"Herb" Loaves

Everyone liked this bread so much that I made two more loaves without the herbs.  The bread flour makes the loaves light and fluffy, while the 1 cup of whole wheat flour adds great flavor.  These two loaves didn't last long.  Time to go make dough...

Braided Herb Loaf

Hi!  I hope you’re having a fun and relaxing July.
I made this Braided Herb Loaf today - an unusually chilly day for July, when my husband suggested fresh bread and homemade soup for dinner.  Dinner is the noon meal at the farm, and it was already 9:00 in the morning.  To be done by noon, I shortened the time I softened the whole wheat flour (which the original recipe doesn't call for) in a sponge to half an hour.  Here's how I made it:
Braided Herb Loaf
In a large mixing bowl, stir together thoroughly:
1 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup warm tap water
1 cup whole wheat flour
Cover with a dish or plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.
Next, stir in:
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup warm milk
1 Tbsp. finely chopped herbs (I used fresh basil.)
 Gradually stir in, until you can no longer mix the dough with a spoon:
3/4 - 1 cup bread flour
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes, adding more bread flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is still soft, but not sticky.  Turn into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.  Punch dough down and divide it into 3 equal sections.  Roll each ball of dough into a rope approximately 12" long and braid the three ropes together.  Brush with:
1 beaten egg
Sprinkle with more of the same fresh herb as you put in the bread.  Place dough on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough is finished rising.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 375, and continue baking bread for 10 minutes.  Cover bread with a foil tent to prevent over-browning.  Lower oven temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

I had a test in Latin to study for, so what did I do?  I made pita bread.  This pita bread recipe comes from the Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook (1997).  It calls for potatoes, and - the thing that adds a delicious tangy flavor - yogurt.  This recipe only called for 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, so the designation "whole wheat" is a bit of a misnomer, but they taste fantastic!  You could probably use just about any basic pita bread recipe and just substitute part of the liquid for yogurt to get the tangy flavor, but, if you have this cookbook, you should give this recipe a try.

Damson Plum Jam

I made Damson Plum Jam last night from some plums I bought at the farmer's market last weekend.  According to the Pilsbury Family Cookbook (1979) you can only keep plums in the refrigerator for 3 to 5o days, so I figured I should do something with them.  I didn't have quite 5 cups as the recipe called for in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (2009), so I chopped up a jonagold apple, which made a heaping 1 cup.  Here's the recipe as I made it:
4 cups chopped Damson plums
1 cup chopped apple
3/4 cup water
3 cups sugar
Combine all in a large saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil.  Boil until setting stage is reached.  (For me, this was when it started splattering against the walls, since my lovely thermometer us useless).  Remove from heat, and pour into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space at top.  Screw on two-piece lids.  Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.  Remove from water and let stand.

Applesauce

My favorite time of year is when a telltale nip in the air signals the Maples to turn crimson and gold; leaves crunch beneath my feet as the wind and frost bring them falling to the path; and I walk in the evening mists, glad I decided to wear my jacket, so I can stuff my chilly fingers in my pockets.  It is this time of year that I associate with apple picking time at the farm in Minnesota - a time I have regretfully missed out on since I left for Kansas several years ago.  This year, I decided to dust off and polish up an old family tradition in preserving the Autumnal harvest.  I went to the local farmers market to find my beloved apples.  I bought a 4 pound bag of jonagolds, and a 3 pound bag of jonathans.  I peeled and pared every one with a small paring knife - no fancy gadgets in sight. Peeling apples is a peaceful task, and it brought to mind the long history of many others who have preserved the harvest before me.
I still had a few apples left over by the time I filled my 5-quart Dutch oven with sliced apples.  I added a small amount of water, and heated it all, covered, over medium-high heat.  I stirred them occasionally until they were soft, and then pushed the softened apples through an antique sieve, made for the task.  After adding a 1/2 cup of sugar, I heated the mixture again, and then put it in sterilized canning jars, covering them with new two-piece lids.  I lined a large soup kettle with washcloths, and put my four pint jars into it, surrounding them with more washcloths to prevent them from banging together.  I poured in enough hot water until it just covered the jars, and then boiled them for 20 minutes.  The jars didn't take long to seal after I pulled them out of the water.  I just love watching them seal; and the sense of accomplishment one feels afterwards makes me think that this is a tradition worth repeating.

Ny Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

I'm way behind on my posting.  My brother and I made these lovely cinnamon rolls in the first week of August, and mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!  They were so good!  This is my favorite cinnamon roll recipe.  It originally came from the Better Homes and Gardens Brunches and Breakfasts cookbook (1989), but, of course I've made several changes to it.
Cinnamon Rolls

In a large bowl, stir together:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

In a saucepan, heat until just warm:
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cool milk mixture, and add it to the flour mixture.  Add:
3 eggs

Beat on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds, scraping bowl often.  Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon stir in all purpose white flour until you can no longer stir it with the spoon.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 6 - 8 minutes, adding more all-purpose flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic.  Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover; let rise in a warm place till double (about 1 hour).

For filling, combine in a small bowl:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon shredded orange peel )optional)
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Set aside.

Punch dough down; divide in half.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough into a 12-inch square.  Spread half of the filling over each dough square.  If desired, sprinkle with:
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Roll each square up jelly roll style; pinch edges to seal.  Using dental floss, slice each square into 8 pieces.  Place 8 pieces in a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Repeat with remaining dough,

Let rise 45 minutes.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from pans.  Cool slightly on a wire rack.  Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze.

Mini Cherry Pies

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I made these mini cherry pies yesterday when I didn't have enough cherries to make a full-sized pie. The crust has a little cinnamon in it.  I mixed the cherries with a little sugar and tapioca to draw out the juices and thicken them before baking. I think they're adorable!