Mile-High Buttermilk Biscuits

Tags

biscuits, bread, butter, buttermilk, Cook's Illustrated

I love biscuits and scones. There’s something about butter and flour being mixed into a fluffy, tender baked good that is just divine. Now I’ve made other biscuits before (including pumpkin of course!), and those were awesome, too, but I just can’t help but try new recipes. These are relatively simple as far as biscuits go, though being a Cook’s Illustrated recipe they do have some additional steps. They’re essentially drop biscuits, and they kind of bake up like pull-apart rolls.The results are nothing short of biscuit perfection. They’re light and delicious and were the perfect choice to bake up while my weeknight bolognese cooked on the stove. If you’re like me, constantly looking for new biscuit (or any bread) recipes, give this a try. You won’t be disappointed!One Year Ago: Pizza Dough and Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Mile-High Buttermilk Biscuits
Yield: 12 biscuits

Dough
2 cups (10-ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1½ cups low-fat buttermilk

For Shaping and Finishing
1 cup (5-ounces) all-purpose flour, distributed on a rimmed baking sheet
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan and the inside and outside of a ¼ cup measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the dough: In a food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade, add the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda; pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter, dispersing evenly over the dry ingredients, then pulse 8 to 10 times, or until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Pour the flour-butter mixture into a large bowl; add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula just until everything is incorporated. The dough will be wet, sticky, and somewhat lumpy.

To form the biscuits: Use the prepared ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop level ¼ cup mounds of dough, then drop them into the flour on the baking sheet. Continue until all the dough has been scooped (there should be 12 mounds). Use some of the flour from the baking sheet to dust the top of each mound. Flour your hands, then, one at a time, pick up each piece of dough and gently shape it into a rough ball, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Shake off the excess flour and place in the prepared cake pan. Repeat with the remaining mounds of dough, fitting 9 biscuits around the outer edge of the pan and 3 in the middle.

Gently brush the top of each biscuit with the melted butter. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and continue baking for another 13 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are deep golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let the biscuits cool for 2 minutes, then invert them onto a clean kitchen towel. Flip the biscuits over and break them apart. Allow to cool 5 minutes longer before serving. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container and reheat at 475 degrees F for 5 to 7 minutes.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated via Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

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Peasant Bread

Tags

bread, yeast

I’ve always been afraid of baking bread. Not quick breads of course, since they’re so easy! But there’s something about yeast… and I don’t know why. I’m slowly working up my nerves. I’ve been making my own pizza dough a little more regularly now, and I have made bread a couple of times, though they haven’t all come out as I hoped.This bread came out wonderfully though! And there are so many great things about this recipe. First of all, if you’re at all intimidated by yeast and everything it involves then this recipe is perfect. It involves no kneading, with very short rise times. And this one recipe makes 4 separate loaves, which can be stored in the frig and baked over a 2 week period. Now, whenever I want bread, I can just throw a loaf in the oven and voila I have homemade bread!

I pretty much went through one of these loaves in one day. I had some with dinner, breakfast, snack, pre-dinner snack, and dinner again! 🙂 I guess I need to bake up another one so my husband will be able to try some… good thing there are three more loaves waiting to be baked in my frig!!Peasant Bread
Yield: Four 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1½ tablespoons instant yeast
1½ tablespoons salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
5½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal and additional flour for dusting the dough and peel

In a 4 or 5 quart bowl, mix yeast and salt with water. Mix in the flours without kneading, using your hands if need be to get the last bit of flour mixed in. Cover with plastic wrap or a light towel and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and then collapses or flattens on top, about 2 hours. After the initial rise, the dough can be used immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to 14 days.

To prepare the dough to bake, dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut the dough into 4 equal sections, each about 1-pound and the size of a grapefruit. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the edges of the dough around to the bottom, rotating the ball as needed. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.

As dough rests, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and place a baking stone on the middle rack. Remember that it’s ideal to have a hot stone to bake the bread on.

Once the second rise is complete, sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash a cross, scallop, or tic-tac-toe pattern on the top, using a serrated bread knife; leave the flour in place for baking, but tap some of it off before slicing. In a cast iron pan or broiler tray, pour 1 cup of hot tap water; place in the preheated oven on a lower rack. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot baking stone. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top crust is deeply browned and very firm; smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. Remove loaf to a cooling rack. Serve while still warm, or let cool completely.

Source: Adapted from Honey & Jam via Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Quick Cheese Bread

Tags

bread, Cheddar, cheese, Parmesan

I absolutely love carbs… bread, pasta, bread with pasta… I always like to have a side of bread when we have pasta or soup for dinner. Unfortunately, I don’t normally plan far enough in advance to make my own bread, and I don’t want to run to the store just to buy bread. One of these days, I’ll plan ahead. There are way to many yeast bread recipes I want to try! In the meantime, I’ll stick to my quick breads. 🙂 This cheese bread is a wonderful savory quick bread, so it’s a perfect accompaniment to pastas and soups!

A layer of Parmesan cheese on the top and the bottom, with a moist delicate center that’s studded with more cheese. This bread isn’t overly cheesy tasting, but it has the perfect balance of flavors, along with some cayenne and black pepper to truly make this a savory bread. I definitely plan on making this bread in the future when I need a quick bread with dinner! And I’m curious to try this as a base recipe, to try to tweak it to an Italian version with Parmesan and maybe mozzarella, spiced up with basil and oregano, and maybe even some garlic… I’ll be sure to let you know if I try that out, but in the meantime try this yummy cheese bread!Quick Cheese Bread

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided (about 1 cup)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, cut into ½-inch cubes
1¼ cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle ½ cup Parmesan cheese evenly over the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the cheddar until all the cheese is well coated with the flour mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, egg and sour cream. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined; do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (keep in mind when testing for doneness that a pocket of cheese may look like uncooked batter). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before cutting.

Source: Cook Like A Champion

Cream Cheese Biscuits

Tags

Biscuit, bread, butter, cream cheese

A few months ago, my mom and I went to visit her uncle up in Oregon. While we were up there, he mentioned that we check out his favorite breakfast places. His selling point for me were their biscuits. Whenever he goes, he gets a biscuit and eats half himself and brings the other half home for his greyhounds. They are the biggest biscuits I’ve ever seen, and they taste amazing! The biscuits I made are more normal sized. Hehe.I love biscuits. Even KFC biscuits (you must admit, they’re pretty awesome)! So I figured I had to try these biscuits, especially since I love things with cream cheese. Much to my husband’s dismay. 🙂 But these things are delish! Light and flaky, moist and delicious. They looked beautiful when they were cut up and unbaked…And then they kind of went crazy! They puffed up beautifully, but they sort of went everywhere. They all seemed to lean away from the center of the oven for some reason. But the taste is awesome, so it’s all good. The weird poofing can be worked on. 🙂 But seriously, best biscuits… you gotta try them!!

Cream Cheese Biscuits
Note: Unbaked biscuits can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 1 day.

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces and frozen at least 30 minutes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and frozen at least 30 minutes
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until combined. Add cream cheese and butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Stir in buttermilk until combined (dough may appear slightly dry).

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough comes together. Pat dough into an 8 by 6-inch rectangle, about ¾-inch thick. Cut into twelve 2-inch squares or use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter and cut into circles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until light brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Source: Cook’s Country

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Glaze

Tags

bread, cinnamon, Pumpkin, yeast

The pumpkin bug has finally bit me. After seeing so many pumpkin recipes on all the blogs, and with the weather finally starting to cool down here, it has happened. It finally feels like fall is here. The pants and long sleeve shirts are coming to the front of the closet again, and I’m making sure I find my gloves and beanie for work. Snow has fallen on the mountains, and we’ve had some cold and wet days where I just wanted to curl up with cocoa and a book. If only we had a fireplace… hehe.

The temps have gotten cool enough to where I have wanted to turn the heater on! But instead, I bake and the heat from the oven warms the apartment. This bread was made on one such day and I actually had to turn the oven on really low to create a warm enough place for the dough to rise.I’m sure a lot of you have seen the Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread that spread around the blogosphere a while back. This is a delicious pumpkin adaptation I found while browsing for more pumpkin recipes. The bread had always looked like a lot of effort to me, and so I had passed on it. Besides, yeast still kind of worries me… and it requires so much waiting and planning… But when I saw this pumpkin version, I knew I had to try it. And man, was it worth it! A fluffy, light pumpkin flavor with the cinnamon sugar combo reminiscent of cinnamon rolls, and a deliciously spiced glaze that compliments the bread perfectly! Get in the spirit of the season, and give this bread a try!

Are you already in fall/pumpkin mode?Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Glaze
Note: Dough can be left in the refrigerator overnight after the first rise, but pull the dough out of the refrigerator to let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling it out.

Bread:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup milk
2¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2½ cups bread flour

Filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Glaze:
⅓ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

To make the bread: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but be sure to remove it from the heat before it burns and turns black. Once browned, pour the butter into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Pour the milk into the same saucepan and warm it thoroughly. Add it to the butter in the mixing bowl; allow the mixture to cool to about 100-110 degrees F then stir in the sugar and yeast. Allow it to sit for a few minutes while the yeast activates and bubbles or foams up.

Slowly mix in pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour ½ cup at a time, stirring after each addition. Knead for 4 to 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

To make the filling: While the dough is rising, in a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well. When the dough is almost doubled in size, melt the butter and set aside to cool. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan; set aside.

To assemble: When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1 to 2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20 by 12-inch rectangle. Periodically check to make sure the dough isn’t sticking. If the dough seems difficult to roll out and is too elastic, cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter over the surface of the dough then evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. With the long edge of the dough towards you, cut the rectangle into 6 vertical strips using a pizza cutter or a bench scraper. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares. Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F for metal pans, or 325 degrees F for glass pans. Once the dough has risen, bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is a very deep golden brown (it is important to not pull it out at light golden brown, or the bread may be raw in the center). Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes on a wire cooling rack. Once cooled, use a butter knife to loosen all sides of the bread from the loaf pan and gently turn it out onto a plate. Place another plate on top and flip it to turn it right side up.

To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in the butter, then add 1 tablespoon of milk. Add up to 1 more tablespoon of milk until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread.

Source: Adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego and Willow Bird Baking