More Hot Cross Buns

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I make Hot Cross Buns to serve on Good Friday every year. While I have the date down pat, the rolls I make are never the same. I keep trying to perfect the recipe so I'll have rolls that are as light and flavorful as they are symbolic. Most of the recipes I've tried, produce dense, heavy, rolls that are not to my liking, so I've been experimenting with the way I measure the flour used to make the dough. I've found that using the fluff, spoon and level method works best for me, and this year's rolls are lighter than they have been in years past. My first encounter with the buns was the pre-packaged variety that came from the grocery store wrapped 12 to a package. They were soft spongy affairs and the only thing that separated them from similarly wrapped dinner rolls was a handful of raisins, a hint of cinnamon and the confectioners' sugar cross that gave them their name. They had nothing to commend them, but they became so much a part of my food memory that I can't imagine Good Friday without Hot Cross Buns. Over the years, I've tried lots of recipes in varied places and this year I think I've found my keeper. I really like these rolls. Next year, I'll substitute additional raisins for the mixed peel in the recipe below. I also plan to plump the raisins in an orange liqueur before I work them into the dough. I think you'll like these buns as much as I do. Here is how they are made.

The Angel's Share, the Devil's Cut and My Carrot Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Any watcher of American television is aware of the terms angel's share and devil's cut. They've been popularized in a bourbon commercial for a manufacturer who never dreamed they'd be used in a food blog about to highlight carrot cake. Cutting to the chase, my current kitchen is much smaller than those I've worked in before. That's not a big deal, but when we have guests it means I can't make everything on the day it will be served. I usually make and freeze desserts ahead of time, but yesterday I had a surprise when I pulled the cakes I was planning to serve from the freezer. Each was missing a large wedge, easily the size of the state of Nevada, that we will hereafter call the devils cut. The cakes were positioned in the freezer so I wouldn't notice the missing wedges until I took them out. Now, I am not easily perturbed and no longer stand on ceremony with folks who come into our home, so it was a no harm, no foul situation, but I am still tying to figure out how the devil was able to slice his cut without my knowing. Now, I must admit I'm guilty of sneaking a small angel's share when I bake. It usually is no more than a finger's swirl of batter or frosting or the crusty edge edge of a brownie, but I am not without fault here. I just operate on a smaller scale than my husband or the rest of the family. Pie is another familial weakness. Folks, perhaps not wishing to appear greedy, will refuse a slice of pie but comment that they'll have a sliver later. They are as good as their word. I have gone to bed at night and found pies that have been slivered to death the next morning. This morning, the was only a sliver remaining of the carrot cake from which a devil's cut had been taken. That wasn't surprising. It is a nice cake for those who are purists. The cake contains no pineapple or coconut and the cream cheese frosting is one of the best I have ever tasted. If you are looking for an easier than most recipe for carrot cake, you might want to give this one a try. Here is how it is made.

Now What? Two Recipes for Leftover Ham

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Bob and I don't eat a lot of ham. There is just too much meat for us to handle, so we reserve it for an occasional company meal. The ham I made for Easter dinner feed six people for dinner and over the next few days it will also be used to make pea soup, ham salad, scalloped ham and potatoes and a lovely glazed ham loaf. You all know how to roast and glaze a ham. I'm pretty sure you have your own version of pea soup and ham salad, so I wanted to share two other recipes that you can use to finish up the last bits of the feast. The scalloped potatoes are based on a recipe from my childhood, but the ham loaf comes from a deli near the campus of Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Years ago, we dropped in to try their version of Pittsburgh's infamous ham barbecue and were struck by the number of people who were picking up a ground meat mixture from the meat counter. Never shy when it comes to food, I asked what it was. The deli mix was actually an unformed ham loaf that folks took home to bake and glaze. Of course I had to try it and it turned out to be surprising nice. Now unless you are from Pittsburgh, this will not be on the list of foods you request for your final meal. I think you will, however, be pleasantly surprised by how good this loaf actually is. It and the scalloped potatoes are really easy to do and I thought you might like the recipes for them. Here's how they're made.

Mid-Week Musings

I'm making a few small changes to my blog. I am going to use Wednesday's post to feature things that have caught my attention and that I want to share with you. Sometimes it will be a story, another time it may be an observation or a link to another blog that has a special recipe or has something really interesting to report. I'll also be sharing utensils or appliances that make work in the kitchen easier or the finished result prettier to look at. The important thing for you to know is that whatever appears here on a Wednesday will not be a sponsored post, and if I'm sharing a book or a product it is because I want to, not because I'm being paid to do so. I have several interesting things I want to share with you tonight, among them a book review and two crafts that are perfect for the Easter holiday. Let's get started.

Bruno Cassini - A Florentine Tale

by

Rosalind Trotter

Every week I have the good fortune to join a group of writers for coffee, camaraderie and a discussion of craft and trade. One of our members, Rosalind Trotter, has published her first novel and I wanted to let you know about it. Like her title character, Bruno Cassini, Rosalind was raised in post war Florence, Italy. Bruno's story and the rich weaving of his dilemma are told with Florence as a backdrop. Those of you who are familiar with the city and its history, including the disastrous Arno River flood, will have a rush of déjà vu as you follow Bruno through the streets of Florence. Those who have never visited the city will be charmed by Trotter's descriptions of its streets and the people who populate them. The story, however, is much more than a travelogue. Bruno is the son of a philanderer who makes no attempt to hide his liaisons. Listening to other men in the family, who fault his father's behavior only for his lack of discretion, Bruno concludes that no damage would have been done if his mother did not know of the affairs. He promises himself that his wife will never experience his mother's pain and swears he will never be like his father. Bruno becomes a teacher, marries and has a child, but a chance encounter with a former American student leads to a passionate affair and a pregnancy, that causes him to re-evaluate the man he has become and the value he places on family and tradition. The role of women and the mores of American and Italian culture are also compared as the affair progresses. There are no great surprises in this book, but that makes for an easy and interesting read. Rosalind Trotter handles dialogue and plot progression well and I think you will enjoy her first book, Bruno Cassini. It can be found here, on Amazon.

Eggheads with Cress Hair

I found these darling "eggheads" at the Nurture Store and thought you might want to consider them for the Easter holiday. They are awfully cute and I wanted to share them with you. You can find instructions for making them, here.

How to Make Vibrantly Colored, Naturally

Dyed Easter Eggs

Holiday Project from the Kitchn

Instructions for these vibrantly colored eggs can be found, here. The dyes are made from food and spices that can be found in every kitchen. The vibrancy of the colors is amazing. Why not give it a try?

                    

                                                    Older Posts

                One Year Ago Today:                                                   Two Years Ago Today:

          Table for Two - Biscuits for Two                                         Pillow Soft Almond Cookies

                Three Years Ago Today:                                              Four Years Ago Today:

                Crostini with Pea Pesto                                                       Mango Mousse

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A group I belong to had a themed luncheon today. Our goal was to recreate an Easter dinner as it would have been served in the 1950's. Those of you who came of age in the 50's would view the meal as retro. The canned ham and pineapple upside-down cake would be dead giveaways. Those of you who were not yet born would consider the meal to be REALLY retro. By luck of the draw, my contribution ended up being the upside-down cake. I used a Better Homes and Gardens recipe, well-known to housewives and young cooks of the time, and because I had made it before I considered the cake to be easy duty. I did depart a bit from the standard presentation. The cake is usually made in a cast iron skillet. I passed on that because there were twelve of us and most skillet cakes can't feed that number of people. The recipe I used is scaled to feed a larger group and it uses a standard baking pan. However, when the finished cake is sliced, it looks like the "real" thing. For those of you who have never sampled this, a pineapple upside-down cake consists of a mosaic layer of caramelized pineapple that is topped with a single layer of yellow cake. When the cake is inverted, the caramelized fruit layer ends up on top. These skillet cakes were popularized in the 20's and 30's and they are still regularly served in some areas of the country. There are also families that make them part of their Easter dinner for nostalgia's sake. This is an easy cake to make, and, if you do not already have a recipe for one, you might want to add this version to your files. Here is how the cake is made.

Tipsy Batter Bread + Other Yeasty Favorites for Easter Brunch

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've wanted to share this bread with you for a while now, but each time that thought moves to my frontal lobes, I am distracted by something else and my good intentions fall by the wayside. This year,  I am determined to post it before Easter Sunday, in hopes that it reaches some of you before your holiday menus are set in stone. No special skills are needed to prepare this holiday bread. The electric mixer literally does all the work, but you'll get all the credit for a lovely festive loaf that looks professionally made. The recipe for this Polish-style holiday bread appears on both the Fleischman's Yeast and King Arthur websites, but I honestly don't know which to credit for this fabulous sweet bread. While they both call the bread a babka, it truly is not. Babka is the Polish word for grandmother, and the bread that bears that name is baked in a bundt or babka pan that, when un-molded, will give the loaf the appearance of a grandmother's wide pleated skirt. This bread has that shape but it much easier to make than a true babka. A handful of standard ingredients are used to form a shaggy batter to which dry or candied fruit, or toasted nuts are added. No kneading is involved. The batter is poured into the pan in which the bread or cake will bake. That truly is all there is to this recipe. When the bread comes from the oven, it is doused with rum syrup and drizzled with icing that makes it very festive indeed. I personally think the icing is overkill, but I suspect mine is a minority opinion. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. Festive sweet breads are rarely this easy to make and this recipe is a treasure that I know you will enjoy. Here is how this batter bread  is made.

Tipsy Batter Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Fleishman's Yeast and King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:
Bread
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 large eggs, at room temperature
heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) softened butter
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup currants or raisins (golden raisins preferred)
1/4 cup candied mixed fruit or toasted almonds, chopped
Rum Syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water or apple juice
Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons rum or 2 teaspoons rum extract

Icing
1 cup confectioners' sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons milk; or a combination of milk and rum or apple juice

Directions:
1) Place everything except fruit in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat at medium speed until ingredients come together. Increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes more.
2) Add fruit, beating gently just to combine.
3) Cover bowl, and let dough, which looks like a thick batter, sit for 60 minutes. It won't look like much is happening, but there is no need to worry.
4) Scoop batter into a greased 10-cup Bundt pan. Cover pan, and let dough rest/rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5) Bake bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads at least 190 degrees F.
6) While bread bakes prepare rum syrup. Combine all syrup ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, and boil, swirling liquid in pan, until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.
7) Remove bread from oven. Gently poke it all over with a toothpick or fork, and slowly pour syrup over surface of bread. When syrup is fully absorbed (about 20 minutes or so), carefully loosen edges, and turn bread out of pan onto a rack.
8) To make the icing: Mix all icing ingredients together, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over completely cooled bread. Yield: 12 to 16 servings.

                                                     Other Easter Breads









Braided Easter Egg Bread

















Sticky Buns for Easter Brunch

















Pecan Rolls

















Brioche du Careme - Hot Cross Buns


















       Flower Pot Bread






















Colomba Pasquale - Italian Easter Bread


















Ciambellone - An Italian Easter Bread



















  Kulich - Russian Easter Bread

Sweet Easter Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are some foods and beverages that are acquired tastes. Martinis and haggis come to mind and I suspect the pie I'm featuring tonight might be on that list as well. Pastiera is a wheat and ricotta pie that is part of the Italian Easter tradition. It is made with grano cotto, a cooked wheat product that is sold in cans in older Italian markets. The goopy mass of cooked wheat is mixed with a bit of sugar, fresh ricotta cheese and orange water then poured into a pie shell for baking. Back in the day, the pie was an integral part of the Easter meal in Italian homes, though I'm sure there were some at the table who would have preferred a coconut lamb cake. I had a forkful of the pie when I was six years old, and despite my love of all things Italian, it never crossed my lips again. As I initially said, this is an acquired taste and I suspect some of you are wondering why I am even mentioning the pastiera tonight. As it happens, I have a friend who was passing through a bad stretch a few years ago. She had fond memories of the pastiera, so I took it upon myself to bake for her and lift her spirits with the Easter pie. I was unable to find grano cotto, so I used soaked barley instead. My first effort was an unmitigated failure, so I began to look for other ways to make the pie. I knew that wheat was used because it symbolizes resurrection, but symbolism aside, without the proper form of wheat, I had no chance of success. In the course of my search, I found recipes that used rice, rather than wheat to make the pie. Both Mary Ann Esposito and Giada De Laurentis used rice, but I decided to use Giada's recipe because it was easier and used phyllo sheets to make a leafy crust for a custard that was much like rice pudding. The finished pie was beautiful. If you'd like to see Giada make the pie, a video can be found here. I do have a caution to share with those of you who decide to make this pie. Taste the custard filling as you go along. Keep the vanilla bottle nearby and don't be afraid to use more sugar. I still make this pie for my friend who asks for it each year. Never doubt that memory trumps the palate. Now for those of you who are brave enough to try a real pastiera, I'd like to recommend the one that is made my friend Claudia, who has a recipe for the pie on her blog, Journey of An Italian Cook, which you can find here. The recipe below is the one I used to make my friend's Easter pie.

Sweet Easter Pie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cooked short-grained rice
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
6 sheets fresh phyllo sheets or frozen, thawed
3/4 stick (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
1) Blend 3/4 to 1 cup  powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Stir in rice and pine nuts. Set ricotta mixture aside.
2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3) Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie dish. Lay 1 phyllo sheet over  bottom and up  sides of the dish, allowing  phyllo to hang over  sides. Brush the phyllo, including the drooping sides  with  melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough, laying it in  opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue layering remaining sheets of phyllo sheets, alternating after each layer and buttering each sheet. Spoon  ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold  overhanging phyllo dough over  top of filling to enclose it completely. Brush completely with melted butter.
4) Bake  pie until phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over the pie and serve. Yield: 8 servings.









One year Ago Today: Tom  Yum Goong - Hot and Sour Lemongrass  Soup













Two Years Ago Today: Spicy Peanut Noodles for Blog Insert













Three Years Ago Today: Ciambellone - Italian Easter Bread














Four Years Ago Today: Key Lime Sherbet

Colomba Pasquale - Italian Easter Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our plans for the Easter holiday are falling into place. We'll be having friends for a traditional dinner on Saturday night and on Sunday, if the good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll be enjoying a potluck brunch on the shores of Loon Lake. After sifting through a maze of possibilities, I decided to make an Italian Easter cake, called Colomba Pasquale, as my contribution to the communal feast. I did a test run of the recipe today and I'm really pleased with the results. The cake is made with a sweet dough, similar to the one that is used for panettone, and it is usually baked in a dove-shaped mold. I've reached an age where the chances of any new pots, pans or molds coming into my kitchen are mighty slim, so the idea of a dove-shaped cake, no matter how lovely the symbolism, was immediately sacrificed on the altar of  practicality. I was tempted to try a freeform version of the dove, but the dough used to make the cake is so soft I was afraid it would sprawl and look like an amoeba by the time it finished baking. I decided to use a large springform pan instead and it worked really well. I put a collar on the pan, so the dough was free to rise and my finished cake was a bit over 3 inches high. The dough used to make the Easter cake is easy enough to prepare, but because it begins with a sponge and rises several times, it is time consuming and shouldn't be attempted when you are short of time. The dough is sticky, but if you use too much flour to remedy that, your finished cake will be dry. While it is counterintuitive, wet hands will make working the dough easier. You could also use an electric mixer that has a dough hook and be done with it.  The best part of the colomba is the almond topping which adds texture, flavor and eye appeal to the bread. The finished cake is really pretty and I know you will enjoy it. Here is how it is made.

Colomba Pasquale - Italian Easter Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the Italian Connection and Emanuele's Kitchen

Ingredients:
Sponge
3/4 cup milk
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
Dough
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk (set aside the white)
1 stick (4-oz.) butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Grated rind of 1 small orange
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup golden raisins
Almond Glaze
1/3 cup almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 egg white
1/3 cup whole almonds
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
1) To make the sponge: Heat milk to 105 degrees F. and pour into a medium size bowl. Mix in 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup flour and mix thoroughly with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 30-45 minutes.
2) To make dough: Melt butter in a saucepan and let cool. In a large bowl, beat 3 whole eggs and 1 yolk with a fork. Mix in sugar, salt, vanilla, and lemon and orange rinds. Stir in butter. Stir in risen sponge. Mix energetically until well combined. Gradually mix in the 3 cups of flour.
    Turn dough out onto a well-floured board and knead until smooth, adding additional flour only if needed to keep dough from sticking. Knead in raisins. Place dough in a large buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
   When dough has risen, fold it over itself in the bowl several times, then shape as desired, either as one large round cake, 2 smaller round cakes, or 2 colombe-dove shapes. I made one large cake in an 10” springform pan. Butter bottom of the pan, then line inside ring with parchment paper so that it is above rim of the pan by several inches, and secure with a metal paper clip. Place dough in pan, and flatten so that it is even and touches side of the pan. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise until doubled, 60-90 minutes.
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3) To make almond glaze: In a food processor, grind almonds and sugar by pulsing, until they are finely chopped. Add cornstarch and egg white and blend well. Carefully spoon glaze over cake dough,- do not push down on dough, which will deflate it and ruin your efforts! Scatter whole almonds over surface of glaze and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
4) To bake: Place cake pan on bottom rack of oven, and bake for 20 minutes, then lower temperature to 325 degrees F. and bake for another 20-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. If top starts to darken too much, cover it with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning. Cool on a rack. If made a day ahead, cover well in plastic wrap to keep fresh. Yield: 12 to 16 servings.

Cook's Note: While the traditional shape of this cake is a colomba – the dove that is the symbol of peace - the dove shape is a bit awkward without a special pan, so I make one large round cake which gives spectacular results.





One Year Ago Today: Chocolate-Cherry Cookies

















Two Years Ago Today: Peanut Butter Fudge














Three Years Ago Today: Zeppole for the Feast of St. Joseph













Four Years Ago Today: Cinnamon Rolls and the Junction City Daffodil Festival

All-Time Favorite Sticky Buns for Easter Brunch

             Happy Easter to All Who Celebrate



" Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It is hard to separate memory from the holidays, and fortunately for most of us, those memories are sweet. My earliest recollections of Easter include bunnies and baskets, but wedged in with them are fleeting images of shiny Mary Janes and bonnets with flower bands and flowing grosgrain ribbons. I can still conjur up the fragrance of the carnations my father proudly pinned to our new coats just before we began the walk to church on Easter morning. The day was filled with food that included my mother's yearly effort to make a lamb cake for our table. She never mastered the technique, but those malformed and Sisyphean attempts make the memory sweeter still. By the time my children came along, few paid attention to Easter outfits, but there were other traditions that were upheld. Now, before I say another word, I must tell you that my children suffer from no mental or psychological defects that would explain their curious propensity to spend hours hunting Easter eggs. The Silver Fox and I would, of course, oversee the first hunt of the day, but my children happily entertained themselves hiding and hunting those same eggs for the remainder of the afternoon.  I understand my grandchildren have also been afflicted with this curious behavior. Back then, though it would make me shake my head in wonder, I never interfered because it gave me time to cook. I know all of you have foods that are part of your holiday traditions. These buns are part of mine. I must tell you that they are dangerously delicious and seriously addictive, and there is not one thing in them that is good for you. They are evidence of my thrice yearly descent to the nutritional dark side, but once you taste them, you will see why I'm willing to put it all on the line and risk my reputation for clean and healthy living. While it's important to follow the directions exactly as they're written, the buns are not difficult to prepare and they can be made by anyone who has a stand mixer with a dough hook. The buns are quite simply wonderful and I hope you will give them a try. Here's the recipe.

Sticky Buns...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients:

Dough

1-1/2 cups warm milk (105°–115°F)
2 (1/4-ounce) packages (or 5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

Filling

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup dried currants
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

Syrup

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream


Directions:
1) To make  dough: Stir together 1/2 cup warm milk, yeast, and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Put flour, remaining sugar, and salt in mixer bowl and mix with dough hook at low speed until combined.

Whisk together remaining 1 cup milk and eggs in a small bowl, then add to dry ingredients, along with yeast mixture, and mix at medium speed until a very soft dough forms, about 2 minutes. Add butter and continue beating until dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes (dough will be very sticky).

Rinse a large bowl with hot water, then put dough in wet bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/4 hours.

2) To prepare  filling: Stir together all ingredients except butter in a small bowl.

3) To make syrup: Butter 12  large (1-cup)  muffin cups or 2 (9-inch)  cake pans. Combine butter, sugars, corn syrup, and heavy cream in a 1-quart saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring until butter is melted. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. If using muffin pans, spoon 2 tablespoons warm syrup into each muffin cup. If using cake pans, spoon half of warm syrup into each poan

4) To fill and form  buns: Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and dust with flour. Roll out into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle with a floured rolling pin. Turn dough if necessary so long side is nearest you. Brush off excess flour, then spread evenly with softened butter. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough. Beginning with long side near you, roll up dough to form a 16-inch-long log and press seam to seal.

Cut log crosswise into 12 rounds. Arrange buns cut sides up in muffin cups or cake pans. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

5) To bake buns: Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Bake buns until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert buns onto rack and cool slightly. Serve warm. Yield 12 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Blueberry and Almond Coffecake

Two Years Ago Today: Pasta with Pungent Parsley Pesto

This post is being linked to:

Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting
Stone Gable - On the Menu Monday

Kulich - Russian Easter Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This delicious bread is called Kulich. It is a Russian sweet bread with a frosted crown that is associated with Orthodox Christian paschal tradition. The bread is shaped like the hats worn by Orthodox priests and it is baked in tall, cylindrical tins that are twice as tall as they are wide. It tastes much like a good Italian panettone. Kulich, however, has a symbolic importance that other sweet breads do not. It is part of the Russian Orthodox Easter vigil services. On the Saturday before Easter, the bread is taken to church to be blessed by priests. The bread is served only between Easter and Pentecost. While blessed Kulich is eaten before breakfast, the rest is served for dessert with a sweet cheese called paskha. A recipe for paskha can be found here. Paskha is pressed in a mold that embosses the cheese with the letters X. B., the abbreviation for Xristos Boscrecie, or Christ is risen. There is a prescribed ritual for slicing the bread. The crown is removed and placed in the center of a serving platter. The remaining loaf is cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise and finally arranged on the plate around the crown. I was introduced to Kulich many years ago by Russian programmers who were on staff and this is the recipe they shared with me. . This is the first time I made it myself and while it is not difficult to do, shaping it is a bit tricky without proper molds. My gerry-rigged mold sprung a leak, so to speak, so dough was allowed to escape from one side. My Kulich has a carbuncle on one side and a dome that slants. We'll do better next time. The bread is fantastic and I do hope you'll try it. Here's the recipe.


Russian Easter Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

Bread

2 packages yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup scalded milk (click here to see how to scald milk under note)
6-1/2 to 7- 1/2 cups flower cups flour
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) In a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk cooled to 120 degrees and 1-1/2 cup flour, stir until smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down.
2) Add beaten eggs and egg yolks, butter, raisins, vanilla, honey, salt, sugar and vegetable oil. Continue to add remaining flour until a moderately stiff dough is formed. Knead well in the bowl until dough is smooth and elastic.
3) Grease 2 tall 1 pound coffee cans. Fit each can with a collar of greased parchment paper (2 inches) to allow for height. Fill each can with equal amounts of dough. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour.
4) While dough is rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. When dough has doubled, transfer loaves to oven and bake bake until they are well-browned, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing bread from cans. Cool on a rack until loaves are at room temperature.
5) Combine sugar, vanilla and cream in a small bowl and beat until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. Yield: 2 loaves.

One Year Ago Today: Baked Herbed Shrimp

Two Years Ago Today: Thai Tuna Salad

Braided Easter Egg Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'll be featuring several Easter breads over the next few weeks, and I thought this would be a good recipe with which to begin the series. It's the easiest of the lot to make and it will be doing double duty as a table prize and centerpiece at an upcoming church luncheon. Those of you who are long-term readers of One Perfect Bite probably remember the Flower Pot Bread that was used in the same way. This year, however, I was asked to find a bread that was edible as well as decorative. I found this recipe at Allrecipes and it was just what I was looking for. Fortunately, this will be a group effort and my responsibility is limited to demonstrating how the bread is made. The real work will be done by a dozen other gals who will actually bake the coffee rings. I don't anticipate there will be any problems if the recipe instructions are followed, but this bread differs from some of the others that are floating around. The eggs that are inserted into the dough are not cooked prior to baking. That means they must be carefully handled when they are dyed. This braid is especially attractive when the eggs are intensely colored, but pale or brightly hued, they must be thoroughly dry before they are inserted into the dough. Moisture will cause them to bleed and spoil the appearance of the bread. Alton Brown has a recipe in which eggs are baked rather than boiled or steamed. I'm including a link to it, here, because it's a technique you might want to use with your Easter eggs. This bread is best served freshly made but it will keep a day or so if you intercept the eggs before serving. Here's the recipe.

Braided Easter Egg Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
4 to 5 uncooked eggs, dyed and thoroughly dried
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1) Combine 1 cup flour, sugar,salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well.
2) Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
3) Gradually add liquid mixture to flour mixture, stirring constantly. Beat in eggs and 1/2 cup of reserved flour. Add remaining 1 cup flour in two parts, stirring well after each addition. When dough comes together turn onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
4) Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat all surfaces with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5) Deflate dough and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long rope about 36 inches long and 1-1/2 inches thick. Use ropes to form a loosely braided ring, with spaces to insert eggs. Seal ends of ring and transfer to a lightly buttered baking sheet. Use fingers to slide eggs between braids of dough. Cover loosely with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When dough has doubled in size, brush with melted butter and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 ring.








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Two Years Ago Today: Avgolemono - Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Ciambellone - Italian Easter Bread - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had some fun testing recipes for the Italian Easter Bread that's called Ciambellone. I'm not going to talk about the two recipes that failed, other than to say my evil eye is now trained on the developers and, once they recover, they'll get with the program and do a better job. I am happy to report that I did find a workable recipe. This link, Chef's Line , will take you to a pod cast that demonstrates exactly how Easter Bread is made. Ciambellone falls somewhere between a cake and bread on the culinary periodic table. It tastes like soft biscotti and that, of course, makes it perfect to serve with coffee or tea. It also requires no special equipment to make. Flour is piled onto an immaculately clean board and the remainder of the ingredients are added to a fist-made well and mixed into the flour using your equally immaculate fingers. It's then formed into rings and baked. I prefer to make one large ring and use a ring mold to enhance the appearance of the Ciambellone. The recipe appears below the next photo.

I also want to share a great recipe for Soft Sugar Cookies with you. It comes from Denise at Cottage Sisters. I stumbled on it while searching for the Italian Easter Bread. She was kind enough to share the recipe and photo with me so I could pass them on to you. I hope you'll take a look at her fabulous site.


Photo courtesy of Cottage Sisters


Ciambellone - Italian Easter Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Kitchen Guy at Chef's Line

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 egg for egg wash
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a large baking sheet or a 9-inch tube pan. Set aside.
2) Mound flour on a board. Create a well in center of mound. Using your fingers, begin alternating liquid and other dry ingredients into well, mixing until all ingredients are combined. Knead, adding additional flour if needed, to form a smooth dough.
3) Divide into one or two parts and shape into fat rings. Beat additional egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush top of ring with egg wash. Place on baking sheet or into tube pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 1 or 2 coils.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Lemon Tea Cookies - One Perfect Bite
Chinese-Style Almond Cookies - One Perfect Bite
Kona Coffee Cookies - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Shrove Tuesday Buns - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These these lovely cream filled buns were once associated with the Lenten season in Scandinavia. They were prepared on Shrove Tuesday to use up stores of butter, cream and sugar that could not be eaten during the days of fast and abstinence that led up to Easter Sunday. While religious affiliations in the region have changed, they are still called Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday Buns. The buns are now enjoyed at any time, but they were once made only on the day before Ash Wednesday. That day was called Shrove Tuesday because those whose confessions were heard on this day were called shrove, or shriven of sin. The buns are a real delicacy and I think everyone will enjoy them. A simple sweet dough is shaped into rolls and baked. Once they're done they can be filled in many ways. Some simply hinge the roll, insert a piece of almond paste into it and top it with whipped cream. Others remove the top of the roll, scoop out the innards and mix the bread crumbs with ground nuts to form a poor man's almond paste. Either way, the buns are delicious and they are not hard to do. While everything can be prepared ahead of time, it's best not to fill these until you're ready to serve them. They can get soggy. Here's the recipe.

Shrove Tuesday Buns...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Kathy Cutler

Ingredients:
Buns
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Active dry yeast
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
1 egg
Filling
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
3/4 cup confectioners" sugar + additional sugar for dusting
1 cup light cream or half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Directions:
1) Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cardamom in a mixing bowl. Whisk well.
2) Place milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Let cool to 120 degrees.
3) Add milk to flour mixture. Mix well. Add egg and about 1 cup of remaining flour to make a soft dough.
4) Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5) Punch dough down. Shape dough into a 12-inch rope. Cut rope into 12 1-inch pieces.
Form pieces into round buns. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place buns on baking sheet. Lightly cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
7) Bake buns for until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
8) Slice top off each bun. Reserve tops. Scoop out center of rolls, leaving a shell about 1/4-inch thick, with a fork or grapefruit spoon.
9) Place crumbs, nuts and confectioners' sugar in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles corn meal. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add light cream and vanilla. Mix well.
10) Spoon filling into buns. Top each with a heaping spoonful of whipped cream. Put tops back on and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 12 Buns.

You might also enjoy:

Crepes with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce
Gluten Free Pancakes
Hot Cross Buns


This post is being linked to:

Smiling Sally - Blue Monday
Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting

Hot Cross Buns - Up Close and Personal

Most folks associate hot cross buns with Good Friday and the Easter season. Actually, these small rolls predate Christianity and were associated with pagan ceremonies that celebrated the vernal equinox and the feast of Eostre, the goddess of spring. As Christianity gained a foothold in Britain, church leaders tried to ban symbols associated with the pagan festival. The ban proved to be untenable, so some of the symbols were adopted and woven into the fabric of Christian ritual and celebration. The cross on the buns, once a symbol of the equinox and phases of the moon, came to represent the crucifixion. The buns, as part of Christian tradition, can be dated to the 12th century when monks made them to distribute to the poor who visited their monasteries on Good Friday - also known as the Day of the Cross. The distribution of the buns became a tradition and the ingredients required to make them were standardized. Traditional hot cross buns contain flour, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, currants and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The cross on the top may be cut into the bun, fashioned out of icing or made out of pastry strips. According to tradition, hot cross buns were made from the same dough used to make consecrated bread and they were the only food that could be eaten by the faithful on Good Friday. Fast forward to the court of the Tudor monarchs where the buns were seen as a dangerous reminder of Catholic Easter tradition. They attempted to ban their sale but that resulted in riots that caused Queen Elizabeth I to pass a law permitting bakeries to sell them, but only during the Easter and Christmas season. That's probably why we only see them at this time of year.
Moving forward yet again, the buns were carried by monks across the Irish Sea and then taken from Ireland by the converted heathens - my relatives - to America where they ended up on my family's table. My Mother was not a baker, but we were fortunate in having neighbors who were extraordinary cooks. Unfortunately, the kitchens - German and Swedish - were engaged in an on-going rivalry. Every Easter we would receive Hot Cross Buns from each, but the rivalry demanded diplomatic skills of the highest order. Neither kitchen produced the recipe I use today. This one comes from the Gourmet Cookbook and it produces absolutely delicious rolls. There is, however, a problem with the recipe. I think the baking time is understated by several minutes; I can't get the darn things to brown in the time specified by the recipe. The rolls you see in these photos were placed under a broiler to brown and they were glazed with a syrup that's not part of the recipe. The buns are great but the browning issue drives me crazy. Any ideas? They'd be appreciated. Also, this recipe calls for an uncooked pie crust that's included at the very end of the ingredients list. It's used to make the pastry crosses. It's no big deal, but I wanted to give you a heads up, so there'll be no scrambling when the rolls complete their second rise. These really are delicious and the aroma when they bake will drive you mad.

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:
1 cup warm milk (105°–115°F.)
2 (1/4-ounce) packages (5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick + 2 tablespoons (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup dried currants
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
1 uncooked pastry crust

Directions:
1) In a small bowl stir together milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let mixture stand 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2) Into a large bowl sift together flour, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Cut butter into bits and with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Lightly beat 1 whole egg with egg yolk. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in yeast and egg mixtures, currants, raisins, and zests. Stir mixture until a dough is formed. Transfer dough to a floured surface and with floured hands knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
3) Butter 2 large baking sheets.
4) On a floured surface with floured hands knead dough briefly and form into two 12-inch-long logs. Cut each log crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and arrange about 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Let buns rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
5) Preheat oven to 400°F.
6) While buns are rising, lightly beat remaining egg with superfine sugar to make an egg glaze.
7) On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out pastry dough into a 20- by 6-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). With a sharp knife cut rectangle crosswise into 1/8-inch- wide strips.
8) Brush buns with egg glaze and arrange 2 pastry strips over center of each bun to form a cross. Trim ends of pastry strips flush with bottoms of buns. Bake buns in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer buns to a rack to cool slightly. Buns may be made 1 week ahead and frozen, wrapped in foil and put in a sealable plastic bag. Thaw buns and reheat before serving. Serve buns warm or at room temperature. Yield: 24 rolls.

Recipe courtesy of The Gourmet Cookbook

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