Two Great Bread Recipes

20140531-IMG_1985-Edit-1 I have two great recipes for potato rolls, but which one is the best for a cook off next weekend? In this post, I will share the recipe for Chives, Cheese, and Mustard and in the next post, I will share the recipe for Sour Cream and Chive Potato Rolls.  Oh, they are so good, but which one will we bake for the judges??

Here are the ingredients for the Chives, Cheese and Mustard potato rolls:

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut inton 1-inch pieces
  • 4 ½ cups (24 2/3 ounces) bread flour
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 teaspoons dry ground mustard
  • 1/2 cup dried chopped chives
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt

1.  Prepare a 16″ camp Dutch oven. Remove the bail from a pint-size Dutch oven and place in the center of the big oven, upside down.  Spray everything liberally with oil.

2.  Place potatoes a 12″ camp Dutch oven and cover with water.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3.  Save 3/4 cup of the potato water, then drain the remaining water from the potatoes.  Put the potatoes back on heat, shaking pot occasionally until any surface moisture has evaporated, about one minute.  Process potatoes through ricer or mash well. Measure two cups of firmly packed potatoes and add to large mixing bowl.  Stir in butter, cheese, mustard, and chives.

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4.  Add reserved potato water, eggs, yeast, sugar, and salt and mix well.  Add flour and kneed until dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 20 minutes.  Shape into a large ball.

5.  Drizzle olive oil into a large bowl.   Place dough into bowl, turning until covered with olive oil, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until dough has doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

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6.  Lightly dust a working area with flour and turn out dough.  Pat gently into a 16-inch square of even thickness.  Cut dough into 24 pieces (6 by 4 rows).

20140531-IMG_1948-Edit-17.  Shape each piece of dough into a roll by cupping your hand over the dough then gently moving your hand in a circular motion to form a smooth taut ball.

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8.  Place around the inverted pint-size Dutch oven, then cover and let rise until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

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9.  Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.

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10.  Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (26 charcoal on top and 14 underneath) for 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.  To avoid hot spots, rotate lid clockwise and bottom counter clockwise every five minutes without lifting the lid.

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11.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Gently remove the inverted oven from the middle and replace it right side up.  The little Dutch oven is a perfect place for your favorite jam, butter, or spread.

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I love the light texture and savory flavors of the chives and cheese.  I know the mustard is in there, but I can’t taste it specifically.  This is a winner for sure, but is it as good or better than Sour Cream and Chive rolls?  I’ll share the results in my next blog post.

 

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Sunflower Challah

I recently learned about a food-safe color technique for bright yellow and wanted to try it out on a Sunflower Challah.  I really love this recipe for many reasons, especially its delicate texture, buttery rich flavor, and lovely yellow color.  In this blog, I will share how I tested this new way of painting the sunflower petals yellow and other details about shaping bread into a big, beautiful sunflower in my favorite 16″ camp Dutch oven.

It all begins in my big blue bowl, a perfect size for the sunflower (double the recipe), using a Danish dough whisk.

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After kneading the dough for 20 minutes, I let it rise until it is doubled in size, for about an  hour.  While the dough is rising, I prepare the colors and textures for the sunflower.  Set up two small bowls, one for egg white wash and the other for the vodka yellow saffron.  For the egg white wash, whisk together two egg whites with about a tablespoon of water until frothy.  In the second bowl, add about two tablespoons of vodka and a pinch of saffron strands.  Put the egg whites into the refrigerator and chill until needed.  After the saffron has steeped into the vodka, stir and judge the intensity of the yellow color, adding more saffron if needed.

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Next, I roll the dough out to a 12″ circle (about the length of a rolling-pin) and transfer into a 16″ camp Dutch oven…  IMG_1749-Edit-1

… and make a four-inch circle in the center with a glass 0r biscuit cutter.

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To make the sunflower petals, use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife and cut about 2 inches apart from the outside to less than an inch at the center.

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Then rotate each cut 45 degrees up to create the “petal.”  Make sure to rotate each petal in the same direction.

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With a pastry brush, paint egg white wash in the center of the bread and then sprinkle a generous amount of poppy seeds to create center of the sunflower.

IMG_1756-Edit-1Next, paint egg white wash in the center of each “petal” and liberally add sesame seeds.

IMG_1757-Edit-1Paint the vodka-saffron to the outside of the petals and any surface that needs yellow.  End with a sprinkle of Kosher salt all over to add more texture and flavor.

IMG_1761-Edit-1Let the bread rise again until double and then bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for about 25 minutes until internal temperature is 190 degrees.

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Done!

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