Category: Breads

My First Wing at Croissants

Fresh out of the oven

Ever since I was a kid and saw croissants at my nana’s I was enthralled with how crazy they looked. They seemed to be the perfect invention. Not only did they meet my kid level of cookie goodness but, they also doubled as fake bull horns.

I have wanted to try making croissants for years but, the process of making them has always scared me. Figuring out to roll out butter, keeping the dough cold, rolling it to the right measurements, AND somehow preventing the layers from mushing together seemed overwhelming.

Any who, I told myself last week that “I am almost 20, I can make croissants! I mean after all what is the worst that could happen?”

Luckily, they turned out great, despite many close calls of the dough getting too warm. I am pretty sure it had to do with Sally’s Baking Addiction’s recipe.

Here is the link to her recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-croissants/

The dough was pretty easy to make. Sally had a really cool tip about mixing the butter with a little bit of flour to make it easier to spread into the rectangle. The folding went pretty well, though by the third turn I was beginning to be worried that the butter was breaking though the dough, since the dough was getting warm. So it quickly got shoved into the fridge.

After the third turn
It may not look like there are layers in there!

The cutting confused me at the beginning but I think I figured out something that worked. When I cut the triangles, they were a bit off center, but I think as long straightened them with my fingers first before rolling them out with the roll pin, the layers seemed to stay in tack. There were quite a few uneven ones in the end.

The roll and cut dough
All rolled out looking cute in their wonky way

AND into the oven they went! When the croissants came out, THEY HAD LAYERS!!! To be honest, I was a bit surprised they still had them after the third fold;)

Cross-section that has been in the works for a decade

I think my layers were still a little thick when I looked at the cross section, but they were still delicious. The croissants were not nearly as hard I had made them out to be in my brain. And they were definitely worth the effort. My family had demolished them within 24 hours, which I think testifies to the croissants’ deliciousness.

In short….. GO MAKE THEM!!!

-Ellie

Warm Squash Bread

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite fall/winter recipes. It is the best right out of the oven with butter on it, but it is also a great stew or soup bread.

The bread is an enriched dough, with butter and eggs in it, making it very soft and rich. The butternut squash does not add a strong flavor, but just lightly drifts on top. I love that it has a crispy crust, while still maintaining a gorgeously soft interior.

The dough rises pretty fast, so it is okay to cut the rise time a little bit. When you shape the dough, it is tough to roll out the strands. If you squeeze the dough into a strand first it makes it easier to roll out longer strands.

You can use butternut squash or pumpkin inside of the bread. I am partial to butternut squash as I am one of the shameful pumpkin pie haters, but canned pumpkin works just fine in this recipe.

Time: 2 1/2 hrs Serves: 6-12

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked and pureed butternut squash
  • 1 pkg instant yeast
  • 2 T warm water
  • 1/3 cup warm milk
  • 1/4 cup salted butter, softened or melted
  • 1 egg
  • 3 T sugar
  • 3 c flour

For top: 1 egg and 1 T of water

Directions

  1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water for 10 min.
  2. Add milk, butter, squash, 1 egg, sugar, and 2 cups of flour. Stir to combine. Add remaining cup of flour.
  3. Once mixture is gathered, place on lightly floured counter and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and stretchy. Place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for an hour.
  4. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 18 in long. Pinch 3 ropes together on one end and braid and pinch end. Repeat with for the other loaf.
  5. Place on a lightly greased pan. Cover and let rise for 30 min. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  6. Mix egg and water together throughly. Brush on top of loaves. Bake for 20-25 min.

Trying The Pioneer Woman’s Homemade Cinnamon Bread

If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you I am obsessed with cinnamon. Cinnamon oatmeal, cinnamon ice cream, cinnamon graham crackers, cinnamon cereal. If it has cinnamon, I am a fan.

A couple of years ago, I found this recipe for homemade cinnamon bread on The Pioneer Woman’s website. It is by far my favorite cinnamon bread recipe I have I tried. It has just the right amount of cinnamon to bread ratio. Not overpoweringly cinnamony or soggy or too bready. The roll is stays relatively tight with no crazy empty air holes. I have not tried it with raisins, so I am not sure if adding raisins would change the texture or amount of air in the bread.

Look at those amazing swirls! My family loves it as toast or just eaten plain, but I have a couple of friends who make french toast with it. which is probably pretty sweet. 🙂

I let my bread rise in a sunny spot in my house and it doubled in size in about an hour, so keep an eye on your rising. Also, make sure you keep your roll tight and pinch the seam until the seam almost disappears or you will end up with a large air bubble at the top of your loaf.

Last tip, check your bread half way through the cooking time to make sure the top is not burning and tent with tin foil to keep the gorgeous golden crust.

Enjoy!

Ellie

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

From  http://thepioneerwoman.com

Time: 5 hours       Bake: 40 minutes       Serves: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

For Bread

  • 1 c Milk
  • 6 T Butter
  • 2-1/2 t Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/3 c Sugar
  • 3-1/2 c All-purpose Flour
  • 1 t Salt

For Filling

  • 2 T Butter, melted
  • 1/3 c Sugar
  • 2 T Cinnamon
  • Egg and Milk, whisked for brushing

Directions

  1. Melt butter with milk on medium hear till very warm, but not boiling, Cool till warm to touch. Sprinkle yeast in yeast and gently stir. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. In an electric mixer with a paddle, mix sugar and eggs. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine.
  3. Combine flour and salt in a separate bowl before adding half of the mixture into the mixer and beat on medium speed until combined. Add second half and beat until combined.
  4. Switch to a dough hook and beat the dough on medium speed for 10 minutes. If is overly sticky add 1/4 c flour and beat for an additional 5 minutes.
  5. Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl until warm. Drizzle with oil and roll dough ball in until coated. Cover bowl with  plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
  6. Turn out dough. Roll into a rectangle with the width being the length of loaf pan you are using, and about 18-24 inches long. Smear with the melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the dough.
  7. Starting at the far end, roll dough towards you, keeping the roll tight and neat, Pinch seam to seal. Place in a butter greased loaf pan, seam down. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours.
  8. Preheat over to 350 F
  9. Mix an egg with milk and brush over the top of the loaf. Bake for 40 minutes on the middle or lower rack. Tent with tin foil after 20 minutes if browning too quickly.
  10. Remove from pan and let cool on a rack.