Rosemary Bread

Here's what I love about bread, it's soft and chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, makes you feel good just by smelling it. It tastes good with butter on it, it tastes good with meat on it, it tastes good with cheese on it. Yup, you can put anything on it and it's still amazing. Bread is WONDERFUL (just ask my waistline)! If my life were a musical movie, I'd be breaking into song right now about my love for bread (it may have secretly already happened); instead I'll just post how to make this aromatic bread, then you can break out in song at your house.

So I learned quite a few things making this bread. First, I need a larger mixer; second, I need double ovens (I'm talking to you, Mr. Woodward); third, sometimes it's better to make a smaller batch.

I decided to make a regular sized batch (6 loaves), but I'll be giving you the recipe for the smaller batch (2 loaves). The reason for this is because most standard mixers can't handle the amount of dough in the larger recipe. I know from personal experience. It wasn't pretty. I ended up having to divide the dough in half, kneading half by hand and the other in the mixer with the dough hook. If you happen to have a larger mixer, let me know and I'll send you the larger recipe. Ok, let's get to baking.

Somethings that I can't live without in the world of baking are:

My scale. LOVE IT!

My scraper. It is great for a couple of reasons; one, it has a sharp edge to cut my dough with; second, it is great for lifting dough off the counter as well as scraping various things into other things. Don't you just love my very eloquent review. It really is a great tool to have in the kitchen, whether it be for baking or cooking.

Special Equipment:

mixer with dough hook

food scale

scraper

pastry brush

parchment paper

serrated bread knife

Ingredients

11 g (3/4 oz) dry yeast (or 22 g fresh compressed yeast)

1 1/2 cups (360 ml) warm water (105 F to 115 F)

22 g (1 1/2 Tbsp) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil

10 g ( 2 Tbsp) fresh rosemary, finely chopped (I used 5 g (1 Tbsp) dried crushed rosemary)

15 g (1 Tbsp) salt

1 lb 4 oz (570 g) bread flour

Egg wash (4 eggs, 1/2 tsp salt)

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the sugar, oil, rosemary, and enough of the flour to make a smooth, non-sticky dough.

2. Knead, using the dough hook, at medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes. The dough will get a little looser as it becomes smoother.

3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch down the dough, then let it rise 30 minutes longer.

4. Punch the dough down again and divide into 2 pieces, approximately 1 pound (455 g ) each. Shape the pieces into tight oval loaves that spring back when lightly pressed but are not so taut that the skin on the dough breaks. Place the loaves on sheet pans lined with parchment paper (see instructions on how to shape dough at end of post).

5. Brush egg wash over the loaves. Let rise until slightly less than doubled in volume.

6. Using a serrated knife and starting in the center, cut halfway into each loaf at a 45-egress angle.

7. Bake at 400 F until the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. Place the loaves on racks to cool.

If this is well wrapped it can be stored in the freezer for several weeks. If you only need one loaf of bread you can use the other half of the dough as a pizza crust, YUM!

Special thanks to my girls, F & E for all their help punching the dough. For once they weren't hitting each other. Love my little flour girls!

Special Instructions on how to shape dough:

To make round or oval loaves of bread, put the required weight of dough on the table in front of you and cup our hand around it. Using primarily the section of your palm at he base of the thumb, knead and move the dough around counterclockwise as you lift one section at a time from the outside and press it down in the center, forming a tight skin around the dough. When you have worked all the way around the circle a few times and the dough is tight, gradually turn it upside-down, using the same movements, so that the seam is now on the bottom. Hold the side of your hand against the table and form the loaf into a round or oval as desired.

"Someone Like You" cupcakes

You might be thinking what a strange name for cupcakes. I just happened to be listening to the song "Someone Like You" by Adele (I pretty much just had it on repeat) while making these. I guess I could have called them Yellow Cake w/ banana flavoring w/cream filling w/chocolate buttercream icing, but it just doesn't sound as catchy. So, Someone Like You cupcakes, it is!

This is fairly easy, but there are lots of steps. We're going to make a banana flavored yellow cake, but you can do vanilla if you want, or whatever flavor tickles your fancy. Then we'll make a cream filling, insert picture of me drooling here, maybe not. Finally we'll finish these off with a chocolate buttercream! While the cake is light and fluffy, it is a very rich cupcake, you'll want to serve these with a nice tall glass of ice cold milk. Otherwise you're just being mean.

Yellow Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract (I used banana for mine)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups milk (I used half & half in place of the milk)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with paper wrappers. I spray the top of the muffin pan with cooking spray so the tops of my cupcakes don't stick to it.

Cream together shortening and butter until smooth. Then add in sugar and beat till it's smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.


Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Add to creamed mixture alternating with the milk. Make sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix very well.

Scoop batter into muffin pan, about 2/3 full. Bake for 17-19 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before filling or frosting.




Cream Filling

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup shortening

2 cups powdered sugar

1 pinch salt

3 Tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth. Blend in powdered sugar and pinch of salt.

Gradually beat in milk and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.




Fill a pastry bag with a small tip (I have a tip from Wilton made just for filling cupcakes. You can find it at any craft store in the cake decorating section). Push tip into top of cupcake to fill each one.




Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (but not melted)

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp almond extract

4 Tbsp milk or heavy cream

Directions:

Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed (I used the whisk attachment to give me a lighter and fluffier looking frosting).

Sift powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients don't blow everywhere) until sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter.

Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 Tbsp at a time.

Fit pastry bag with desired tip (I used a large star tip), and fill with frosting. Frost cupcakes as desired. This should be enough frosting for 24 cupcakes, it all depends on how much you put on each cupcake.

Some things I love:

I don't know how I ever lived with out my glass bowls. I would be watching The Food Network and just be so amazed how smart these chefs were to have all their ingredients measured out. One day while I was at Walmart I found them, my own little set of various sized glass bowls. I love them sooooooo much. Now I can measure everything out and put all the things away before I start baking. It makes life a lot easier as well as keeps my kitchen a little cleaner.



I also love, love, LOVE my Kitchen Aid mixer! My husband gave it to me 6 yrs ago for my birthday (I actually like appliances as presents, I think they might actually be better than jewlery. Well......maybe a close second.) I use this all the time, it's rare that I go more than two days without using it. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!


I have to have music while I'm working in the kitchen or working on craft projects. It really makes things fun and makes the time fly by. My wonderful hubby bought me a dock for my ipod. I love this man, he's pretty amazing.