissant or a lovely pain au chocolat croissant. That my friends, is an awful choice to have to make!

Peace, love, and happy baking to all.

1 c. whole milk, warmed to about 110-degrees

2½ tsp. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast 

2 T. granulated sugar

1 lg. egg, at room temperature

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, divided

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 T. finely chopped rosemary

1 T. finely chopped fresh basil

1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley

1 T. minced fresh chives

2 tsp. minced garlic

3 c. bread flour, fluffed, plus more for work surface

veggie oil

coarse sea salt, for topping

Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  

Add the egg, 2 tablespoons of the butter that has been melted and cooled to lukewarm, salt, rosemary, basil, parsley, chives, garlic, and 1 cup of  flour. Using your dough hook, mix on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet add more flour a little bit at a time. The dough should be soft and a little sticky. Knead the dough for an additional 3 full minutes with your mixer.  

Pour a bit of oil into the mixing bowl. Using a stiff rubber spatula and your hands, shape the dough into a lightly greased ball.  

Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. Allow the dough to rise on your counter for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (Takes about 2 hours for my dough to rise.) 

Liberally butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Shape the dough into 24 small balls. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Arrange in prepared baking pan.  

Cover the shaped rolls tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 2 hours before baking.  

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven on a rack towards the bottom for 23-27 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter just before the rolls are due to come out of the oven. Remove the rolls from the oven when they are golden brown, and the internal temperature reaches at least 190-degrres on an instant read thermometer.

Immediately brush the hot rolls with the melted butter and lightly sprinkle the tops with sea salt.

Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

  

For last Sundays before concert meal in our home, to be served at exactly 1:15 pm, I prepared these whole wheat rolls and my soon to be published recipe for Savory Overnight Soft Dinner Rolls. Both offerings were well received. And the glorious thing, besides the ease of preparation and wonderful taste of both of these rolls, is that I must make and shape the rolls the day before I plan to serve them. And if you have ever made a full dinner for a large number of people, you know that every dish cannot be made the day of the event. So, every part of every dish that can be made ahead, must be made ahead. So, all I had to do Sunday morning was take the 2 9×13-inch pans out of my fridge, let them sit for about 1½ hours on the counter to come to room temperature (and perhaps rise a bit more), and then throw the pans in the oven. Done deal!

It always amazes me that people question whether I indeed made whatever type of bread I am serving. And I feel a bit bad when I have to admit that bread is just so darn easy to make. And also, so bloody forgiving. With cake, for example, you must measure the ingredients to a gnat’s eyelash. But with bread dough, you can fling just about anything into the mix, and it comes out fine.

So, as with this recipe, I added more butter than originally called for, less sugar, a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten*, and used 2 types of whole wheat flour. And the resulting dinner rolls were soft and delicious. Just enough whole wheat taste to be perfect when spread with soft butter. And as a roll to be eaten with breakfast liberally spread with either jam or honey, there is simply no equal.

So, next time you need a dinner roll that is perfect with just about any dish, give this simple recipe a try. You will not be sorry. Except of course when all the rolls have been eaten.

And as always, peace and love to all. 

1 T. active dry yeast

1¼ c. warm water

¼ c. granulated sugar

6 T. melted butter, cooled to lukewarm

1 lg. egg

1½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

1 T. vital wheat gluten

2 c. whole wheat flour

1¾ – 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

veggie oil

1 egg white, beaten

In a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes, then mix in the sugar, melted butter, egg, and salt.

With your mixer running on low, add the vital wheat gluten and the 2 cups of whole wheat flour and about a 1¾ cups of the whole wheat pastry flour. Increase speed to medium and keep mixing until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and is smooth and elastic.  (If dough seems too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.)

Add a bit of veggie oil to the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into an evenly greased ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place 1½ to 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Once dough is doubled, punch down and divide into 20 pieces. Shape each portion into a ball and place balls in a buttered 9×13-inch baking pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  

Remove dinner rolls from refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, cover with a clean tea towel, and let sit on your counter for about 1½ hours. Brush with the beaten egg white and lightly sprinkled with kosher salt just before placing in the oven.

Bake rolls in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature of the rolls when taken with an instant read thermometer should be at least 190-degrees. (And yes, with bread of any sort, I always take the internal temperature before declaring it ready to be removed from the oven!)

* Vital wheat gluten is not technically flour. But rather a flour-like powder that contains nearly all gluten and minimal starch. It is produced by hydrating wheat flour, which activates the gluten protein, and then processed to remove everything except the gluten. Afterwards it is dried and ground back into a powder.

Since vital wheat gluten is a concentrated wheat protein, just a tablespoon or two in your bread dough can improve its texture, elasticity, and create a better crumb and chewiness in the final product. Vital wheat gluten is especially helpful for bread recipes using low-protein flour varieties, such as whole wheat or rye flour. It is also good for breads containing mix-ins like nuts or fruits. Vital wheat gluten helps provide more structure and stability to the final product.

Early yesterday afternoon while deciding what to cook for dinner, I decided Savory Navy Bean Soup would be perfect. (Recipe to be published in the near future.) But ever the bread lover, I wanted a quick and easy roll to slather with butter, then dip into my soup. (Decadent and hardly healthy, but none the less, that’s what I wanted.) (And yes, I was stamping my foot at the time. Just like any other spoiled brat.) So, off I went in search of a recipe for a fast and easy roll to complete our meal. And with the most luck I’ve experienced in a long time, I found this recipe on the jennycancook.com site.

But frankly, I hesitated before making these rolls because they looked just too darn simple. But because I was in a bit of a time constraint, I decided to dive right in. And I shall forever be grateful that I prepared this recipe. Because these rolls are the bomb.

And for all you bread baking challenged folks out there, this recipe is absolutely perfect for you. No mixer required. No guess work as to exactly how much flour to use. Simple, simple, simple. And absolutely delicious.

So, do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. Just make these rolls and be done with it. And a huge thank you to Jenny Jones for this fantastic recipe. You are a treasure!

Well, that’s it for today. But I want to leave you with this quote from Henri Nouwen. “If there’s any concept worth restoring to its original depth and evocative potential, it is the concept of hospitality.” So, to all you cooks out there who provide your family and guests with good food and good drink, please know that you are making a difference. Because when it comes to feeding your family and friends, nothing should be too good for them. There is simply no better way that I know of to prove in how high a regard you hold your family and friends, than by serving well prepared food in an attractive manner.

Peace and love to all.

2½ c. bread flour, fluffed* (plus more flour for shaping the dough)

1½ tsp. instant or RapidRise yeast

1 tsp. kosher salt

1¼ c. very hot tap water (116 to 125-degrees)  

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the water until well combined. (This produces a very loose dough.)

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1¼ hour.

Transfer dough to a floured surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Using a dough/bench scraper, fold dough over 10-12 times, adding flour as needed and shape the whole mess into a rough ball.

Using the scraper, cut dough into 8 pieces. With floured hands, shape each into a ball by folding and tucking the dough under itself to produce a smooth surfaced top to the ball. (You may need to dip a bit of the dough into more flour while creating this smooth surfaced ball of dough.)

Place smooth side up on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel. Let stand at room temperature for as long as it takes to pre-heat your oven to 450-degrees. (The dough balls will not double in size. Not to worry.)

Bake for 22-23 minutes for a softer roll, or a bit longer for a crispier exterior. Either amount of time will result in a lovely, puffy golden-brown roll.

Remove from oven and let cool a bit before eating. To re-heat, pre-heat the oven to 325-degrees and place the rolls directly on the oven rack for 10-15 minutes.

*Fluffing the flour for this recipe is unusual. When baking most yeast breads, you are given an amount of flour in the recipe, but how much you actually use is at the discretion of the baker. And of course, the look of the dough provided in the instructions. (Soft and elastic, a bit of the dough clinging to the bottom of the mixing bowl, etc.)  

So, if you are not familiar with ”fluffed” flour, this commentary should help you understand the concept. And BTW, for any baked goods (besides most breads), cake, cookies, pie crust, etc., I ALWAYS fluff the flour. ALWAYS!

Flour settles easily, becoming tightly packed inside a bag or jar. In order to make sure you’re not scooping up packed flour (too much flour), you should stir it with a spoon before lifting it with the spoon (kind of shaking it) as you place it into your measuring cup or cups. Then level off the top of the flour even with the rim of the measuring cup.