Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

It's been awhile. Not that I haven't been cooking, I just haven't done much in the way of photographing what I cook. I fell off the regular blog updating wagon after a major snowstorm in October that knocked out power to parts of my state for over a week and cancelled/postponed Halloween. Then stupid daylight savings time kicked in. Curses! It gets dark around 4:30 in the afternoon which doesn't give me much available light.

Guess it's time to break out the artificial lighting and beat the ol' seasonal affective disorder in the process. I hope to update with a few seasonal yummies soon, but in the meantime these are one of my favorite recipes for super flaky, cheesy, scrumptious biscuits. 

I love making biscuits because they're so easy to throw together, but satisfying like a warm loaf of bread. These are great as a holiday side or just to whip up beside a nice bowl of soup on a chilly evening. The key is to not overwork the dough. Fold/knead the dough only until it just holds together in a solid mass, and hold yourself back from adding extra liquid unless totally necessary.

 

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 6-8 biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup very cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup high quality sharp cheddar, shredded

3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers (alternatively, you can use a food processor if you have one) cut in the butter until a coarse meal forms. Add the cheese and toss to incorporate. Stir in the buttermilk slowly, just until all the flour is moistened and the crumbs hold together if you pinch a bit between your fingers. You may use less than the 3/4 cup of buttermilk to achieve this.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by folding the mixture over itself in half and flattening. Repeat 5-10 times, or until it holds together in a fairly solid mass. Pat into a 1 inch thick round and cut into biscuits using a 2 to 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Any excess dough can be folded back together and cut into additional biscuits. Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 14-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Best eaten fresh and warm with a good schmear of butter!

Savory Bread Pudding

Move over croutons and breadcrumbs, I have a better way to use up that 3 day old stump of bread you have sitting on your counter.

Granted, I am a carboholic. It's not often that a loaf of bread stands a chance around me but...

I don't like to waste food. You might also call me a packrat. My freezer is mm... less than organized. Being that there is just one of me, I frequently freeze leftovers and excess vegetables/fruit to use on a later date. One of those things that I like to freeze is bread. Usually when I buy a loaf of bread I eat half and freeze the other half for a little later. Sometimes it doesn't always work out quite like that, so I have a special baggie that I use to gather small chunks of slightly stale bread for this very recipe.

Bread pudding is something I usually associate with sweets and desserts, but a savory version really deserves more love. It is very rich and satisfying thanks to the custard-like base, bright veggies and cheese. It makes for a great vegetarian main, or can be served as a side.

I like a complex, nutty cheese like Gruyere to complement the chevre so I used some Aged Bloomsday from Cato Corner here in CT, but feel free to experiment with what you like best. I love making this because it's so easy to use local ingredients, so use what you have available. This recipe lends itself to plenty of variety!

 

Savory Bread Pudding

Makes about 6 main course servings

2 cups milk (low or reduced fat is fine)

4 eggs

1 tsp salt, divided

1 tsp of your favorite hot sauce 

freshly ground black pepper

4 cups stale crusty bread, torn or cut into 1 inch chunks

10 oz fresh or frozen spinach

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

4 oz goat cheese

1 cup Gruyere-like cheese, shredded

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, hot sauce and ground pepper. Add bread chunks and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30min-1hour. 

2. Meanwhile, prepare the spinach. If using fresh spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Throw your spinach leaves in and blanch just until wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from the pot, rinse under cold water and drain, squeezing out all excess water. Chop and set aside.

If using frozen spinach, just thaw according to package instructions, drain and squeeze all excess water out. Chop and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-cup baking dish and set aside. Bring a few cups of water to a boil for a water bath while you're at it.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and pepper and cook until they are slightly tender and golden, 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and cook for another minute. Add your spinach, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, some more pepper and cook for another minute then remove from the heat.

5. Add the veggies, goat cheese and 1/2 cup of Gruyere to the bread and egg mixture. Stir until well combined. Scrape into your prepared baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly on top. Place the baking dish into a larger pan for the water bath. Put the whole thing in the middle rack of the preheated oven, then pour the boiling water into the larger pan until it comes about halfway up the side of your bread pudding baking dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Carefully remove the baking dish from the water bath and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk Ramp Biscuits

It's that time of year. The time of year where I attempt to overdose on all variety of spring delicacies - ramps, fiddleheads, morels. If it's possible to get tired of eating them during their very brief season, then I don't know it. 

If I can't get out to one of the few farmer's markets open around here this early in the spring, Whole Foods usually helps me get my fix of the good stuff. I'm there every other day grabbing what I can. I seem to know the number code for ramps better than the cashiers do. Yes, I have a  problem. A delicious, delicious problem.

Of course if you don't live anywhere near where ramps grow, you probably have no idea what the hell I'm talking about. Ramps are wild leeks that are native to the Appalachian Mountain area. They're intensely oniony and garlicky, and in the spring you can eat everything from the green leaves, to the stem, and all the way down to the bulb. Most importantly, they're one of the first yummy green things to pop out of the ground after a long winter!

These biscuits are a great way to enjoy ramps in a number of different ways. They're perfect warm with just a pad of butter, but would make a great crunchy, garlicky roll for a nice sandwich! I also imagine they would store well in the freezer so you could enjoy them long after their season is over. And if you can't get ramps, you could substitute scallions and still have a very yummy biscuit!

Buttermilk Ramp Biscuits

(adapted from Bon Appetit)

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup thinly sliced ramps (bulbs, stems, and leaves)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/3 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano, plus more for sprinkling on top

6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 tsp coriander seeds, cracked

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Combine the ramps and buttermilk in a small bowl. 

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cheese in the bowl of a food processor (or you can just do it by hand.) Add the butter to the processor and use on/off bursts to cut the butter into the flour until a coarse meal forms. Transfer the flour and butter mixture to a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until the dough begins to hold together. 

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a round about 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut biscuits into rounds. Gather scraps and press into another round and repeat.

4. Transfer biscuits to an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the biscuits with the cracked coriander seeds and grate a little extra cheese over the tops. 

5. Bake biscuits for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a rack and serve warm or room temperature.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

I'm not going to call this healthy, because it's not. There are plenty of refined carbohydrates in here, so don't worry about having to share with your low-carbing friends.

I did sneak in a few ingredients to make it slightly more nutritionally sound than your typical quick bread though. It's my way of keeping my friends and family around slightly longer in order to stuff them with more future goodies!

You'd never know that some of the ingredients had been switched up though. If anything, I think it improved upon the classic! It all started when I decided I wanted to make peanut butter banana bread. I figured I'd try replacing the butter in the batter with some peanut butter to incorporate that flavor. Along the way I decided I'd add some whole wheat flour for it's richer, nutty flavor and when I discovered I had no sour cream, I just replaced it with some low fat greek yogurt. To my delight it all came together beautifully into a flavorful, moist banana bread with a tasty twist.

It is wonderful just on it's own as a sweet treat, but it only improves with a schmear of nutella and a nice, cold glass of milk. Mmm!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

Makes 1 Loaf

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup smooth, natural peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1/3 cup low fat greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 in).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In another large bowl, cream together the peanut butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined. Mix in the mashed banana, yogurt and vanilla until smooth. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture just until combined and moist.

3. Melt 1/2 cup chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave until smooth and allow to cool slightly. Add half the prepared batter and the remaining chocolate chips to the melted chocolate and stir until well combined. Spoon the plain batter and the chocolate batter alternately into the prepared loaf pan and swirl together using a butter knife. Bake for 1hr - 1hr 15 min, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.

4. Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and finish cooling on the wire rack. Enjoy!

Pssst... I spy a doggie creepin' up on my photo shoot!

Daring Bakers March 2011: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake!

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

I love making various breads and working with yeast. I know it's scary for some people, but I'm forever amazed by the way a few simple ingredients can be transformed through yeast, kneading and the heat of the oven. Plus, who doesn't love the carb-y deliciousness of bread?!

This dough was a joy to work with. It was silky, rich and very easy to roll out and roll up. I've never made a coffee cake with meringue in it, but loved the way the meringue sort of melted into the bread as it baked and made it so moist and slightly chewy!

The combination of nuts, chocolate and cinnamon sounded heavenly as it was, so I chose to stay fairly close to the recipe and filled it with a combination of chopped chocolate, hazelnuts, cinnamon and some coconut, yum!

Meringue Coffee Cake

(Makes 2 10-inch coffee cakes)

For the dough:
4 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 package active dried yeast
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup water
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature

For the meringue:
3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar

For the filling:
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped chocolate
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut


For the dough:
1. In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Meanwhile, combine 1 ½ cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer (you can do this by hand or with and hand mixer as well). Once the butter mixture is melted, but not too hot, gradually add it to the flour mixture and beat until well blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Next, add your eggs and 1 cup of  flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

2. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

For the filling and assembly:
1. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling. Have your chopped chocolate, coconut and nuts on hand. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a very clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

3. Punch down your risen dough and cut into 2 equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time while keeping the other half wrapped in plastic wrap, roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch from the edges. Sprinkle half of your cinnamon/sugar over the meringue, then half of your nuts, chocolate and coconut.

4. Roll the dough up jelly roll style starting from the long side. Pinch the seam closed tightly to seal and very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

5. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring. Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings. Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 350F. Once the cakes have finished rising, brush the tops of the coffee cakes with an egg wash composed of a whole egg and a splash of water that have been beaten together. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

7. Gently remove the cakes from the pans by sliding them off the parchment paper onto cooling racks and allow to cool. It's best served fresh!

A New Year - and Brioche!

So, let's try this again. I sort of failed in my first attempt at doing this regularly for the same reason I fail at most things - I just don't think I can do it perfectly. My New Year's resolution is to stop trying to be perfect. It's funny because I regularly screw up in the kitchen and it doesn't stick with me or make me want to stop trying. Curdled flan, separated ganache, blisters from boiling sugar - I've already forgotten! (Well except for that blister... doesn't seem to want to go away!) I think I need to learn from my kitchen alter-ego.

Which brings me to brioche. Oh, brioche. So delicate and rich. Something you buy at a fancy bakery but wouldn't dare to make at home. All this talk about yeast and sponge - it's too... mysterious. Too scary! This is my advice to you: Go forth fearlessly! Trust me, baked goods can smell fear. Take a deep breath and just read the instructions. Take your time. The worst that can happen is that you learn from your mistakes. And is that really so bad?

I don't see anything scary about those tender lumplings!

This brioche is delicious and buttery, but has a nice light and delicate crumb. It is time consuming but well worth it. I chose to make 2 different varieties by rolling the dough out into a sheet and filling & rolling it much like you would cinnamon rolls (this would be an awesome dough for exactly that purpose!) The chocolate is simply chopped bittersweet chocolate, and the cranberry cream cheese is a mixture of about 1/2 a cup of chopped cranberries, 4 oz of cream cheese, a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and some orange zest. Or you could just make a whole loaf. Make some french toast! Mmmmm...

Basic Brioche

adapted from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

For the best flavor, the sponge can be allowed to ferment in the refrigerator for a day prior to making the dough, but it is not necessary. The dough, however, should be made 1-2 days ahead.  

Starter (Sponge): 

2 tablespoons water, at room temperature (1 ounce or 29.5 grams)

1 tablespoon sugar (scant 0.5 ounce or 12.5 grams)

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (0.8 grams) 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2.5 ounces or 71 grams)

1 large egg (2 ounces or 58 grams weighed in the shell)

Flour mixture: 

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (5.5 ounces or 156 grams)

2 tablespoons sugar (about 0.75 ounce or 25 grams)

1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (4 grams)

1/2 teaspoon salt (3.3 grams)

2 large eggs, cold (4 ounces or 113 grams weighed in shells)

8 tablespoons very soft unsalted butter (4 ounces or 113 grams)

Egg Glaze (if making a large loaf, glaze is optional) 

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon milk or cream

1. For the Starter: In the mixer bowl, place the water, sugar, instant yeast, flour, and egg. Whisk by hand until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 3 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a very thick batter. (At first the dough may collect inside the whisk, but just shake it out and keep whisking. If it’s too thick to whisk, it means you’ve added too much flour and will need to add a little of the eggs to be added in Step 3.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and set it aside, covered with plastic wrap and allow to sit for at least 1 hour, or refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

2. For the flour mixture: In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar and yeast. Next, whisk in the salt. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the sponge. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it stand for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour mixture in places; this is fine.) 

3. For the Dough: Add the 2 cold eggs and mix with the dough hook on low for about 1 minute or until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with an oiled spatula and continue beating for about 5 minutes longer or until the dough is smooth and shiny but very soft and sticky. It will mass around the dough hook but not pull away from the bowl completely.

Add the butter by the tablespoon, waiting until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding the next tablespoon, beating until all the butter is incorporated. The dough will be very soft and elastic and will stick to your fingers unmercifully, but don’t be tempted to add more flour at this point; it will firm considerably after chilling

4. Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a large bowl, greased lightly with cooking spray or oil. Lightly spray or oil the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

5. After rising, refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to firm it; this will prevent the butter from separating.

6. Gently deflate the dough by stirring it with a rubber scraper or spatula, and return it to the refrigerator for 1 more hour so that it will be less sticky and easier to handle. 

7. Deflate the dough and allow it to rest in the fridge for a few minutes. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and press or roll it into a rectangle, flouring the surface and dough as needed to keep it from sticking. The exact size of the rectangle is not important. Give the dough a business letter turn, brushing off any excess flour, and again press down or roll it out into a rectangle. Rotate it 90 degrees so that the closed side is facing to your left. Give it a second business letter turn and round the corners. Dust it lightly on all sides with flour. Wrap it loosely but securely in plastic wrap and then place it in a large zip-seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days to allow the dough to ripen (develop flavor) and firm. 

8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and gently press it down to deflate it. You can be creative with how you choose to shape it! Make a loaf, small rolls, cinnamon buns, etc. For various baking times please see the link to the original recipe. 

If you are making rolls like mine with fillings, roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Sprinkle or spread your fillings onto the rectangle leaving about an inch of space at the top of a long side. Roll the dough up and pinch it closed. Cut the dough into 16 pieces by cutting it in half and cutting each half in half until you have 16 pieces. Place into an oiled muffin/brioche pan or baking cups and cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour.

9. Preheat the oven to 425°F 1 hour before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lower level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. 

10. Lightly beat together the egg yolk and cream for the glaze. Brush the top of the brioche with the egg glaze, being careful not to drip any on the side of the pans, or it will impede rising. Allow it to dry for 5 minutes and then brush a second time with the glaze. 

11. Set the rolls on the hot stone or hot baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

12. Remove the brioche from the oven and unmold them onto a wire rack (if you are using paper baking molds just allow them to cool as they are)