Oat & Honey White Wheat Bread

Looking for a change from my usual bread recipes and here’s a good one! This recipe makes 2 loaves, but because we were barbecuing burgers for dinner, instead of a second loaf, I made 8 burger buns. In the picture you might notice there are only 7 buns, I couldn’t wait!

1½ cups old-fashioned oats (plus a little more coating loaves)
4 Tbl butter
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp salt
2½ cups boiling water
1/2 cup warm water (about 110°)
4½ tsp (2 pkts) dry yeast
3 cups white wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose flour

In large bowl of mixer, add oats, butter, honey, and salt, pour boiling water over and let sit for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle yeast over the 1/2 cup warm water, let sit until foamy. Add yeast mixture to oat mixture and stir. Add white wheat flour and all-purpose flour, mix until combined. Knead for about 7-8 minutes. Turn out into greased bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour.

Turn dough out onto flour surface and cut in half. Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise until double, about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake bread 35-40 minutes (bake buns 20-30 minutes), or until temperature at center of  loaf is 200°. Remove loaves from oven, cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove from pans to cooling rack.

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Buttery Parker House Rolls

I wanted to eat the whole pan of these buttery, tender rolls!

3 cups all-purpose flour
2½ tsp yeast
3 Tbl sugar
1½ tsp salt
1/4 cup potato flour or 3/4 cup dried potato flakes
3 Tbl butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 large egg
3 1/2 to 4 Tbl butter, melted; for brushing on rolls

In large mixing bowl, or in bowl of electric mixer, combine all ingredients (except the 3 1/2 to 4 Tbl melted butter at the end), mixing to form a shaggy dough. Note: to speed rising process, whisk together milk and egg, and heat gently just enough to remove refrigerator chill; then add to remaining ingredients. Knead dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (7 to 8 minutes) until it’s smooth.

Place dough in lightly greased bowl, let rise for 90 minutes; it’ll become quite puffy, though it probably won’t double in bulk. Transfer dough to a lightly greased work surface, divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, roll or pat the dough into an 8″ x 12″ rectangle. Brush dough with light coating of melted butter. You’ll have butter left over; you’ll need it for the other half of the dough, as well as for brushing on top of the baked rolls.

Cut dough in half lengthwise, to make two 4″ x 12″ rectangles. Working with one rectangle at a time, fold lengthwise. You’ll now have a rectangle that’s about 2 1/4″ x 12″. Repeat with other piece of dough. Cut each rectangle crosswise into four 3″ pieces, making total of 8 folded rolls, each about 2 1/4″ x 3″. Flip rolls over (so that their smooth side is facing up), and place them in lightly greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Repeat with remaining piece of dough, making 16 rolls in all. Arrange 4 rows of 4 in the pan, with the longer side of rolls going down longer side of pan. Gently flatten rolls to pretty much cover bottom of pan.

Cover pan, and let rolls rise about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they’re puffy but definitely not doubled. Towards end of rising time, preheat oven to 350°. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re golden brown and feel set. Remove from oven and brush with remaining melted butter. Pull apart to serve. Recipe found at kingarthurflour.com.

More Rolls!

   

Fast Honey Buttermilk Bread

This bread takes about 1½ hours to make and it is DELICIOUS! One of my favorite things is a fat end slice of homemade bread hot from the oven slathered with butter. It reminds me of my childhood, coming home from school and mom would have bread right from the oven with butter and homemade jam for an after school snack. Thanks Mom!

5¼ cups flour
2 pkt (4½ tsp) dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (about 110°)
3 Tbl honey
1/3 cup oil
1½ tsp salt
1½ cups warm buttermilk

In bowl of mixer, add flour and yeast. Pour in warm water over yeast. Add honey, oil, salt and warm buttermilk (heat buttermilk in microwave on 50% until warm, careful not to curdle). Mix for 5 minutes. Spray counter and 2 bread pans with non-stick spray. Shape loaves, place in pans and cover. Let rise 45-60 minutes. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes (tent with foil during baking if necessary so loaves don’t get too brown).

Classic Sandwich Bread

During this quarantine, I am baking some form of bread every other day. It keeps me busy, happy and we are well stuffed with carbs. This is #16 and the last of kingarthurflour.com‘s Best Basic Recipes Collection. I have baked this bread twice now and it is wonderful, great texture and flavor. Is there anything better than a big fat end piece off a loaf of homemade bread right out of the oven? I’ll answer that, no! It is the best! My favorite lunch is homemade bread and peanut butter sandwich, yes just peanut butter, my daughters think I’m a little crazy.

3 cups flour
1/2 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2% or whole, your choice)*
1/2 to 2/3 cup hot water, enough to make a soft, smooth dough
4 Tbl melted butter or 1/4 cup oil
2 Tbl sugar
1¼ tsp salt
1 pkt (2¼ tsp) yeast

*Mix cold milk with hot tap water to make a lukewarm liquid before adding to the remainder of the ingredients.

∇ This recipe makes 1 loaf, it is easy to double the batch to make 2 loaves!

To make the dough: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. Or mix and knead the dough using an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine set to the dough or manual cycle.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. If you’re using a bread machine, allow the machine to complete its cycle, then leave the dough in the machine until it’s doubled in bulk, perhaps an additional 30 minutes or so.

Gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface. Shape the dough into an 8″ log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 60 minutes, until it’s domed about 1″ above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly. Towards the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it’s light golden brown. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or by measuring its interior temperature with a digital thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf).

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

More Luscious Bread! 

 

Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns

These buns are delicious! Recipe #11 on kingarthurflour.com Best Basic Recipes collection. There’s nothing like homemade rolls/bread, and quarantine is a great time to practice our bread baking skills. Happy Baking!

3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp yeast
2 Tbl potato flour or 1/4 cup potato flakes
3 Tbl dry milk
2 Tbl sugar
1½ tsp salt
4 Tbl softened butter
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm water

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix and knead — using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased container, cover, and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it’s just about doubled in bulk. Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball. Lightly grease two 8″ round cake pans. Space 8 buns in each pan. Can you use 9″ round cake pans, or a 9″ x 13″ pan? Sure; the buns just won’t nestle together as closely, so their sides will be a bit more baked. Cover the pans, and allow the buns to rise till they’re crowded against one another and quite puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Uncover the buns, and bake them for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown on top and the edges of the center bun spring back lightly when you touch it. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the center bun should register at least 190°F. Remove the buns from the oven, and brush with 2 Tbl melted butter. After a couple of minutes, turn them out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Serve warm. Store leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.

More Roll Recipes!
Honey Wheat Rolls
Cornbread Yeast Rolls
One Hour Homemade Dinner Rolls
Sweet Honey Butter Rolls
Sweet Bread Rolls
Lion House Rolls

One Hour Bread

I wanted to revisit this recipe, it is one of the most popular on my site. During this COVID quarantine time I am not going to the grocery store much, so I am making bread quite often. I made this recipe again today, I think it does take more like one hour and 15 minutes. Still, pretty fast for homemade bread. I think Paul Hollywood would criticize it but I had no problem eating a couple warm slices of this bread as it came from the oven.

   

5¼ cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1½ tsp salt
2 pkt (4½ tsp) dry yeast
2 cups very warm water (about 110°)
1/3 cup oil

In bowl of mixer, add flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Pour in warm water and oil. Knead for 5 minutes. Dough will be very sticky. Divide dough into two, shape loaves, place in greased pans and cover. Let rise 25 minutes and preheat oven to 375°. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Soft Cinnamon Rolls

This last week I saw a post on Instagram by kingarthurflour.com, it is a collection of their 16 Best Basic Recipes. I have decided to make all 16 of these recipes from beginning to end. It’s a great way to pass the time while quarantined. I see some people on Instagram challenging others to organize drawers or closets, that’s a lovely idea, but I prefer to BAKE! Maybe if we are in this long enough I will have to give in and organize. But, for now, let’s begin with the first of the 16 Best Basic Recipes.

  

Ingredients

Tangzhong (starter):
5 Tbl water
5 Tbl milk
3 Tbl + 1 tsp bread flour

Dough:
All of the Tangzhong (above)
4 cups + 2 Tbl bread flour
3 Tbl nonfat dry milk
1¾ tsp salt
1 Tbl instant yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten
6 Tbl butter, melted

Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp cinnamon

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 Tbl melted butter
2-3 Tbl whole milk, to make a thick spreadable frosting

To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the starter ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This will probably take only a minute or so. Remove from the heat, and set it aside for several minutes.

To make the dough: Mix the tangzhong with the remaining dough ingredients until everything comes together. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes; this will give the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead. After 20 minutes, knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth, elastic, somewhat sticky dough. Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly greased covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.

To make the filling: Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, mixing until the cinnamon is thoroughly distributed.

To put it all together: Gently deflate the risen dough, divide it in half, and shape each piece into a rough rectangle. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into an 18″ x 8″ rectangle. Sprinkle half the filling onto the rolled-out dough. Starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a log. With the seam underneath, cut the log into 12 slices, 1 1/2″ each. Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining filling. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. Space the rolls in the pan.

Cover the pan and let the rolls rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until they’re crowding one another and are quite puffy. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the bottom third. Uncover the rolls, and bake them for 22 to 25 minutes, until they feel set. They might be just barely browned; that’s OK. It’s better to under-bake these rolls than bake them too long. Their interior temperature at the center should be about 188°F.

While the rolls are baking, stir together the icing ingredients, adding enough of the milk to make a thick spreadable icing. The icing should be quite stiff, about the consistency of softened cream cheese. Remove the rolls from the oven, and turn them out of the pan onto a rack. Spread them with the icing; it’ll partially melt into the rolls. Serve the rolls warm. Store completely cool rolls for a couple of days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Pane Bianco

This is an award winning recipe found over at kingarthurflour.com, filled with basil, tomatoes, and cheese. It is so flavorful with a beautiful presentation that is easy to do.

Dough
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/3 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp instant yeast
1 large egg, beaten
3 Tbl olive oil
3 cups flour
1¼ tsp salt

Filling
3-4 Tbl basil paste*
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 cup shredded Italian-blend cheese

In bowl of mixer, mix milk, water, and yeast; let sit until foamy. Mix in egg and olive oil. Add flour and salt, knead dough for approx. 5-7 minutes, until it’s smooth and just barely sticking to bottom and/or sides of bowl. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until dough doubles, about 1 hour. While dough rises, thoroughly drain tomatoes, patting them dry, and cut into small pieces.

Deflate dough and pat or roll it into a 22″ x 9″ rectangle. Spread with basil paste, sprinkle with cheese and tomato pieces. Start with long edge and roll dough into a log. Pinch edges to seal. Place log seam-side down on lightly greased or lined (parchment or silpat) baking sheet. Start 1/2″ from one end and cut log lengthwise down center about 1″ deep, to within 1/2″ of the other end. Keeping cut side up, form an “S” shape. Tuck both ends under center of “S” to form a “figure 8;” pinch ends together to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake bread 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent over-browning. Remove bread from oven, and transfer to rack to cool.

*I used basil paste, the original recipe calls for fresh basil. There is garlic in the original recipe, I omitted it because I just wanted the flavor of the tomatoes, basil and cheese. If you would like to add garlic to the filling, it calls for 3-6 cloves peeled and minced.

Braided Sweet Bread

Happy Easter! Here is an easy bread that can be an impressive addition to your Sunday dinner.

1¼ cups warm water
1 Tbl dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 Tbl butter, melted
1 tsp salt
4-5 cups flour

In large bowl of mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. When yeast is bubbly, add egg, melted butter, salt and enough of the flour until soft ball forms. Knead. Turn dough out into a greased bowl, cover and let rise for one hour or until doubled. Punch down dough and divide in half. Divide each half into three equal pieces, roll each piece into a 16″ rope and braid. Repeat with other half of dough. Place each braided loaf on greased or lined baking sheet and let rise 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk an egg with a little water and brush loaves. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown (interior temp of 180°). Recipe found at thebakerupstairs.com.

Cinnamon Babka

This is a rich buttery yeast bread (almost cake or dessert), full of cinnamon flavor. It’s not hard to make, just takes a little time, and so worth the wait!

Babka Dough
1/2 cup whole milk (heat to 110°)
1½ tsp yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks (reserve egg whites, 1 for filling & 1 for top of loaf)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbl butter, softened

Cinnamon Filling
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbl butter, melted and cooled
1 egg white
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

In bowl of mixer with dough hook, pour heated milk. Sprinkle yeast over milk, sprinkle sugar over yeast, and let sit until yeast is activated and bubbly. Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla; mix. Add flour and salt; mix about 3 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium and softened butter in pieces, one piece at a time. Mix until butter is incorporated and dough smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough out into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until at least doubled (probably about 2 hours).

Mix cinnamon filling ingredients and set aside. Turn risen dough out onto well floured surface. Using enough flour so dough doesn’t stick, roll out into a 12″x16″ rectangle. Gently spread cinnamon filling evenly over surface of dough. Roll up starting from short side and pinch seam. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut all the way down the center of your dough cylinder (use flour on knife to help keep from sticking). Turn both halves of dough so filling is facing up. Twist one half over the other starting in the middle to the end (keeping cut edges facing up) and twist other end from center to the end. Tuck ends under and loaf together to length of loaf pan. Liberally grease loaf pan and carefully lift loaf into pan. Cover and let rise about 1½ hours.

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly beat the one reserved egg white until frothy. Gently brush over risen loaf and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. Bake about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on cooling rack about 20 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely for clean, neat slices.