Rosemary Asiago-Laced Bread

I love baking artisan-type breads.  They can add such a fancy flair to a meal, and the possibilities are really endless when coming up with good combinations to bake together.  The only downside is that breads can be kinda tricky to do.  The whole proofing process sometimes flops, then the whole recipes goes down the drain. But I love it when a loaf really comes out perfect!

I found this bread recipe in a Food and Wine magazine, and decided to give it a try. I had some Asiago cheese left from another recipe, so decided it was time to give it a try. Now, word of warning, that is a strong cheese...some people in my house were slightly nauseated while the bread was baking from the intensity of the smell, but they approved of the finished product ;)

Here's what you'll need:

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1 1/4c. warm water

2 tsp. sugar

4-4 1/2c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp. dried minced onions

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2c. shredded Asiago cheese

1/2c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

Sprinkle yeast over 1/4c. water. Stir in 1 tsp. of sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes until the mixture is foamy.
Stir together 3 1/2c. of flour, salt, rosemary, minced onions, cayenne pepper, and remaining teaspoon of sugar.
Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture. Add remaining 1 cup warm water and the olive oil. Stir to form a ball. Mix together the cheeses and add 3/4c to the mixture.
Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead until dough is elastic and smooth. Place the ball of dough in a greased bowl.

Cover and let rise, till it looks like this...

Punch down the dough, and roll into a loaf shape, making sure to tuck the ends under.

Cover and let rise till it's doubled in size. Once it does that, brush the loaf with the egg wash mixture, and top with remaining cheese mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan and cool.

I served this with Mediterranean Chicken (recipe soon to follow), and it paired splendiferously!

Happy Cooking!

-G 



Pumpkin Chip Muffins

Pumpkin and chocolate are two things that I would have never put together in a recipe. They just seem like they would really clash in flavor. But, recently I found this recipe for a pumpkin chocolate loaf (which I converted into muffins), and the pictures looked so good that I decided to give it a try.

I baked these for a fundraiser bake sale, and sure enough, the entire tray of over 30 muffins was the first item to go! I think what makes them so good is that not only do they have a spice-cake flavor, but on top of that, they add chocolate in the batter and chocolate chips. Peeps, doesn't get any better than that!

Here's what you'll need:
3-1/2c. sugar
1-1/4c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 can (29-oz.) solid-packed pumpkin
3 squares (1-oz. each) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1-1/2tsp. vanilla extract
3-3/4c. all-purpouse flour
1-1/2tsp. salt
1-1/2tsp. baking powder
1-1/4tsp. baking soda
1-1/4tsp. ground cinnamon
1 to 1-1/4tsp. ground cloves
1/2tsp. ground nutmeg
2c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in the pumpkin, chocolate and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture, and stir until blended. Stir in chips.

Scoop into well-greased muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Happy Cooking!

-G

Girl......That's a French name!

 Alright, I already know what you're thinking. That this croissant recipe is going to have a million steps and ingredients and that in the end, it might "pop" and you'll end up with a flat piece of bread. To be honest with you, that's what I thought about croissants the first time I saw a recipe for them. Plus, they used so much butter and a small batch of them would turn out to be pretty pricey, not to mention not artery-healthy.

Well, contraire monfreir.........

As I was flipping through an old issue of Food and Wine Magazine, I came accross this recipe that had only four ingredients, and none of them were butter! So, I figured I would give it a try, and they turned out delicious!

Start out by combining 3/4c of hot water with 1 envelope of active dry yeast. Wait for it to do it's magic, then sir that in with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3-3 1/2c of any all-purpouse baking mix (I used Bisquick).

Turn that dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is soft and elastic.

Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle; cut the circle into 12 wedges.  Roll up wedges, starting at the wide end, to form a crecent shape. Place point side down into a lightly greased baking sheet.

I decided to add some pizzaz, so I lightly brushed them with butter and sprinkled them with an Italian seasoning mix. You didn't think I could make a croissant without using any butter, did you?

Cover and let rise in a draft-free place for about an hour or until they double in size. Bake in a 425F oven for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
          -G