Soft Pretzels

Re-post from Sept 3, 2015

I could not decide whether should I make savoury or sweet pretzels, so I made half of each!

My puffy pretzels! Looks more like buns! Haha! 

About to go into the boiling bicarbonate of soda solution. 

After boiling in the bicarbonate of soda solution for just under one minute, and they are a little out of shape after that! For the sweet pretzels, I've sprinkled a mixture of cinnamon powder and brown sugar over the top. And for the savoury pretzels, I've sprinkled a mixture of garlic powder and dried oregano. (I did not sprinkle the top with coarse salt as per instructions in the recipe).

Sweet and savoury, which one do I prefer?

These pretzels are soft, chewy and the one with the cinnamon-sugar over the top, is really nice. Makes a wonderful snack with a cup of tea.

The recipe says to serve the pretzels with some grainy mustard. I have not tried that before!

Surprisingly, it was really good eating the savoury pretzels with grainy mustard! I like them both, both the sweet and savoury.

Soft Pretzels with Grainy Mustard
(adapted from "Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort", Kim Laidlaw)
makes 12 pretzels
1 cup (8fl oz/250ml) warm water (110F/43C)
1 package (2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed
3-1/4 cups (16-1/2oz/515gm) all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
1 tsp kosher salt (1/2 tsp sea salt)
1/3 cup (2-1/2 oz/75gm) baking soda
coarse salt for sprinkling
grainy mustard for serving

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the 3 tablespoons oil, the flour, and kosher salt. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough on medium-low speed until smooth, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, about 1 hour.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and brush the parchment with oil. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, then cut it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 18 inches (45cm) long. With each rope positioned horizontally, bring the 2 ends up and toward the center as if forming an oval, cross one end over the other, and press each end into the bottom of the oval to create a pretzel shape. Place the pretzels on the prepared pan, spacing them evenly.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450F (230C). Fill a large, wide saucepan with 7 cups (56fl oz/1.75liter) water, stir in the baking soda, and bring to a boil. Gently drop 2 or 3 pretzels at a time into the boiling water (be careful not to overcrowd them). Boil for just under 1 minute, turning once with a large slotted spoon or spatula. Return the boiled pretzels to the baking sheet, top side up.

Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt. Bake until beautifully browned, about 10 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through. Serve warm with big spoonfuls of grainy mustard.

Cranberry Bread

Re-post from July 17, 2015

A soft and fluffy bread, that is perfect for breakfast, tea-time, and anytime throughout the day. It is not only soft, but so fluffy soft, and really, really good!

The original recipe is called Figgy Cardamom Bread, which uses dried figs and ground cardamom. I have however replaced the dried figs with dried cranberries and have omitted the cardamom. 

I've used instant yeast, so I have skipped the ten minutes step to make it foamy, but mixed it with the other ingredients and proceed with the instructions in the recipe.

The recipe makes a really huge braid! It would be a great idea to divide the dough into two halves and make two sets of braided loaves instead. 

This loaf is not only soft, but so deliciously fluffy soft.

Good to eat on its own or with a generous spread of salted butter. With a cup of your favourite tea or coffee.

Figgy Cardamom Bread (I've made as Cranberry Bread)
(adapted from "Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort", Kim Laidlaw)
makes 1 large loaf
1 cup (8fl oz/250ml) whole milk, warmed (110F/43C)
1 package (2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast (I use 2 tsp instant yeast)
1/3 cup (3oz/90gm) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3-1/2 cups (17-1/2oz/545gm) all-purpose flour (I use 3-1/2 cups + 3 tbsp bread flour)
1 tsp kosher salt (1/4 tsp salt, as butter is salted)
1 tsp ground cardamom (omit)
3 large eggs
6 tbsp (3oz/90gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks (salted butter)
1-1/2 cups (9oz/280gm) quartered dried figs (replaced with dried cranberries)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the milk, yeast, and 1/3 cup sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. (Since I've used instant yeast, I skipped the 10 minutes, and proceed with the next step).

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cardamom. Add the dry ingredients and 2 of the eggs to the yeast mixture. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough on medium-low speed until it starts to look shaggy. While continuing to knead, add the butter. Knead until the dough is fairly smooth, about 10 minutes. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and flatten into a disk. Scatter the figs (cranberries) over the dough and gather it into a ball. Knead the dough gently to incorporate the figs (cranberries). Gather the dough into a ball, transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump the dough onto the lightly floured work surface and divide it into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 16 inches (40cm) long. Lay the ropes next to each other, touching, on the work surface. Braid the ropes together, tucking the ends underneath the braid. Place on the prepared pan, cover loosely with a kitchen towel, and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F (180C). In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with a little water. Brush the dough gently with the egg wash, then sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Bite-Size Bacon and Cheese Scones

Re-post from Oct 24, 2014

These cheesy bacon scones are so addictive! The first sentence from this recipe in the cookbook is, "I dare you to stop eating these!",  and that is a good reason enough to bake this right away! If you love bacon and cheese, then do yourself a favour, and bake this, on one weekend afternoon, when your family is around to enjoy these scones, fresh and warm, delicious, right after baking. Perfect for an afternoon tea-time treat, of course have a pot of warm tea ready!

Firstly, fry the bacon till crisp, chop to small pieces, keep aside while you prepare the dough.

The dough is mixed in the food processor, which takes about only a minute. Dump the dough on a lightly floured work surface, knead in the bacon pieces and bring the dough into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/2" thick, use a 1-1/2" cookie cutter, cut out as many scones as you can. Gather the scraps, and repeat.

The scones may be left as it is (on the left), or add a pinch of grated cheese over each one before baking (on the right). Of course, I topped all of the scones with grated cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400F (200C), for about 12 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan and let cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.

Freshly baked and could not wait to eat it! Smells so cheesy nice!

Just like the author says, "I dare you to stop eating these!".  How true! I could not stop at just two or three, same goes with the family! Before we know it, most of the scones are gone! They are so good! Eating them while still warm, minutes after baking is the best! These scones are buttery, tender, tastes just amazing with the bacon and cheese. Do not skip the cheese topping, it really does "take the scones over the top", as in the author's own words. We had these with some warm tea, and it was raining heavily outside while we were enjoying these scones. Such perfect tea-time treat! 

Bite-Size Bacon and Cheese Scones
(adapted from "Willams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort", Kim Laidlaw)
makes about 4 dozen mini scones
3 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon (use streaky bacon)
2 cups (10oz/315g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup (4oz/125g) grated Asiago or Gruyere cheese (I use Cheddar)
pinch of kosher salt (omit salt, as but butter is salted)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (use 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup (4oz/125g) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks (use salted butter)
1 large egg
3/4 cup (6fl oz/180ml) heavy cream or whole milk (I use slightly less)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F (200C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a frying pan, fry the bacon over medium-low heat until lightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and finely chop the bacon.

In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream until blended. Pour the egg mixture into the processor and pulse just until the dough comes together.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead in the bogacon and then bring the dough together into a ball. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/2 inch (12mm) thick. Using a 1-1/2-inch (4cm) biscuit cutter, cut out as many scones as you can. Gather the scrape of dough, roll out, and cut out more scones.

Space the scones evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the scones are golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.