Category: Bread (Page 5 of 6)

Fresh Herb and Yogurt Biscuits

April 10, 2015 / Jenny / 16 Comments

This time of year, our bodies yearn for fresh, green food. It has been a long winter, and we are ready for an influx of new growth. In my yard and garden, there is not much growing yet. We are barely out of winter, it seems. However, there are some promising and exciting signs of spring. Herbs are starting to poke their bright green stems and leaves through the wet, brown remains of winter. Our chives are almost always the first to be ready, and the oregano is just starting to give some fresh growth.

And of course the crocuses are a treat to see. I had forgotten where I planted the daffodil bulbs last fall, so it has been fun to walk around the yard and see where there are daffodils popping up. And the frogs! In the evenings, the spring peepers are really starting to sing. I love to sleep with the window cracked (even if it is a chilly night), just to listen to the frogs.

Since I have been longing to make some kind of food from just-picked ingredients, I decided to make biscuits with chopped, fresh herbs. We have some parsley growing in a pot at the kitchen windowsill, and that has perked up since the spring sun has been shining through the window, and I picked some chives and some oregano from the yard. Just picking and chopping herbs is a pleasure for me; I love the scents that are released. Instead of the standard butter, I used plain yogurt for moisture in the biscuits. They were delicious. Biscuits go with almost anything–eggs, soup, or use them to make a sandwich. The herbs give these biscuits a subtle, savory flavor. I look forward to joining Fiesta Friday this week at The Novice Gardener! The co-hosts are Hilda from Along the Grapevine and Julianna from Foodie on Board.

Fresh Herb and Yogurt Biscuits

Servings: 12 biscuits
Time: about 20 minutes, plus about 10 minutes baking time
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Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of white)
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1-2 tablespoons fresh, finely chopped herbs (I used chives, oregano and parsley)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir with a fork. Mix in the yogurt with your hands until a dough forms. (Your hands will get very messy!) Resist the urge to over-knead this dough–unlike with bread dough, too much kneading with biscuit dough makes the biscuits less fluffy. Combine just until the dough holds together as a ball. Then transfer to a floured work surface. Pat the dough down till it is about 1/2 inch thick. You may need at add some flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. With a cutter about 2 inches round (I turn a small glass upside-down), cut the dough into circles and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy!

Spiced Pear Bread

January 16, 2015 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 14 Comments

It is an ongoing goal and challenge to use food wisely. When I see a piece of fruit in the fruit bowl getting a little too ripe, I feel like I need to do something with it. Of course, this is a good problem to have–too much food–much better than the opposite problem–but I want to continually learn to use the food I have in ways that taste delicious and give us good energy. Sometimes it is hard to plan or predict how much food to buy at a time–who knew my kids would go through a big bag of pretzels in two days, yet ignore the pears? I guess I should have known! Anyway, this spiced pear bread is a tasty way to use a very ripe pear–the juicier the pear, the moister the bread. And it is a more nourishing snack than a plate full of pretzels! (Pretzels have their place too, but variety is a good thing). The cinnamon, cloves, and orange rind add to this bread’s subtle, sweet flavor, and it tastes great just sliced on its own or with a little butter or cream cheese on it. Add a steaming cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, and it’s even better. I based this recipe on one I found in my Dr. Cookie Cookbook by Marvin Wayne and Stephen Yarnall, though I made some changes. Isn’t that the beauty of recipes, that they are always evolving with the years and with the people who use them. I am taking this bread over to Angie’s blog at The Novice Gardener for the Fiesta Friday link party. I always find inspiring ideas there! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Spiced Pear Bread

Servings: 1 loaf, or 12 slices
Time: 15 minutes preparation, plus 40-50 minutes baking time
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Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce–if your pear is very juicy, lean towards 2 tablespoons, if not so juicy, use 3
1 teaspoon orange rind (you may also you lemon rind)
1 cup finely chopped unpeeled pear (about one pear)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, and set aside. In another mixing bowl, vigorously stir the eggs, brown sugar, and oil until smooth. (You can use an electric mixer if you want, but I did not find it necessary as long as I stirred it really well). Add the honey, applesauce, orange or lemon rind, and stir well again. Then, gently stir the flour mixture and the pear into the batter until just combined. Scrape the combined batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in your oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. It’s okay if the crust cracks a little. Cool the bread in the loaf pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan onto the wire rack and cool completely. Enjoy!

Settling into Winter with Fresh Cinnamon Rolls

January 5, 2015 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 10 Comments

Well, the holidays have come and gone with the blink of an eye. We took our Christmas decorations down yesterday, and it felt so sad to officially acknowledge that the festivities and celebrations are over for awhile. But when we were done taking the tree down and putting the sparkling ornaments away, the open spaces and clean surfaces made the house feel fresh and new, ready to be filled with new experiences in the coming year. I have always liked the beginning of the New Year, and always start January with the best of intentions. (Whether or not I stick to all my New Year’s resolutions is another story, perhaps for a different blog post!). This morning it is extremely cold and bright here, with a fresh coat of snow blanketing the trees and ground. Fitting weather for a new year, a fresh start. According to the weather forecast, winter is settling in this week. More snow and continued cold temperatures are on the way. My whole family loves to go out in the snow, so that is exciting. But we also need something to take the edge off of the difficulties of winter, something sweet and comforting. What better way to take comfort from the cold than making a batch of soft, sweet cinnamon rolls. The recipe I am posting is adapted from a recipe I found long ago in a cookbook I return to again and again for basic recipes, my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I just love the taste of the dough rolled up and baked with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. Delicious! Personally, I like these cinnamon rolls on their own without any icing, but I am including a really easy icing recipe for those who like a little extra sweetness. I also find that the icing helps on cinnamon rolls that are a day old and not as soft as they were the day before. So sometimes I don’t make the icing till the next day. If you are going to be home for a few hours and want to make something special, warming, and cheerful, I would highly recommend these cinnamon rolls!

Sweet Cinnamon Rolls and Powdered Sugar Icing

Servings: 24 rolls
Time: about three hours total, including rising and baking time
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Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls:

4 to 4/13 cups all purpose flour
1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Ingredients for Powdered Sugar Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk

Directions for Cinnamon Rolls:

Combine 2 cups of the all purpose flour and 1 package of active dry yeast in a large mixing bowl. Meanwhile, heat and stir 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt till warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees) and butter almost melts. (Don’t let it get it too hot, or it will kill your yeast–make sure it is only warm and not hot when you pour it into the flour/yeast mixture). Add the butter mixture to the bowl with the flour and yeast, along with two eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds and then on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. Then using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining 2 to 2 and 1/3 cups of all purpose flour as you can.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic and not sticky. (About 5-10 minutes of kneading). Shape dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl. Turn once and cover with a dish towel. Let rise in a warm place till double (about one hour). When dough has about doubled in size, punch the dough down. Turn out onto the lightly floured surface again and divide in half. Cover and let the two halves rest for 10 minutes. Then roll one of the halves of dough into a 12 inch x 8 inch rectangle. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and brush half of the butter over the rectangle of dough. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the rectangle of dough. Roll up from one of the long sides of the rectangle. Seal the seams by pressing the edges of dough together. Carefully slice the dough into 12 pieces (I use a serrated knife for this, so I don’t squish the dough out of shape). Repeat process with the remaining dough. Place the rolls in two lightly greased 9 x 1 and 1/2 inch round baking pans. Cover and let rise until almost double in size (about 30 minutes this time). Bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden. Let the rolls cool slightly, and then remove from the pans. Drizzle with powdered sugar icing (see directions below) or serve on their own. Enjoy this special treat!

Directions for Powdered Sugar Icing:

In a medium bowl, with a spoon mix the cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and one tablespoon of the milk. Stir in more milk very gradually–1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches the desired consistency. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls if desired. This makes about 1/2 cup of icing.

Recipe adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Tenth Ring Bound Edition