TWD- Pumpkin Bagels

I really love bagels. When I was in high school, we would go to lunch at Einsteins all the time. I loved bagel sandwiches. Then I went through my stage where I thought I shouldn't eat 500 calories of bread. Then I got married and while we were living in Virginia, I discovered Panera. And now I'm back to loving bagels (seriously, get the Cinnamon crunch with Hazelnut cream cheese).
This week's TWD is for bagels. Making bagels is time intensive and involves quite a few steps. First, you make the dough of yeast, sugar, shortening, salt and flour. I added about a 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and used half whole wheat flour. Once it's risen for about an hour, you refrigerate it overnight. Then you shape the dough into balls, poke a hole in it and pull it so it looks like a ring. I found it interesting how active the dough still is- in the picture below, all the bagels were shaped the same way, but the top left was shaped first and the bottom right last (I know, they're not on dishtowels. Sometimes I don't follow directions):

After they've been shaped you boil them for about 90 seconds. They come out looking like soggy, wrinkly doughnuts (again, I know there's no cornmeal under these (see above) :)).

Then you brush them with egg whites and sprinkle them with whatever. I chose sesame seeds for some and cinnamon sugar for the rest. 

These baked up beautifully and were so delicious. They had the signature chewy outside and had the perfect texture inside.

This was my lunch after they came out of the oven- ham, provolone, basil, tomatoes and olive oil. I couldn't wait to eat before taking the picture, ok? Don't judge me.

Heather has the recipe!

TWD- Pumpkin Cinnamon Chocolate Loaf

Ahh, it's October. What should be starting to feel like fall. Leaves falling, crisp air...

Well, it's actually about 100 degrees here, but I personally am rebelling by acting like it's fall. I made pumpkin bars last weekend and this bread last night.

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie is for Cranberry Walnut Pumpkin loaf or some such nonsense. If you're new here you should know I don't do dried fruit or nuts very often. Especially in bread. I thought this was going to be a quick bread (non-rising), but it is a yeasted bread.

This recipe is somewhat time consuming- it requires chilling in the refrigerator overnight. Pumpkin puree and some sugar make it slightly sweet, but really only slightly.

Instead of the nuts and fruit, I rolled mine out, spread it with melted butter, and then sprinkled it with brown sugar and cinnamon. I then sprinkled some chocolate chips over the cinnamon sugar and rolled it up.

The bread is moist and chewy- I really liked the texture and my additions made it more dessert-y. I think this would be great toasted or even made into French toast the next day.
Rebecca at This Bountiful Backyard has the recipe!

TWD- Whole Wheat Loaf

What is it about homemade bread that is so comforting, that reminds you of growing up? Even for me, whose mom didn't make homemade bread, it's just something that makes me feel so content, like I should curl up on the couch with a blanket and a book.

Ok, it's actually been like 100 degrees where I live and I wasn't crazy about the idea of turning on the oven, but today was only about 83 so I decided to make this week's TWD for whole wheat bread.

The recipe comes together pretty quickly as far as bread goes: whisk together warm water, yeast and honey. Once the yeast blooms, add bread flour (I used all-purpose) and wheat flour (I used Trader Joe's 100% whole wheat white flour, my favorite). Knead in the stand mixer until smooth. Let it rise a couple times:

I think I let mine rise too long in the loaf pan because it was flat on top. So it's not pretty, but it tasted delicious. The texture is moist and chewy, great for butter and honey.

Michele of Veggie Num Nums and Teresa of The Family That Bakes Together will have the recipe.

TWD- Semolina Bread

I meant to make this recipe for Semolina bread last night. About 7pm, I read the recipe. Three rises of two hours. Not a feat I was willing to start at 7pm. So I started this morning. By dinner time, we had a nice loaf of bread. That was too hot to eat.

The recipe starts with a starter of yeast, water and flour:

Once it's risen, add some more flour- all purpose and semolina, salt and oil. Rise again. Shape in a loaf and rise again. Slit (with a razor??!! I used a knife) (also, was anyone else confused about the slitting instructions?), and bake:

The bread is tender and chewy, with a nice crust. This is a great, easy recipe, if not hands-off time-consuming. Anna of Keep it Luce and Renee of The Way to My Family’s Heart have the recipe!

TWD- Almond Sticky Buns (the most-time-consuming recipe ever)

Ok, this every other week for TWD has messed me up! I keep getting confused on which week we're off and which week we're on! But since I've missed the last couple recipes, I made sure to check when this one was due! This week was Brioche Pecan Sticky Buns. According to Wikipedia, Brioche is "a highly enriched French sweet roll, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It is "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs"^[1] It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied after proofing." I've had Brioche bread, but not in the form of sticky buns. The bread is light and eggy, slightly sweet.
This recipe starts with making a batch of brioche. Yeast, milk, egg, flour and salt are left to rest for 30 minutes until the top cracks:

After the mixture has rested (one of many rests it will receive), you add sugar and more flour and beat it for 15 minutes:

Add lots of butter and beat it some more. After it's beaten, it needs to rise for a couple hours. Then deflated and refrigerated for a few more hours. Then you take it out and roll it out, dot it with butter, fold it up, roll it again, fold it up again, and then guess what? That's right , it needs to rest again (in the fridge). After that little vacation, you roll it out yet again, sprinkle in some cinnamon/sugar and nuts (I used almonds instead of pecans), roll it up in a log, wrap it and... what? Another rest? This time in the freezer. 
In the meantime, you smash up some butter in a pan, sprinkle it with lots of brown sugar. Remove the log from the freezer and cut it thick slices (I only made half of the brioche dough into rolls and froze the other half).

And what would this step be without another rest? The rolls need to rise for a couple hours:

Then bake at 350 degrees F for what the recipe says 30-40 minutes (mine took less than 20):

Once gorgeous and out of the oven, you immediately invert the pan onto a plate so all that yummy butter and sugar you put on the bottom of your pan is now a gooey and sugary topping.

What? That's right. These are for reals. Although they were major time-consuming, they were raved about by everyone, even my two year old who said, "Mom, can you make these again? They are so, so, so yum." He said that phrase twice. In a row. How can I not make them again for that? With the other half of the brioche dough in the freezer, I guess I'm halfway there!

The recipe will be here-  Lynn of Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat and Nicole of Cookies on Friday

TWD- Irish Soda Bread

Can someone please tell me when St Patrick's Day became a real holiday where you have to stage a leprechaun visit at your house, create shenanigans that said leprechaun did, and leave treats and goodies for your kids? I was getting a little annoyed with the whole Elf on the Shelf thing at Christmas this year, and now this? What happened to wearing green, maybe some corned beef and cabbage and calling it good? Am I being the St Patrick's Day Scrooge?

Anyhoo, this week's TWD is for Irish Soda Bread. This is about the easiest, quickest recipe ever. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add buttermilk, pour in a pie plate. Bake and done!

I made this when I was home with a sick boy. When the rest of my family came home, Beansy said, "What's this? A giant dog treat?" Yes, I made a giant dog treat and left it on the stove. We don't have a dog.

She liked it so much, she did end up eating two pieces for lunch- one with ham and one with jam (Sam I Am. heehee). After hearing it was yummy, my sicky two year old declared, "I want some dog food, too!"

 Carla and Cathleen will have the recipe! 

TWD- White Loaves

I'm back to Tuesdays With Dorie and a new book! We're now baking from Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan. I'm really excited to bake from this new book, which is full of great recipes and some new things that I've always wanted to try like puff pastry! The book is based on the PBS series and has great contributors like Flo Braker, Nick Malgieri, Alice Medrich, Nancy Silverton, and Martha Stewart.

The first recipe from the book is White Loaves, chosen by the brains behind TWD Laurie and Jules. The recipe is just basic white bread- two 1 1/2 pound loaves to be exact. I LOVE homemade bread but I've always had a problem making it. I don't know why. I either kill the yeast, it doesn't rise properly, it's not salted enough... the list goes on.

This recipe is straightforward and really easy. I halved the recipe and (sorry) I used mostly whole wheat white flour (from Trader Joes) to make it a little healthier.

 I let it rise too long the second time; the resulting loaf did not have the height of a lovely loaf, but it did taste pretty yummy. My kids loved it with jam.

Jules and Laurie will have the recipe and check out the blogroll to see what others have baked up!
Next up: Chocolate Truffle Tartlets (whoo hoo!)

Gift Idea #2- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread Mix

Are you on Pintrest? I really don't need any more reasons to spend time online. I have four kids under the age of six, but I love to see all the great ideas that people post. I found this post a couple weeks ago- gifts in a jar. I love the idea of putting mixes in a jar; all the receiver has to do is add a couple wet ingredients for a special treat!

I chose to do the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip bread and the Cowgirl cookies from Bakerella (post coming soon).

The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip bread is from Sunset Magazine. I layered the dry ingredients as follows: 1. granulated sugar; 2. brown sugar and cinnamon; 3. oats; 4. flour/baking powder and soda/salt; 5. chocolate chips. Note to self #1: break up the flour mixture into two separate layers:

 Note to self #2: Put the chocolate chips lower in the jar:

All the receiver has to add is butter, buttermilk and eggs. Bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.

The bread is moist and tender; I would prefer it a little sweeter, or with more chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread
adapted from Sunset Magazine

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup melted butter

In a large bowl, mix the contents of this bottle.

In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, and  butter.

Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients just until evenly moistened (batter will be lumpy).

Pour batter into a buttered 9" loaf pan, and bake in a 350° oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Gift Idea #1- Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I love giving and getting baked goods as a gift. I love the holidays- it's a perfect time to try new recipes and not getting stuck eating it all! This chocolate zucchini bread it a great twist on the  original- cocoa powder and chocolate chips are added to give it a great chocolate flavor. It's moist and the chocolate chips add great texture. The loaf is topped with a crunchy cinnamon-brown sugar topping. Yum.

The bread is quick and easy. Wrapped in cello with a cute bow, it's a great gift, or make it on Christmas morning!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread 
makes 2 loaves
Recipe adapted from OurBestBites.com

2 C flour
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
2 C grated zucchini
3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9" loaf pans and set aside.

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.

Gently stir in the grated zucchini. 
Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Divide the batter between the two pans and sprinkle topping over each.

Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes.

Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans.

Dinner Rolls

Did I mention I'm loving this cookbook my mom gave me? Every recipe I've made from it has been a hit. These dinner rolls were no exception. My friend and I started doing a dinner swap once a week and I decided to make a batch of these to go with this soup. The book says these are the world's best, and I think they are definitely in the running. I used Trader Joe's 100% White Whole Wheat flour instead on all-purpose and it was a great, healthy substitution. My husband, who tries not to eat too much bread, ate like 4 of these. They'll definitely be on our Thanksgiving table!

Get the recipe (and others!) here.

Cinnamon Rolls

This has been my favorite cinnamon roll recipe for years. I don't make them often because to have them for breakfast, you have to make them the night before and finish them in the morning. Or, eat them at 11am. :)

This particular recipe is for a bread machine. Since I don't have one, I just adapted it for a stand mixer. It's very straightforward, and the results are amazing!!

Clone of a Cinnabon adapted from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

2 eggs, room temperature 1/3 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup white sugar

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling  1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

	In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle yeast over warm milk. Let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, butter, salt and sugar. Mix. Add flour, a cup at a time and knead until the dough is slightly tacky. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, dry place until doubled in size.
	After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
	Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
	Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

CS Bakers- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

We're starting a new book for Cake Slice Bakers- Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats. Crazy long title, I know. I haven't even read the whole title yet. :)

Anyway, pumpkin chocolate chip bread has been a favorite of mine since I was in junior high and my mom and used to go to Great Harvest Bread Company after school. They have the yummiest bread, and they give you huge samples every time you go there. Their pumpkin chocolate chip bread is moist and tender- perfect.

This recipe is pretty quick to put together and uses butter instead of oil, which I thought would change the texture. I liked this recipe, but it's not as good as the bread I set as the standard. It's not as dense. This seemed more like bread to me, and the Great Harvest one is more like cake. But anything with pumpkin and chocolate chips can't be all bad!

October’s Cake: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf cake

October’s Cake: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
(adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cloves
Pinch nutmeg
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method
Heat the oven to 350F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
With the mixer on medium low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Stir in the milk.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Ok, so I've had a few overripe bananas in our house. I blame my husband who will only eat bananas if they're just so- which leaves about a 2 day window that he'll eat them. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com- I'm pretty much loving the recipe spinner on the iPhone app!

This recipe is quick- I halved it and made a couple changes. The muffins are moist and really yummy. One of my new faves!

Chocolate Banana Bread adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup white sugar 2 eggs 3 bananas, mashed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup lite sour cream 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two standard size muffin tins.
	In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.
	Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

TWD- Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

Ok, so I wasn't SUPER excited to make this. Dried fruit- ick. Nutmeg- ehh. Oatmeal- hmm. But I thought, it was something different, and since I'm staying at my parents, I was sure SOMEONE would eat it.

This is a great, quick recipe to pull together. No stand-mixer needed. It would be yummy and cozy some winter morning.

 Of course, the best part is the crumbly, crunchy topping. I used cranberries since that's all I had, but I would think dried apples would be good. This bread isn't as sweet as I like, but it was a hit with everyone who tried it!

Oven Love has the recipe!

TWD- Raisin Swirl Bread

Ok, there are a lot of raisin-haters out there. I don't love raisins, either. But I'm ok with raisins in cinnamon bread and cinnamon rolls. I was tempted to put chocolate chips in this bread, but my family wanted raisins.

This bread, a white loaf with a cinnamon/sugar/cocoa powder swirl filled with raisins. I forgot to brush the top with butter before baking, but it was really yummy.

The middle was a little doughy, but I figured it would make great toast! :)

Head to food.baby for the delicious recipe!