Honey Buttermilk Oatmeal Coffee Cake: For The Daring Bakers February Challenge

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& Muffins, Baking, Bread and Pastries, breakfast, buttermilk, Cake, coffee cake, Cupcake, daring baker, daring kitchen challenge, honey, oatmeal, pecan, quick bread

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

Bread that is quick to make because it doesn’t require kneading or rising time. That’s because the leavener in such a bread is usually baking powder or baking soda, which, when combined with moisture, starts the rising process immediately. In the case of double-acting baking powder, oven heat causes a second burst of rising power. Eggs can also be used to leaven quick breads. This genre includes most biscuits, muffins, popovers and a wide variety of sweet and savory loaf breads.

Some tips from Lisa:

•Quick breads can be sweet or savory, they are a modern innovation they became common after the introduction of baking powder and baking soda.
•Baking powder is a combination of acid and alkaline that reacts together when moistened to form gases that raises the baked quick bread. Usage 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup of flour.
•Baking soda (an alkaline salt, sodium bicarbonate) is used when the liquid is acidic, such as buttermilk, honey, molasses, tomato sauce etc. Usage ½ to 1 teaspoon per cup of acidic liquid.
•Be sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh.
•Measure ingredients accurately, using the measuring tools and techniques suggested.
•Preheat the oven to the correct baking temperature. Arrange racks so that the bread will bake in the center of the oven which has the best heat distribution in the oven.
•To allow for good air circulation while baking, leave at least 1 inch of space between pans and between pans and sides of oven. Switch pan positions and rotate pans halfway through baking.
•The two top secrets to moist, tender quick bread is 1)in the mixing always use a quick light technique so you don’t over-mix the batter 2) don’t over-bake since this cause dryness in the final baked product.

Biscuits, coffee cake, muffins_ they’re all quick breads. My recipe for the quick bread challenge is for the coffee cake, simple, light and healthful, perfect for afternoon tea or breakfast with tea or coffee.
A lot of thanks to Lisa and the Daring bakers for sharing with us some tips and recipes for quick breads.

Honey Buttermilk Oatmeal Coffee Cake

The honey mixture bakes at the bottom of the pan for this dessert. Then flip the finished cake over to reveal a sweet glaze on top.

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. light-colored corn syrup
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
4 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
Honey (optional)

Grease a  baking pan. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup honey, 1/3 cup melted butter, corn syrup, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Pour into prepared pan; set aside.

For cake: In a blender or food processor, blend or process oats until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup pecans, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter, and vanilla. Add the milk mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon batter evenly over honey mixture. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately invert cake onto a serving plate. Cool about 10 minutes. Serve warm drizzled with additional honey, if you like. Makes 9 servings.

A Tip From My Kitchen:

I learnt from Martha Stewart Very helpful tip about buttermilk.
When I buy a quart of buttermilk, I never need all of it. Luckily, it freezes well and is great to use later in pancakes, cakes, or marinades.

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Minted Cheese Stuffed Rolls

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Baking, Bread and Pastries, cheese, dinner rolls, italian knot, Mint, rolls, stuffed rolls

Day Dreaming isn’t just zoning out, but it can helps you on your goals, reminds you that you have to do this and that, or be somewhere at a certain time. Daydreams sometimes reflect our real life desires, even when they aren’t literal representations of them.

So either your daydream are simple, associated with our daily life or pure flights of fancy but the bulk of what we think about when our thoughts meander is practical.

Maybe dreaming laying peacefully, reading my bedtime novel singing the end of my day duties while in the middle of rush hour on the highway,  back the kids home from school, sounds very unreachable at that moment, simple goal for my everyday routine, specially when I know what duties waiting for me; preparing the dinner, see the kids homework, do the shopping list for the next day, the second house-cleaning after dinner, preparing the kids for bed…and a lot a lot of small details of everyday routine, until the time of my bedtime rest.
This is my simple everyday daydream and,  as all of you, but sure I’ll fill papers of a list of my daydreams and goals.

Come on daydreamers, let’s dream together and I’m sure will warm up your kitchen as will as your body with these delicious fragrant minty herbed cheese stuffed italian knot dinner rolls.

Minted Cheese Stuffed Italian Knot Rolls

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 – 1 1\2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
4 tablespoons dried milk powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5-5 1\2 cups all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1\4 cup of warm water. In a stand mixer, add the yeast mixer, the milk powder, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, warm water and 3 cups flour, Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, kneed to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (dough will be sticky). Place in a bowl, add the remaining 2 tablespoon oil, knead again to incorporate the oil into the dough and (this is the secret of the billow-soft and light rolls). turning the dough to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a very lightly floured surface; divide into small pieces (a little bigger than the size of an egg). Roll each piece out into a thin oval shape; place the cheese filling along the dough and near the edge and fold up the dough around the cheese. roll the dough into a knot shape.

Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheet, cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes.
Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Cheese filling:
You can use any white cheese you have, make sure it’s from the hard one thos will make the rolls less missy after the baking, I used halloumi cheese.
Crumble the cheese.mix it with fresh mint leave chopped very fine, and 1-2 table spoon olive oil.
Sugestion for the cheese: Feta, halloumi, akawi cheese, Chedder, cottage cheese, mixecan white crumble cheese or you can use blend of italian cheeses from hard and soft.

Caramel Bread Pudding

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Berry, Bread and Pastries, bread pudding, breakfast, caramel, cinnamon, Dessert, left over bread, pudding

When you have some left over bread, what do you do with it?

I woke up this morning hoping for something different from every day breakfast routine, rather than the toasted bread with cream cheese or a bowl of cereal. So I grabbed my old bread that I made before here and kept it in the freezer for another use, and what’s better than quick and sweet breakfast of bread pudding.

Almost any kind of bread can be used in bread pudding, but firm bread will bake up the best, like the french bread. And those with a slightly softer crust, rather than a very crisp crust, work well.
It came out creamy, soft, sweet, very rich, caramelly, ahhh… I love caramel pudding, do you?
I used a small oven dish, but you can use any size of pans. Serve it with some berry fruits or any of your favourite and more caramel on the top.

 

Caramel Bread Pudding

old bread
3 cups milk
3 eggs
1\2 cup sugar
caramel sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
butter
dash of cinnamon
fresh fruits

Cut your bread into small cubes, put it on a sheet pan and toast it in the oven for 10 minutes (it’s better to toast the bread that way it will absorb the liquids very well and give you a good taste).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the wire whisk for 2-3 minutes until it’s frothy and bubble, add the milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.
Butter inside a small ramekins (you can use any pan with any size this will work), place a layer of bread cubes drizzle some caramel sauce add another layer of bread and caramel.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes, let it soak for a while, occasionally push the bread cubes down to coat with the liquid but not covered.

Place the ramekins in another pan filled at half with water (make sure the water reach only the lower half of the ramekins). Set the pan in a preheated oven at 350 f for 30 minutes.

Rich & Milky Breakfast Bread

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Baking, Bread and Pastries, breakfast, Raisin

 

I like baking!

The whole house will spread with beautiful aroma that you can’t resist.
Bread is essential in my family daily intake.

 This yeasted bread came out soft and rich, just good enough to be a healthy
breakfast. I bake it the night before so it would be ready in the morning.
Sweet and soft, soft so you can make sandwiches with different filling and
topping, I tried the scrambled egg, or you can cut it in half and toast it a little
then top it with different topping: PB&J, Cream Cheese, butter and jam.

 

 The dough is very rich, I load it with dried fruit like raisins and cherry then mix
it with yogurt and milk. The yogurt will give the dough softness, besides i like to add vinegar to my baking it will increase the shelf life for bread.

  

 Rich & Milky Breakfast Bread

 3 1\2 – 4   cup   all-purpose flour
2  teaspoon  dry yeast
1   tablespoon  sugar
1\2  teaspoon  salt
2  tablespoon  brown sugar
1  tablespoon  honey
1\2  cup  plain yogurt
1  whole egg
1\2 cup  of each dried raisin & cherry
1  teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup  whole milk
1 stick of butter

For topping :

1  tablespoon  milk
1  teaspoon honey
1  egg

 Mix 3 1\2 cups of flour with the other ingredients except the milk and the butter, this will form a crumple like.

 Heat the butter with milk and let it warm, add it to flour mix until a dough forms, add tablespoons of flour, knead for about 10 minutes at low-speed (I use kitchen aid).

Continue to knead at your surface  top for a couple of minutes more to form soft and smooth elastic dough. Cover it and set a side to double in size about 1-1 1\2 hours .

 Sprinkle some flour on your surface work and with rolling bin forms the dough into a rectangle shape of 1  inch thick, cut it diagonally in half, cut each half  into stripes of about 2 1\2 inchs wide.
Fold it into thirds set in the baking sheet and let it rise again about 10 minutes.

For topping mix the milk and egg with honey and brush the bread.

 

 Put in the oven at 400 f  for about 25-30 minutes.