All Categories - The Bread Monk

Monkey Bread Muffins

1/9/2013

If your family likes monkey bread for breakfast, you have to try these. They are made just like money bread, except you divide the dough among Texas-sized muffin tins. There's about a tablespoon of caramel sauce in the bottom of the cup, then another tablespoon of chopped pecans. Six to eight pieces of dough dredged in cinnamon sugar will fill the cup about halfway, then another two tablespoons of caramel sauce goes on top. If you're using biscuit dough, they go straight into the oven at 375 degrees. if you use cinnamon roll dough, as I did, let them rise for 30 minutes before going into the oven. 15 minutes later, pull the tins out, turn them upside down on top of a piece of parchment, and use a narrow metal spatula or spreader to scoop any spilled caramel and nuts and put them back on top of the muffins. Serve warm, and don't count on leftovers!

Almond Spiral Coffee Cake

1/7/2013

As you may have read in my previous post, one of my goals this year is to expand my repertoire of yeasted coffee cakes. Fortunately, between my cookbook collection and Pinterest, I shouldn't have any trouble coming up with new forms for shaping basic sweet dough into beautiful breakfast treats. This gorgeous swirl was inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest this week. I'm going to give you the link to the blog HERE for two reasons: first of all, give credit where credit is due (the original had an orange/fig filling, and came from Cooking Light); secondly, her blog has lovely photos of the shaping process, much prettier than mine. There seems to be a photographic advantage to baking during the day in a modern suburban kitchen instead of at night in a commercial kitchen with a stainless steel work table! However, my finished product, as you can see, looks just fine on the abbey breakfast table.
I used Solo Almond Filling, which has a wonderfully intense flavor and the consistency of some kind of adhesive. I know that sounds like a disadvantage, but in fact I consider it an asset. It's harder to spread it evenly on a soft dough, but it glues the layers of the dough together and makes them very easy to handle during the shaping process. The dough was the same I use for Best Ever Crescent Rolls (the recipe is HERE) but you could also use Basic Sweet Dough or any dough for dinner rolls. I used half the batch; the other half was used for a lattice braid with cherry filling---but that's a recipe for another day!

Bucket List

1/6/2013

The latest issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray appeared on the table of the abbey coffee corner, and although I don't watch her shows, I do like her recipes. So I leafed through the magazine this morning over coffee. There were some good looking side dishes and a year's worth of chocolate dessert recipes, but what really intrigued me was the article on developing a Bucket List, that is, a list of things you want to do before you "kick the bucket."  (The idea comes from the movie of the same name--you can find Rachael's Bucket List here). I've had such a list for quite some time, which I refer to as my "Life Goals" and occasionally I try to get my students to write one out as well.
     I've managed to check off quite a few in the last 50 years. Write and publish a play? Check! Have my own TV show? Check! Make the syrup and the pancakes come out exactly even without having to pour more or enduring a soggy last bite? Check, with pancakes, French Toast, and waffles! Also among my other completed Life Goals: I have played a pinball machine for so long on a single ball that the computer in the machine thought something was wrong, turn itself off and ran a self-check. I actually didn't know that was a life goal until I had actually accomplished it. But I still have quite a few to complete, including:

--Be a guest on NPR's Splendid Table and make the host Lynn Rosetta Kasper laugh (she has a great "radio" laugh).
--Visit the factory where they make Brach's Maple Nut Goodies and eat them warm, straight off the line.
--Have a YouTube video (one that isn't embarassing!) that goes viral.
--learn to make great pie crust, every time
--Expand my repertoire of breakfast breads to include more yeasted coffee cakes.
--Make at least ONE recipe out of every ten that I repin on Pinterest.
--Adapt my Grandma Garramone's cinnamon roll recipe (she wrote it out herself and I think the amount of flour is too small) and make her Shortcut Kringle more often.

     This last one on the list (which is somewhat more expansive than what you see here) prompts me to make a point about life goals, bucket lists and resolutions in general   Experts tell us that to acheive goals successfully, the goals themselves have to be realistic, specific and measurable. No point in my saying, "I'll make her Kringle once a week," because once rehearsals for the musical start, I may not have a spare night for weeks on end, and the aforementioned "more often" is too vague. Better to say "I'll bake Grandma's Kringle for two special occasions this year"---realistic, specific, measurable.

One last thing for this year: get at least 1000 followers on Twitter. Yes, I've gone over to the dark side and started tweeting, mostly just to keep my publisher happy since he mentions it in nearly every phone conversation we have.  It's certainly true that most people in media use it a lot. We'll see what happens: @FrDomGarramone, if you're interested. I'll certainly tweet every time I have a new blog post or test a new recipe, but I promise you: no tweets about what I just ate unless it's a mini restaurant review or an invite to join me for supper!

New videos for 2013!

1/4/2013

Over this Christmas break from school we made good use of the kitchen in the girls' boarding house and shot 29 one-minute instructional videos for the Home Baking Association. If you don't know anything about this organization, check out their website at www.homebaking.org. The organization is dedicated to advancing home baking by education in the home and the classroom. Their website includes loads of info, instructions, glossaries, recipes, tips and techniques---and pretty soon, my videos as well!
We call these short interstitials "Breadhead Minutes" and they are going to be broadcast on PBS, distributed by the HBA to home ec and culinary classrooms nationwide, posted on this website, and eventually have their own YouTube channel. I hope to be creating other video content for this website as well, since the school just gave every teacher an iPad. The Breadhead Minutes are actually only about 49 seconds once you add an intro, an outro and the sponsor roll-in, so theres not a lot of time to show anything in detail. So I'm hoping to make a few longer video segments to help Breadheads learn the basic of mixing and kneading and some of the finer points of shaping.

The videos were shot by Bill Streeter, the same videographer who shot the "How to Be a Breadhead" pledge special (still not released) and I really like working with him. His son Ainsley (in the red shirt)operated the B-roll camera. They're both very laid back and quite patient, even when the "Kinds of Yeast" segment took ELEVEN takes! That was on day one of the shoot and it was brutal---we only got 8 shot out of the 26 minimum we were contracted to do. I was both exhausted and discouraged at the end of the day, believe me.

Day two, however, I had a lot more help, as my student and loyal Stage Rat Brandon came out to lend a hand. His assistance made a huge difference, and the second day we shot 21 segments in about 11 hours. Some of them were shot in a single take, and none of them took more than three tries. I actually had plans for as many as 34, so the HBA would have a lot to choose from for their 26 and I'd have extra content for my website. Nonetheless, I'm happy with the result, and I can't wait to see the finished products. Speaking of which, I should have a sample video posted here early next week. Eventually all these instructional videos will be collected on a single page of the website so Breadheads can work their way through a whole tutorial. Keep checking back here for updates!

Gingerbread House Contest Judging

12/5/2012

I was recently asked to judge a gingerbread house contest at the Reddick Mansion in Ottawa, Illinois. There were fewer entances than last year, but we still saw some genuine creativity. The winner was the ski lodge, but the People's Choice Award went to the church, which had lighted stained glass windows made of melted candy. The large gingerbread playhouse was made by the staff and was shingled with 72 boxes of Triscuits! We judges also had the opportunity to tour the mansion and to learn about its history. It's worth a trip to the mansion just to see the beautiful woodwork, antique furniture and the fireplaces. I've included a photo gallery, with the photos in no particular order.

Freezing rolls for the holidays

11/27/2012

A follow-up to yesterday's post. I recently received a request for advice on how to freeze unbaked rolls to make them fresh later for a holiday meal. First off, I've not had much success with this idea, although there are websites with a variety of tips and techniques for it. However, it takes a relatively long time for the frozen rolls to freeze completely, thaw and rise, and often the yeast gets compromised in the process. Commercial ventures use a freezing process not possible in the average kitchen. What I recommend instead is that you go ahead and bake the rolls, let them cool completely, and then wrap them for freezing and re-heating. I've written about this before but I think a little reminder is in order just before the holiday baking season gets underway.

The rolls have to be stone-cold before you wrap them because otherwise the moisture from the cooling rolls will collect on the inside surface of the wrapper and then settle on the crust of the breads, making them soggy. Some food writers say to simply place the rolls in a freezer safe bag (a better seal that ordinary plastic wrap or a recycled bread bag). However, you could also wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and THEN place them in a plastic bag or wrap. Then on the morning of your meal, take them out of the bag and let the foil packet thaw slowly in the fridge. Reheat the foil-wrapped rolls at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes (after the turkey or roast is out of the oven and resting on the counter before carving). Then remove from the foil and serve---you can brush the warm rolls with melted butter if you want to soften the crusts a bit. This same method (foil, then plastic, thaw in the fridge, reheat) works for whole loaves, too, although they take longer to thaw and reheat.

New crescent roll recipe

11/26/2012

I’ve not been entirely satisfied with my basic roll dough recipe lately. It certainly makes lovely innamon rolls and tasty buns to accompany soups or anything with sauce, but it’s the matter of texture that has had me searching for a new recipe. I want a really soft roll, like a tiny feather pillow of breadly yumminess.  I want rolls so light that they hover a scant 16th of an inch above the wire rack while cooling.  And I want them to retain these characteristics until supper time even if I bake them in the afternoon of the previous day. As it turns out, it doesn’t take much for rolls to attain these qualities. As with so many things, it’s all in the details---in the case, the details of the dough.

I decided that the best way to research was to look for recipes that were winners
at state fairs. So I got out Mel London’s The Bread Winners Cookbook (Simon & Schuster, 1983) and Prairie Home Breads by Judith M. Fertig (The Harvard Common Press, 2001) then paged through the Taste of Home annual cookbooks, and lastly spent some time on the Internet, especially on www.breadworld.com, the website for Fleischmann’s Yeast.  Almost every roll that was a county fair favorite, a state 4-H winner or “best ever” recipe had some similar characteristics: an extra egg, shortening
rather than butter, and the addition of mashed potatoes to the dough.

The extra egg (that is, using two large eggs instead of one) adds both richness and   softness to the dough. The famous Jewish bread called challah takes maximum advantage of these qualities, with some recipes using up to five eggs for a large braid.   Eggs in the dough also promote better browning of the crust, as does the use of milk for the liquid, which also makes for a more tender crumb.

There was a great variety in the quantities of granulated sugar in these recipes, with as much as a half cup being used, mostly in recipes intended for cinnamon rolls or other sweet breakfast treats.  As a general rule, I use about 2 tablespoons per batch of a dozen dinner rolls. One can use brown sugar, molasses or honey for the sweetener as well, although the latter two have a more noticeable effect on the flavor of the rolls.

What surprised me most of all was the amount of shortening called for, in some recipes as much as 2/3 of a cup!  That’s a lot of saturated fat (even though shortening actually has less saturated fat by volume than butter has) and it seemed to me to be unnecessary
with all richness provided by the eggs and sugar, so I used only 1/3 cup of shortening. Here's the full recipe, with instructions on how to make crescent rolls.

Best Ever Crescent Rolls
2 packages active dry yeast
½ cup warm (110° F) water
1 cup milk (skim, 2%, or whole milk all OK)
1/3 cup shortening, melted and cooled to lukewarm
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 large eggs, beaten
5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

Proof the yeast by mixing it in a small bowl with the warm water and allowing it to develop for five minutes. Heat milk in a saucepan, but do not boil. Add sugar and salt, mix well and cool to lukewarm.  Pour into a five-quart mixing bowl and stir in the mash potatoes, proofed yeast and eggs until smooth. One cup at a time, add four cups of flour, mixing thoroughly each time until the flour is incorporated. Beat in the melted shortening. Add another cup of flour, and mix with your hands until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and forms a single mass.  Remove from bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five or six minutes, adding more flour as needed to form a smooth, elastic dough. Remember that dough for rolls should be slightly softer than most bread dough.  Place in a greased bowl and let rise, covered, in a warm place free of drafts until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough and knead
briefly to expel the larger air bubbles.

Divide dough into three portions and shape into smooth rounds. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rest 10 minutes to allow the gluten strands to relax so it will be easier to roll out. Roll one portion of dough into a circle roughly 14" in diameter.  With a small pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into eight equal wedges. Starting with the wide end
of each triangle, roll up and curve the pointed ends to shape into a crescent (see photo above). Note that the points are curved towards the narrower side of the top layer of dough and the point of the dough ends up on the bottom of the roll.   Place the rolls, evenly spaced, on lightly greased cookie sheets---allow room for them to nearly double in volume. Cover baking sheet with a clean, dry cloth.  Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Allow to rise until nearly doubled in a warm place, free of drafts--30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375° F. until lightly browned, about 12 minutes (the interior temperature of the rolls should be 190 to 195° F.). Remove rolls from pan to cool slightly on wire racks and serve warm.

Copyright 2012 All rights reserved.

Butterscotch Cut-out Cookies

11/8/2012

Not much to say here except that I just posted a recipe for Butterscotch Gingerbread cut-out cookies. It uses butterscotch pudding for the flavoring---the instant kind is what I've always used. They don't need frosting in my opinion, and the dough is kind of a teddy bear/Winnie the Pooh kind of color, so you know what cutters to look for. I'll post a picture when I make them, but I'm posting the recipe now since I got a request for it. Click here to get the recipe.

A plea for help

11/6/2012

I received this request from a dedicated Breadhead named Tom:

oh please help. I had a printout of your multi-grain bread all folded
nicely in my cookbook and it was wonderfully worn thin and scribbled on
(add some of this seed, not that seed, notes that such and such family
member was allergic to flax, etc etc.

My brother doesn't know where it went and now, I can't even remember the
original recipe. google has been fruitless...well, breadless at best.

It really is, by far, the best recipe I ever had. (I scanned the printout
and sent it to my daughter (the flaxless one) and she knows she has it on
an old external hard drive and alas, all of her drives became waterlogged
over the last week in Brooklyn (otherwise, she has her humor and "the
important stuff")

except the recipe...

please oh please....

I had not thought about it, but I'll bet a lot of favorite recipes and treasured cookbooks are victims of Storm Sandy (please remember the human victims in your prayers, and donate to the Red Cross for relief). In this case I was able to send him what he was searching for without difficulty. The recipe is now posted here.

Cinnamon Bliss in Brussels

11/2/2012

On October 28 I had a bread demo in Brussels, IL for St. Mary's Church. The church building burned last year and they are raising funds to keep both church and school going. The demo went just fine and they served delicious soups along with breads made from my recipes---their honey oatmeal bread was especially good. But before we even started setting up for the demo my assistant Kevin and I went to check out a tiny bakery we saw on our way into town.

Bliss Bakery is owned and run by Ean and Jen Bevel, and although they don't have an extensive selection every day, their cinnamon rolls are every bit as good as mine (I could hav eaten four of them). Their homemade bread bowls are filled with yummy soups like Broccoli Cheddar and Chicken and Dumplings, and they serve salads, sliders and pizzas as well. They are closed for the winter right now, and just had a baby six months ago, so they are looking to sell the business. There's a small but functional kitchen (great ovens) and a very pretty patio out back, so the place would make a nice cafe, coffee shop, bakery, pizza joint, etc. Check out their website here for more info.

I have a rule about travel and food. You can stop wherever you need to when you're on the freeway, any drive-through will do. But once you reach your destination, you can't eat anywhere that you can get the exact same food at a franchise restaurant in your home town. I've met a lot of interesting people and had some memorable meals that way. Oh, occasionally I've stopped at a diner and saw that the soup of the day was "mini-strone" and they had "fresh" fish (the quotes made me nervous) and almost turned back. But I've also had some outstanding patty melts, exquisite onion rings and decadent pie following this method. But mostly I'm happy it gives me a chance to meet people like Ean and Jen, who decided to follow their bliss and open a bakery. I've become friends with Kevin at Pane Rustica in Tampa, and with Paul at That's a Nice'a Pizza in St. Louis, and when Jason bought the pizza place I became friends with him, too. An afternoon at Pike's Market in Seattle will give you a chance to sample a half-a-dozen bakeries at once, including some amazing donuts. Pearl Bakery in Portland produces the best cibatta and pugliese I've ever had, and I only went there because a newspaper reporter made the suggestion.

So, as a general rule, forget the gift shops, mega truck stops, and chain restaurants that are turning the Midwest into Generica. Check out the mom and pops, the local favorites, the diner with eight pickups parked out in front at 6:30 a.m. Chances are, you'll be glad you did.