German Hard Flower Rolls with Poolish - Weizenbrötchen

I adore baking, especially any type of yeast bread. Today's experience was a hit!

while surfing Tastespotting, found a great photo of this recipe, to make them a lilttle bit festive, decided to make those little flowers...adorable ha!

Up, close and personal!

Weizenbrötchen - German Hard Rolls with Poolish

 adapted from Plötz Blog

Poolish	Dough
100 g Water 100 g Bread flour 0.1 g Fresh yeast	150 g Bread flour 55 g Water 5 g Fresh yeast 5 g Salt 10 g Sugar 3 g Olive oil

1. Combine together the poolish ingredients in a mixing bowl. Leave it, covered, at room temperature for 16-20 hours.
2. Mix the starter, bread flour, water and fresh yeast at low speed for 3 minutes, then increase the speed and mix for 5 more minutes. Add in salt, sugar, and olive oil and continue to knead for another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form into a round ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside for an hour. Stretch and fold the dough after 30 minutes. Knead the dough thoroughly and divide it into 5 large or 8 small portions. Shape each portion into an oval and place them on the parchment paper lined baking tray. for the flower shapes, snip your dough with a pair os scissors like in the photo ( photo credit goes to artisanbreadinfive.com ) Cover and prove for an hour.

1. Place a roasting tray at the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F. Score the rolls and place in the hot oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the roasting tray. Bake 20-25 minutes until they are nicely golden brown and crisp.

Happy New Year everyone!

Hard crust, spongy crumb!

Special thanks to Angie, from angiesrecipes.com for the great recipe.

Enjoy!

La Focaccia Revisited!

  The focaccia alla Genovese invites our taste buds to meet first the bold flavor of the salt, then  oil and, finally, the dough it self. A real Genovese ( that comes from Genova-Italy) eats the focaccia dipped in Caffelattè !!! did you know that? Try  it, and you will be pleasantly surprised!

 The focaccia alla genovese must be two centimeters high on average , crunchy, soft and friable, never rubbery. As regards the real focaccia alla genovese; should not take less than eight hours rising time, We will show you here a version a bit 'faster, but still good; and of course with my oriental twist!

La Focaccia Revisited

Ingredients :

• 300 gm All-Purpose flour. about 2 1/2 cups.
• 200 ml water (warm) about 1 cup.
• 2 teaspoon active dry yeast or 12 gm  compressed fresh yeast .
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for the pan .
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar .
• Kosher salt 
• 1/4 ts Dried thyme, origano and 1/2 ts Sumac 

Procedure:

• Divide your flour in two .
• Add together oil, water, sugar and salt 
• Put half the flour in your Food processor and add all your  water -oil mix.
• pulse for 1 minutes 
• add your yeast 
•   pulse for 1 minutes 
• Add the rest of the flour and pulse till  the dough forms one ball P.s : the dough will be sticky .
• Take it out and knead for 5 minutes till elastic and silky.
• Put your dough in a 20x 30 cm pan ( after oiling it ) and leave it to rise for 1 hour.

• Pat your dough till it fills the pan while adding some oil , add some kosher salt and leave it to rise for 30 minutes. (like the photo above)

• With the tips of your fingers make some pockets , add some  olive oil and your rosemary and some WATER ( like 2 tablespoons) .

• Brush it with some olive oil and sprinkle all your herbs! 

• preheat your oven  to (180 c), bake for 20 minutes and once you take it out of the oven ,  remove it from pan and let it cool  on a wire rack .
• Heat it up before serving .... ENJOY.

Cinnamon -Easy- Rolls

Saturday brunch, another hot humid day and the hot weather seems like it's gonna last for ever here in Italy !

It is my  second attempt to make this decadent rolls.. they are my favourite of all times.

I prepared them the night before, popped them in the fridge, woke up at 9 am, let them sit for a while on the stove top while preheating the oven ( a tip to bring them  to room temperature in no time).

Good morning !

YOU will need...

For the Dough:

• 4 1/2 cups of AP flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/3 cup butter (soft) not margarine PLEASE!
• 3/4 cup milk
• pinch os salt
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

For the filling

•  1 cup brown sugar
•  1 TSP cinnamon .
•  1/2  cup  soft butter.

    The Cream cheese glaze:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened'
• 125 gm cream cheese 
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

What to do:

• In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour and the yeast.

• In a small saucepan heat the milk, the 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt just till warm and butter is  melted, stirring constantly. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds ( with an electric mixer) I don't have a stand mixer by the way:(, . Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups flour as you can. the dough must be soft but not sticky.

• Turn dough out onto a  floured surface(wooden best). Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (8 minutes) PLEASE RESIST YOUR DESIRE TO ADD MORE FLOUR !
•  Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. cover and let rise for about 1 hour or till doubled in size.

• For the filling, combine 1 cup brown sugar, , and 1 TSP cinnamon (mix them). and 1/2 a cup of soft butter.
• After the dough rises.Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. 

• Roll the dough into a 12 inch rectangle. with a rubber spatula, grease your dough with 1/2 cup of butter; top with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll up jelly-roll style; pinch edges to seal.

• Slice the dough roll into eight 1 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange dough pieces, cut side up, in a greased baking pan. Cover dough loosely with clear plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to rise for 1 hour. or proceed to the next step.
• Refrigerate dough for 2 to uo to 24 hours. Uncover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

• Preheat your oven to 375 f or 180 c  and bake  for 25 minutes or till light brown. 

A hint...to slice the dough easily into buns....use a piece of thread or dental floss , pass it under the dough and then pull to make a  knod...and here it comes...a smooth slice , the thread  acts like a very sharp knife.

Looks good or what ?

 For the  glaze..Mix all the glaze ingredients together and pour it on the buns when it comes out of the oven....enjooooooy!

Have you ever made your own Cinnamon Rolls?

Foolproof Easter Bread

  

    OMG ! Couldn't find white eggs in all Bologna supermarkets , was really disappointed and so were my kids .. So I kept looking for a foolproof way to dye my DARK eggs ..and I DID IT !
Well guys, you hard boil your eggs and then put your different dyes in your mugs and- here is a trick- cracking the shell, and then steeping the egg in a flavored tea or food colors .  The batik-like marbling effect is more prominent when teas with high levels of tannin are used; the duration of the coloring  will influence both the color of the marbling and the degree to which the tea  flavor penetrates the egg.

Back to this easy Easter Bread .. found the recipe on allrecipes and was happy with the results...

Ingredients ( for two loaves ) :

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom ( I used orange peel instead )
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 4 eggs
• 3 hard-cooked eggs
• vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120 degrees F-130 degrees F. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add 3 eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.( the dough will be sticky )  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 60  minutes.
3. Dye hard-cooked eggs; lightly rub with oil. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough into thirds. Shape each portion into a 48 cm  rope.
4. Place ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; bring ends together to form a ring. Pinch ends to seal. Gently separate braided ropes and tuck dyed eggs into openings ( or put them in the middle after it is baked as I did ). Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes.
5. Beat water and remaining egg; gently brush over dough. Bake at 375 degrees F  ( 180 c)for 28-32 or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate leftovers. 
6. you can reheat it in the microwave later , then spread some butter and jam on it .. Yummmmy! 

Focaccia Cake

Ingredients :

• 300 gm All-Purpose flour. about 2 1/2 cups.
• 200 ml water (warm) about 1 cup.
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast or 12 gm  compressed fresh yeast .
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for the pan .
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar .
• Kosher salt and some rosemary .

Procedure:

• Divide your flour in two .
• Add together oil, water, sugar and salt 
• Put half the flour in your stand mixer and add all your  water -oil mix.
• knead it for 3 minutes 
• add your yeast 
• knead for 3 minutes 
• Add the rest of the flour and knead till elastic and homogenous ( about 5 minutes). P.s : the dough will be sticky .
• Put your dough in a 9 inch pan ( after oiling it ) and leave it to rise for 1 hour.
• Pat your dough till it fills the pan while adding some oil , add some kosher salt and leave it to rise for 30 minutes.
• With the tips of your fingers make some pockets , add some  olive oil and your rosemary and some WATER ( like 2 tablespoons) .
• preheat your oven  to (180 c), bake for 20 minutes and once you take it out of the oven ,  remove it from pan and let it cool  on a wire rack .
• Heat it up before serving .... ENJOY.

La Focaccia

Focaccia (Italian pronunciation:fo ca tsha) is a flat oven-baked Italian bread,which may be topped with herbs or other ingredients. It is related to pizza, but not considered to be the same.
Focaccia is popular in Italy and is usually seasoned with olive oil and salt, and sometimes herbs, and may be topped with onion, cheese and meat, or flavored with a number of vegetables. It is eaten as a snack in Italy and school children will often purchase a slice from a baker's on the way to school, to enjoy at break time.

your dough before rest

Your dough after 15 minutes (without salt)

It should look like this.. sticky sooo sticky.

After the first 30- minute rest

The way you knead your dough

Leave it for 30 minutes

Your final result!

See how PRETTY  is it ?? see these airy  pockets??

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

(makes two 9-inch round loaves)

Biga

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (2 2/3 ounces) warm water .

1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast . or 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast.

Dough

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) warm water .

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast . Or 2 teaspoons active dry yeast.

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves.

Process

1. The day before, combine biga ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute. You should have a uniform mass with no dry flour.
2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for at least 8 hours (up to 24 hours).
3. For the dough, stir flour, water, and yeast into the biga with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute. You should have a uniform mass with no dry flour.
4.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 15 minutes.
5. Add 2 teaspoons Kosher salt to dough and stir with wooden spoon about 1 minute.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 30 minutes.
7. Spray rubber spatula with nonstick cooking spray.
8. With rubber spatula, fold dough over itself 8 times as follows:
1. lift an edge of dough with spatula and fold it towards the middle.
2. turn bowl 90 degrees.
3. repeat, repeat, repeat......until you've folded dough over 8 times.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 30 minutes.
10. With rubber spatula, fold dough over itself 8 times as follows:
11.  lift an edge of dough with spatula and fold it towards the middle.turn bowl 90 degrees.repeat, repeat, repeat......until you've folded dough over 8times. 
12. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 30 minutes. 
13. With rubber spatula, fold dough over itself 8 times as follows:lift an edge of dough with spatula and fold it towards the middle.turn bowl 90 degrees.repeat, repeat, repeat... until you've folded dough over 8 times.
14.  Place oven rack in upper middle position. Place baking stone on rack and preheat oven to 500 F. 
15. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 30 minutes. 
16. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface (counter). BE GENTLE! Lightly dust top of dough with flour and divide in half. 
17. Shape each piece into a 5 inch round by GENTLY tucking under edges. 
18. Coat two 9 inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each.
19.  
20. Sprinkle each pan with 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt.
21. Place each round of dough in a pan, top side down. Slide dough around pan to coat with oil and then flip dough over.
22. Cover pans with plastic wrap and let rise 5 minutes at room temperature.
23. Press dough out towards edge of pan with your fingertips. If dough resists, let rest 5-10 minutes and try again.
24. Grab a dinner fork and poke each dough 25-30 times. Make sure you pop any large bubbles.
25. Sprinkle rosemary over top of dough.
26. Let dough rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until slightly bubbly.
27. Place pans on baking stone and immediately lower oven temperature to 450 F.
28. Bake until top is golden brown 25-28 minutes. Switch pan placement on stone halfway through.
29. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack 5 minutes.
30. Remove bread from pans and return to wire rack. If any oil remains in pan, brush that on loaves.
31. Cool 30 minutes before serving.                                                  
32. Enjoy !

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

      I love toast for breakfast. Crisp, crunchy, buttery hot toast. Perfect with a a cup of coffee; . I love the way just the very top millimeter of toast crust softens up under its coat of melting butter. I like toast’s toasty aroma. I just  like TOAST.

     I decided to take my Toast to a new level ... added cinnamon , butter and sugar ...Yummy!
My first challenge was that I have to knead it by hand. and my second one was  my oven , which is small and gets really hot  with no way to control it !

Ah forgot to tell you , I had only 1.5 cups All-purpose flour so this was my third challenge !

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour 
• 2 cups Manitoba Flour , this was what I had on  hand .. if you can't find it , use All-purpose.
• 1 teaspoon Salt

For the filling :

• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• Softened Butter, For Smearing the loaf  And Greasing the pan . 
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing.

 Preparation Instructions

-Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. P.S it may not foam !
-Combine flour and salt.

Your ugly dough !

Your pretty one after kneading

-In a bowl , mix sugar and eggs with your hand mixer or even  a wooden spoon  until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat  until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.
knead dough by hand for ten minutes ... watch this video of  gourmet.com

 -If your  dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and knead  for 5 minutes.
Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it's warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, humid place for at least 2 hours. I preheated my oven, turned it off  and put my bowl in it . <------- works best.

My fully risen dough , and this is what you will need for your filling . I sprinkled some flour on it , and don't ask me why !

-Turn  the dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you're going to use, and about 30-40 cm  long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough.

-Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Before rising

2 hours after !

Preheat oven to 180 c 350 F.
Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 30- 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Enjoy !

Easy Flour Tortilla Tutorial

    Making Homemade tortillas really doesn't take much time. In fact, they probably don’t take much longer than the time it would take to pop open a can of biscuits and cook. But they do taste so much better than canned biscuits or store bought tortillas that making them is definitely worth the time and effort. Nothing taste much better than hot tortillas rolled up with some cheese spread and arugula, as Italians eat it!

Easy Flour Tortilla

Ingredients:
  Partially adapted from http://whatscookingamerica.net/

3  cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4  tablespoons olive oil or vegetable shortening. I prefer Extra virgin olive oil-
1 1/4 cup really hot water (approximate).

Preparation:

In a large bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

With a pastry cutter/blender  cut in the shortening or mix your oil . You want these ingredients to cling together slightly and hold a form when squeezed in your hand

 

Add the water all at once and mix the dough quickly with a fork or by hand until the dough forms a mass.

Work it in the bowl, moving it around the sides to pick up any flour remaining in the bowl.

Knead the dough by folding it in half, pushing it down, and folding again. It should take about a dozen folds to form soft dough that is no longer sticky.and at this point you will feel the softest dough ever !! believe me.

Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap to let it rest for about 20 to 30 minutes. Allowing the dough to rest lets any of the liquid absorb into the flour, which will give you a softer tortilla after cooking. 

 Take your ball of dough and begin pinching off 1-inch diameter balls. Knead each of these into a tight ball by folding them over with your fingers, turning and repeating until it is shaped like a fat disk. Place it to one side of the mixing bowl and continue to do this until you have used all of the dough. about 9 balls.

On a lightly floured surface take one of the dough balls and begin to roll it out. To keep a somewhat round shape, roll one directions, make a 1/4 turn  (45 degrees)and roll again,

                                                 make another 1/4 turn and roll.

 Continue to roll and turn until you the dough is about 1/8-inch thick and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. 

 Heat a cast-iron griddle, or small skillet to about 450 degrees F . over medium to medium-high heat until water droplets "dance" when dropped on the surface.  You might have to increase or decrease the heat after you cook your first tortilla, but you should be able to tell if the tortilla is cooking too fast on the outside and still raw on the inside, or increase it if your tortilla is taking more than 30 seconds to begin to “puff” when placed on the skillet.

Enjoy !!

                        

 

Happy Cooking every one :)