Twisted Sweet Bread and Nutella with Orange Glaze

Orange Jewels Add More Butter is a lovely food blog, filled with beautiful images and inspiring recipes made by Hope, a Pastry Chef in a five star London hotel.  I started following her blog recently and am inspired by her ideas for flavors, textures, and delicious food.  I tried her Chocolate and Hazelnut Butter Buns with Orange Glaze and loved the results (so did everyone at Steve’s office) but I wanted more spice in the dough.  SpicesI also had a jar of Nutella to use, and wanted to shape the bread differently, so I made this version of Hope’s recipe in our 14″ camp Dutch oven.  Hazelnuts

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup whole milk OR half-and-half
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour (all-purpose flour works fine, but if you have bread flour you’ll appreciate the flaky results)
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup Nutella
  • 1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
  • 1 really big orange or 2 small oranges
  • 4 tablespoons superfine sugar (regular sugar works but takes longer to dissolve)Orange and Sweet

Directions:

Prepare a 14-inch camp Dutch oven by cutting a long piece of parchment paper about 30-inches long.  Fold it into thirds lengthwise and cut three long strips.  Fold two strips in half lengthwise and save the third for another application.  Cut another piece of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of the oven.  Place the two long strips in a cross at the bottom of the oven then lay the circle of parchment on top of the crossed strips.  Clip the long strips over the edges of the oven to secure them in place.  The parchment paper strips and circle will help lift the bread out of the oven and make cleaning the sticky glaze a little bit easier.

Warm up the milk/half-and-half to about 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  Pour into a large mixing bowl, then stir in sugar and yeast.  Let this sit for a few minutes until the yeast starts to bubble and is fragrant.  If nothing happens, toss it all out and start over.

Measure flour into a bowl and set aside.  (I do this so that I don’t lose count of cups while I’m kneading the dough.)

Stir in warm butter and mix until it disappears.  Add eggs, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.  Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time until the dough starts to get sticky.  Liberally sprinkle the counter with flour then turn the sticky dough out and sprinkle again with flour.  Knead the dough, adding flour until the dough is smooth and no longer sticking to your hands. (You may not use all of the flour.) Knead for five to ten more minutes until you can pull a window pane.

Drizzle a little bit of oil or melted butter into a bowl that is at least twice the size of the dough or into a dough bucket.  Turn the dough around in the oil/butter to cover the bottom of the dough, then turn it over and repeat.  Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap or put the lid on the bucket and place in a warm, draft-free place for one to two hours until the dough  has doubled in volume.  You can also make the dough then night before and let it rest over night in the refrigerator.  If you do this, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before shaping the dough.Doubled

Turn dough out onto a large counter space (at least 30×30 inches) and roll the dough out into a large rectangle that is about 26-inches long and 16-inches wide.  The rectangle doesn’t have to be perfect, but needs to be at least 26-inches long.Rolled Out

Spread the Nutella out across the dough, leaving about 1/2-inch at the edges.Even Spread of YumminessSprinkle 3/4 cup of chopped hazelnuts across the Nutella.  Hazelnutss on YumminessThis is where the sticky fun begins!  Gently pick up one third of of one of the long sides and fold it over.  Fold 1-3Then pick up the other long side and fold it on top of the other third, like you would fold a business letter only lengthwise.  Fold 2-3Using a bench scrapper or a sharp knife, cut three pieces lengthwise.  For a nice clean cut, use a single downward cutting motion, not a back-and-forth sawing motion as this will rip the dough.  Make sure each piece is completely separated from the others.  3 ThirdsMove each long piece apart and twist 8 or 9 times.  3 TwistsBraid the twisted pieces together loosely.Close up BraidMove the braid into the prepared 14-inch Dutch oven and shape into a circle.  The ends will be a bit messy, just try to tuck them into each other.  When the dough rises up, you will be the only person who knows it was messy!  Cover and place in a warm, draft-free place for an hour.In the 14

While the bread is rising, make the orange glaze.  Zest the orange into a small bowl, about 2 to 3 tablespoons of zest.  Zested OrangeSqueeze orange juice into the zest, about 1/4 cup.  Stir in superfine sugar.  If you are using regular sugar, let the glaze sit for a while to allow the sugar crystals to dissolve completely.Orange Juice

Fire up a chimney of charcoal.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit by placing 11-12 hot charcoals in a circle underneath the oven and 17-18  hot charcoals on the lids.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Bread is done when it is golden brown and the internal temperature is 195 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.Golden Brown

Let the bread rest in the oven for at least five minutes to cool the oven off a bit before adding the glaze.Orange Glaze A Perfect ToppingSpoon the glaze over the warm bread, then sprinkle remaining hazelnuts across the top.

Orange Jewels

Oh this is simply divine!  The hint of orange makes the chocolate and hazelnut flavors explode together and the cardamom and other spices sing quietly together in the flaky layers.  I love this recipe and hope you do as well!All Swirling Around

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Chicken and Artichoke Hearts Over Mediterranean Orzo

This is adult comfort food at its best, served around the campfire underneath a canopy of brilliant stars or in your back yard.  IMG_4292I love artichokes, thanks to my parent’s love of these prickly vegetables that grow in California.  When I was a little girl, my mother would boil big artichokes, which were a rare treat in northern New Mexico, until the inside of the leaves were tender, then she would serve it, steaming hot, with a jar of mayonnaise.  We peeled off a leaf, dunked it into the mayo, and scraped the sweet tender meat off of each leaf with our teeth – such a simple joy that still makes my heart smile.  When I discovered canned, frozen, and marinated artichoke hearts I was in foodie heaven.  They are already cooked and ready to eat!

So tonight I am going to make chicken and artichoke hearts in a white wine sauce served over Mediterranean orzo.  This can be done in one 12-inch camp Dutch oven, if you have plenty of time, or you can make it in two ovens concurrently to save some time.  Serves 4 to 6 hungry and lucky loved ones.

For the Chicken and Artichoke in Wine Sauce:

  • 2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts drained
  • 3-4 shallots, sliced thinly
  • 1 pound skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 3-6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped chives
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 1 lemon, washed

Fire up a chimney of charcoal.  If you have one of Dennis’ Cookers, set it up and make sure the Dutch oven sits level in the cooker.  You will appreciate the air holes underneath the oven to keep the charcoal very hot to sear the chicken, roast the artichoke hearts, and make the orzo.

Put the lid(s) to the oven(s) aside.  You will not need them!

Cut artichokes in half lengthwise.  Let them drain on a paper towel, cut side down.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces.  Season with salt and pepper liberally.  Put the flour into a bowl and drop seasoned chicken in, one at a time, tossing to coat with flour.  Place in cooler.

Make a heap of hot charcoals and place the Dutch oven on top.  Add olive oil until it covers the bottom of the oven and then add 2 tablespoons butter.  When the butter is melted, add artichoke hearts, cut side down and resist the temptation to move them.  IMG_4299Let them sizzle for 5 to 10 minutes, or until you can smell the sweet caramelization and see the dark color when you lift one up.  Flip them over and let the leaf side brown for a few minutes.  Remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.  Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.IMG_4330

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter.  When the butter is melted and oil is hot, add half of the flour-covered chicken.  Let the chicken sizzle for 3-5 minutes until dark brown, then flip.  When chicken is nicely browned on all sides, remove to a plate covered with a paper towel and covered with aluminum foil to rest while you sauce the remaining chicken pieces.  Repeat.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter, then chicken. Remove and cover with foil.

Add shallots and briefly sauté them in the oil and bits left from the chicken, then add white wine to deglaze the yummy bits off of the bottom of your camp Dutch oven with a wooden spoon.  Add the chives and let the sauce reduce and firm up for about five minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from burning. Remove from heat when sauce has thickened.  Finish by squeezing  half a lemon into the sauce.  Stir.  Taste.  Add more lemon if it suits your palate.  End with 2 tablespoons of butter.IMG_4294Toss the cooked chicken, artichokes, and onions in the wine sauce.  Resist the temptation to stop and sit down to eat the chicken and chokes. Cover and keep warm while preparing the orzo.

Chicken and Artichoke was inspired by Kathryn Hill‘s recipe on The Kitchn (an awesome website!)

Ingredients for Mediterranean Orzo:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled, smashed and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup orzo
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and sliced
  • 1 cup celery, cleaned and sliced in 1/4 inch moons
  • 1/4 cup dried and chopped chives
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 cups feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
  • 8 ounces julienned sun-dried tomatoes, drained

Place a 12-inch camp Dutch oven over a heap of hot charcoals.  Dennis’ cook station is ideal for this application. Heat olive oil until it starts to shimmer, then add chopped onions and sauté until they start to soften, about five minutes.  Add orzo and stir constantly to turn the orzo a slight shade of brown.  Add chicken stock and chives, then bring to a boil.  Use your best outdoor cook judgement as you let the orzo simmer, stirring frequently and keeping an eye on it to make sure the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom or burn. Total cooking time for the orzo is around 9 minutes.  As the chicken stock reduces, increase y0ur attention to the orzo.  Taste it frequently to see if it is done and stir to keep it from burning.  When there is very little chicken stock at the bottom of the oven and the orzo is tender, pull it off of the charcoal.  If the orzo is not done, add a few splashes of chicken stock and let it simmer, stirring, until orzo is done.  Stir in feta cheese, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Taste and add salt if needed. The feta and olives should add enough salt, but check just in case. Now, aren’t you glad you waited?

IMG_4322

Oh, this is good…  Adult comfort food at its best!  Serve the chicken and artichokes along side the orzo.  IMG_4342Sigh…

The orzo is so good with different flavors of mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, sweet celery coming together with the feta cheese.  And the wine sauce, infused with sweet shallots, makes the chicken and artichokes sing together in your mouth.

The delicious Mediterranean orzo recipe was inspired by Andrea Bemis, contributor to The Kitchn.

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