Yes, the title of this post says it all. Everyone LOVES this bread recipe. I got this recipe years ago off some website I cannot even recall and have adapted it to perfection. Yes, you've heard me. Perfection. Now, my only rule is this: Follow the recipe exactly and you'll have a wonderful loaf of hot bread in hours. My kids devour it. My extended family devours it. I'd devour it if I wasn't on a diet. My son devours it despite his wheat allergy. So, enough babbling, and on to the recipe.
Glorious No-Fail Bread
1 c. warm water
2 1/2 tsp active yeast
-combine and let ferment for 5-10 minutes-
1 c. butter milk (or of in a crunch, 1 c. milk and 1 tbs lemon juice and let sit for 3-5 minutes)
4 tbs brown sugar, packed
4 tbs vital wheat gluten (Bob's Red Mill is the best)
2 tbs olive oil (vegetable oil makes a very hard, flaky crust I don't like, olive oil makes it soft and smooth and a melt-in-your-mouth crust)
1 tbs salt
4-4 1/2 c. flour (I have found my perfect amount to be 4-1/4c. Now, this all depends on your altitude and humidity. Yep, you heard me. So, add in 4 cups at first, then if it is too wet-meaning sticking to the side of your pan/bowl and hands like gross wet gloop-then add in 1 tbs at a time until the dough is in a ball and at the touch it bounces back. Think like the consistency of fresh play-dough with the exception the dough will fill back in where you indented your finger-sorry bad analogy.)
Now, I use a bread maker. I put all this together, select the dough cycle, and then once that is completed, I take the dough out. Work it a little in my hands and shape it into a loaf round and place in a bread pan.
I let rise for 20 minutes in a warm place, covered. Even if it doesn't look like it's fully raised, stick it in the oven because it'll continue to raise as it bakes. Otherwise, you'll have Mount Everest bread. I bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes in a convection gas oven. Once I take it out, I brush butter over the top, take out of the pan to rest, and then cover once cooled. Once I cut it, I place the loaf in a bread bag. Now, my loaf doesn't last long at all. But, even 3 days later it tastes great. So, enjoy!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
Swedish Ethnic Sunday
We had Swedish meatballs, homemade noodles, steamed red potatoes, Swedish Tea Bread, Swedish Shrimp Salad, Pressgurka (pressed cucumbers), Vaniljkakor (Swedish Vanilla Cookies). I have to admit, I think this was our favorite and best tasting Ethnic Sunday meal, yet!
And it's sad, yet good, but come January, we're no longer going to have Ethic Sunday the first Sunday of the month, but are switching it up a little. We're going to do Copy-Cat Sunday. We decided January is going to be Papa Murphy's. Now, we don't shop on Sunday, so don't think we're going to go out and just buy one. We're going to try and recreate it! My son has a wheat allergy, so thankfully now, Papa Murphy's has a gluten free version of their pizza! This will be a test of my dough making skills, but I'm excited for a challenge. Now, back to this month: Swedish.After our delicious meal, Nana read Annika's Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis. A very cute book about a traditional Swedish Christmas. The kids enjoyed hearing about a little girl and how she longed to find the almond in the rice pudding.
Swedish Meatballs
2 slices day-old white bread,
crumbled
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp butter
1 small onion, minced
2/3 lbs ground beef
1/3 lbs finely ground pork
1 egg
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ginger
1 TBS butter
¼ cup chicken broth
Gravy:
3 TBS flour
2 c. beef broth
8 oz sour cream
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Place the bread crumbs into a small bowl, and mix in the cream. Allow to stand until crumbs absorb the cream, about 10 minutes. While the bread is soaking, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until it turns light brown, about 10 minutes. Place onion into a mixing bowl; mix with the ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Lightly mix in the bread crumbs and cream.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, and form into balls. Place the meatballs into the skillet, and cook just until the outsides are brown, about 5 minutes, turning the meatballs often. Insides of the meatballs will still be pink. Place browned meatballs into a baking dish, pour in chicken broth, and cover with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove meatballs to a serving dish.
- To make brown gravy, pour pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan drippings until smooth, and gradually whisk in enough beef broth to total about 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Bring the gravy to a simmer, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Just before serving, whisk in the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve the gravy with the meatballs.
Egg Noodles
Ingredients:
2 c. flour
4 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
Directions:
Mix the egg into the flour until a sticky dough consistency. If too dry, add more egg. If too wet, add flour a tbs at a time. Roll the dough out, slice into thin noodles. Add to boiling water and cook for 8 minutes at a rolling boil.
Swedish Shrimp Salad
17 oz fresh cooked shrimp
3 tbsp mayo
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp fresh dill nicely chopped
1 tbsp of nicely chopped red onion
1 tsp lemon juice
Few drops hot sauce
Pinch Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
Directions:
Peel the shrimp. Mix the mayo and the creme fresh or sour cream. Mix in the shrimp, dill and onion. Then add the lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and white pepper to taste. Place a dollop on top a sliced cucumber.
Swedish Tea Bread/Ring
Bread Dough
1 c. warm water
2 tsp yeast
1 c. buttermilk
4 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs olive oil
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1 tsp salt
4 c. flour
Filling:
1 cube butter, soften
1 c. brown sugar, packed
4 tbs ground cinnamon
Drizzle:
2 c. powdered sugar
3 tbs milk
1 tbs vanilla extract
Directions:
Combine all the bread ingredients into a bread machine. Select the dough cycle. Once completed, take out and roll the dough into a 9x13" rectangle. Smear soften butter over the dough, sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon mix. Roll and then form into a ring. With a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut the bread into slices about 1/2 the diameter of the width. Cut several slices in single serving sizes. Let rise for 35 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Once cooled, mix the Drizzle ingredients together. slowly pour over the top of the tea ring. Enjoy.
*Note: I'd place an extra pan for dripping under the bread ring. I had caramelized goo drip from the ring onto the bottom of my oven. Sounds yummy, but burnt sugar doesn't smell good at all.
Pressgurka (Pressed Cucumbers)
Ingredients:
Servings:
6
Directions:
Cut
cucumbers into the thinnest possible slices. Arrange
slices in a bowl. Whisk
together the white distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and parsley. Pour
over the cucumbers. Place
a plate with a weight over the cucumbers to squeeze out the liquid. Chill
for 1 hour.
Vaniljkakor
Ingredients:
1
cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3
cup powdered sugar
1
large egg yolk
1
tablespoon good vanilla
2
1/4 cups sifted flour
1/3
cup raspberry jam (or assorted jams and jellies)
Powdered
sugar
Directions:
1.
Cream butter and sugar well.
2.
Gradually add sugar, and cream until
light and fluffy.
3.
Beat in egg yolk, vanilla and flour,
blend thoroughly.
4.
Roll into walnut-sized balls and
place on greased cookie sheet.
5.
Make a nice indentation in top of
each cookie, I use the end (the handle end) of a wooden spoon for this.
6.
Put a little bit of jelly or jam
into each indentation.
7.
Bake in 350ยบ oven for at least 15
minutes or till pale golden yellow.
8.
Cool, then sift powdered sugar over
them.
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