Lemon Poppyseed Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Every generation develops recipes that catch the fancy of young women when they first begin to cook. Toll House cookies have been around for decades and they're as popular today as they were when I was 18. Other recipes have shorter life spans. Even the good ones can fall to the wayside because of sea changes in the way we live or what we think to be important. There was a time when tea breads enjoyed the same popularity as cookies, and young women strove to master their making. We have, however, become a nation of multi-taskers and afternoon tea, for most anyway, has become a quaint remembrance of a ritual now past. While recipes for quick breads abound, tea breads are becoming less common. I want to pass mine on to my daughters, and, so, I record it here. The one I finally settled on is at least 2 decades old and it was developed in the test kitchen that serves Land O' Lakes Creamery. The combination of lemon and poppyseed is one of those lovely marriages that sometimes occurs in the food world. I love this recipe because it keeps the poppyseeds under control. An awful lot of recipes overdo their use and the finished bread or cake ends up looking like it has a disease. Not so here. This is a lemon bread that happens to use poppyseeds in the batter. The use of a glaze is optional with this bread. I prefer to brush the warm bread with limoncello, but I've included instructions for a glaze should you want to use one. Here's the recipe for a mild and altogether lovely lemon tea bread. I hope you enjoy it.

Courgette and Noodle Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Extremely hot or cold weather is very unusual in the area where Bob and I live. Folks to the north and south of us seem to bear the brunt of seasonally bad weather, but every so often, usually after we've been smug about how pleasant it is here, Mother Nature and the prevailing winds choose to assert their authority and we either freeze or sizzle. We are sizzling now, and, if the long term forecast is to be believed, we'll be well-done or over-cooked before the weather breaks and we're comfortable again. I made a quick run to the market before dinner to pick up some rotisserie chickens, only to find there were none left. The gal at the counter apologetically chalked it up to the heat. Laziness, rather than the heat had led me to the deli counter, so I had to smile. I don't mind cooking in this weather, but I have found the heat affects my appetite. I need less and lighter food when the temperature climbs. I had fashioned a new, light salad that turned out well, so I was looking for a protein extender to keep my favorite carnivore happy and at the table. Fortunately, there were shrimp aplenty at the fish market and the dinner menu was set. I'm really excited about the salad. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as we did. I'd really like some feed back should you decide to make it. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with your rice or bean thread noodles. They can turn to mush if you let them soak to long. The rest of the recipe is a cakewalk, especially if you have a julienne peeler like the one that can be seen here. The salad is very easy to do, though I would suggest you make it several hours before you plan to serve it. My inspiration was the summer squash that is beginning to appear in markets throughout our area. This really warm weather assures that there will be plenty of it for the remainder of the summer. This recipe guarantees we'll eat our share of it and the squash won't go to waste. If you, too, share your table with a confirmed carnivore, shrimp or chicken would be a wonderful extender or accompaniment. Here's the recipe.

Courgette and Noodle Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 (8-oz. each) zucchini, julienned
2 (8-oz. each) yellow crookneck squash, julienned
2 ounces fine rice or bean thread noodles (i.e. saifun), soaked, drained and rinsed
Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons shredded onion and juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds, divided use

Directions:
1) Place squash and noodles in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Set aside.
2) Combine sugar, salt, lime juice, mustard, onion and juice, oil and 2 teaspoons poppy seeds in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve sugar and combine all ingredients.
3) Pour half of poppy seed dressing into another large bowl. Add squash mixture and toss to coat with dressing. Add remainder of dressing as required to coat, but not drown, mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least 3 hours, tossing occasionally. To serve, drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved teaspoon of poppy seeds. Yield: 6 - 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cucumber and Tomato Salad - One Perfect Bite
Corn Salad with Edamame and Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Bulgur Salad with Pomegranate Dressings - One Perfect Bite
Roasted Radish and Greens Salad - White on Rice Couple
Sesame and Ginger Coleslaw - Closet Cooking
Summer Tortellini Salad - The Sisters Cafe

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Every generation develops recipes that catch the fancy of young women when they first begin to cook. Toll House cookies have been around for decades and they're as popular today as they were when I was 18. Other recipes have shorter life spans. Even the good ones can fall to the wayside because of sea changes in the way we live or what we think to be important. There was a time when tea breads enjoyed the same popularity as cookies, and young women strove to master their making. We have, however, become a nation of multi-taskers and afternoon tea, for most anyway, has become a quaint remembrance of a ritual now past. While recipes for quick breads abound, tea breads are becoming less common. I want to pass mine on to my daughters, and, so, I record it here. The one I finally settled on is at least 2 decades old and it was developed in the test kitchen that serves Land O' Lakes Creamery. The combination of lemon and poppyseed is one of those lovely marriages that sometimes occurs in the food world. I love this recipe because it keeps the poppyseeds under control. An awful lot of recipes overdo their use and the finished bread or cake ends up looking like it has a disease. Not so here. This is a lemon bread that happens to use poppyseeds in the batter. The use of a glaze is optional with this bread. I prefer to brush the warm bread with limoncello, but I've included instructions for a glaze should you want to use one. Here's the recipe for a mild and altogether lovely lemon tea bread. I hope you enjoy it.


Lemon Poppyseed Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons poppy seed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup lemon yogurt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
Optional glaze: 2 tablespoons limoncello or 3 tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of 8x4-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
2) Combine flour, poppy seed, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
3) Combine sugar and butter in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add yogurt, eggs, lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Reduce speed to low. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating well after each addition, just until moistened.
4) Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan to a cooling rack. If desired, brush top of loaf with limoncello or lemon glaze. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely before serving. Bread ages well and benefits from overnight storage. Yield: 1 loaf or 12 servings.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday

Kaiser Rolls

I was ten years old and safely cocooned in the old neighborhood on the South side of Chicago. In the wider world, war raged in Korea and the existence of a hydrogen bomb was confirmed by President Truman. Credit cards had just been introduced and mass production of main frame computers was underway. Automania was sweeping the country and folks were living comfortably on an income that averaged $2992 a year. That income made extras possible and contributed to the development of yo-yo mania among the young. I was a yo-yo maniac. Wednesdays were a special day. The Duncan yo-yo man came to the neighborhood to demonstrate the very latest of his tricks and conduct a contest using members of the audience. I was awfully good. As a matter of fact, I was fierce and ended my career with 3 gold and 2 silver yo-yos to commemorate my prowess. We won't speak of bragging rights. My Walk the Dog, Loop the Loop and Around the World were legend, but because I was small I was not always chosen from the chorus of "pick me" that proceeded each contest. These were elbow-room only affairs and to get a decent spot you had to beat the crowd. That meant lunch at Mary's Deli. That was also a good thing. Mary and her husband lived in the back of the store, their home separated from the deli by a curtain. I suspect their noses became inured over time to the smell of dill and cheese and pastrami that assaulted the senses as you walked in the door. Mary's sandwiches were Lucullian. It was the rolls that did it - her Kaiser rolls were to die for. They were eggy, slightly sweet and lightly laced with cinnamon. Today's recipe is my first attempt to recreate the rolls. I'll be making these again, but with more egg and a tad more sugar next time out. I'll update you as my experiment progresses. My changes to the recipe will be highlighted in red. If you like to learn how to shape Kaiser rolls I highly recommend a quick trip to The Fresh Loaf for a tour du jour. The rolls are simple to make and once you're comfortable with the five-fold technique they're actually quite easy to shape. Here's the recipe.

Kaiser Rolls

Ingredients:
3 1/2-4 cups (1 lb.) bread or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon malt powder
1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) water
1 tablespoon shortening, butter, or oil
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 to 1/2 cup poppy seeds

Directions:
1) Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, salt, sugar, cinnamon and malt powder in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir in water, eggs and shortening. Mix for 5 to 7 minutes, adding flour only as necessary to form a tacky but not terribly wet dough. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise another hour before shaping. 2) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the surface of a cookie sheet with poppy seeds. Set aside. To shape rolls, divide dough into 8 smaller pieces. Working on a lightly floured surface roll pieces of dough into balls and cover them with a damp kitchen towel; let sit for 5 minutes. Flatten into disks. Let rest another 5 minutes. Fold sides to center. Seal. Place them face down on prepared cookie sheet. This will keep seals from splitting while they rise. Cover with towel and let rise for 1 hour. Flip rolls upright in pan. Place in oven. Spray sides of oven with water to create steam. Bake until a deep golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove to rack to cool. Yield: 8 rolls.

Recipe adapted from The Fresh Loaf.


I'm sending this recipe to Susan at Wild Yeast for her weekly Yeast Spotting event.