Hawaiian Dinner Rolls + Overnight Sliders

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Football fever is running hot in my neck of the woods and food is a must for those who watch the games from the comfort of their own homes. I always serve something while we watch the game, but this week I wanted to breakaway from standard football fare and serve something that had a surprise value. I've been eyeing a recipe for sliders that are assembled the night before they are baked and I thought today's game would be the perfect time to give them a try. I did, however, run into a problem while assembling the ingredients needed to make them. Our local markets had no dinner-sized Hawaiian rolls, so I had to make my own. I used a recipe that I found on La Petite Brioche and several hours later I had the rolls I needed to proceed. The rolls, which are easy to make,  are similar  to  King's Hawaiian Rolls but they are a bit less sweet. There are no tricks to making them, save for the need for patience. The rolls are slow-risers, but if you want light and fluffy rolls you have to make sure they  double in size before proceeding with the next steps. These rolls are really versatile.  I'm including the slider recipe I used today, but these would also make a great base for pulled pork,  and, if drizzled with a confectioners' sugar glaze, I think they'd make wonderful breakfast sweet rolls. First things first. Here is the recipe for the rolls. The recipe for the sliders will follow that.

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by La Petite Brioche

Ingredients:
6-7 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups pineapple juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup butter (one stick) melted

Directions:
1) Beat eggs. Add pineapple juice, sugar, salt, ginger, vanilla, and butter.
2) Place 3 cups of flour in a large bowl. Stir in egg mixture until well-combined. Sprinkle in yeast, one packet at a time, and mix. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix in. If dough is sticky and difficult to handle, add more flour. Dough should be slightly tacky, but not wet. Knead dough for 5 minutes until it forms a smooth ball. Place dough in a greased bowl and set aside to rise until doubled in size (about 1-1/2 hours).
2) Punch dough down and either divide into three equal parts for bread loaves or 24 balls for dinner rolls. Place in greased loaf pans or shape into rolls. Cover and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. Be patient. These rolls are slow risers, but it is important to let them double in size before baking.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Bake for 25-30 minutes or golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter. Serve warm.Yield: 24 dinner rolls or 12 sandwich buns.

Following Photo and Recipe Courtesy of KING'S HAWAIIAN

King's Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 pound deli ham shaved
1 pound swiss cheese thinly sliced
1-1/2 sticks butter
1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons minced onion dried
12 Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls

Directions:
1) Melt butter and mix in mustard, sauce and onion.
2) Cut rolls in half, horizontally (keeping all top and bottom halves separately in tact).
3) In a 9 x 13-inch pan, place bottom half of rolls and cover with ham and cheese.
4) Cover ham and cheese stacks with top half of rolls.
5) Drizzle butter mixture over top of rolls, making sure onion is evenly distributed.
6) Refrigerate over night.
7) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes and, once finished, separate for serving. Yield: 12 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Slow-Cooker Weeknight Chili

Two Years Ago Today: Cranberry Mousse

Three Years Ago Today: Plum and Tomato Chutney

Four Years Ago Today: Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Portuguese Sweet Bread

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Expectations almost always do me in. I've made Portuguese sweetbread for over 40 years now using the James Beard's recipe which I keep, here. The recipe makes a loaf with a tight crumb and brioche-like mien that is both rich and sweet, but I've long suspected bears no resemblance to the bread that's actually sold in Provincetown. I was looking forward to trying several loaves of the "real" thing while we were on the Cape this summer, but, as it happened, we sampled only one. I had expected too much from the bread and the spongy commercially packaged version I found was a real disappointment. I can hear my mother's voice coming from the recesses of memory now whispering, "Say something nice, Mary". So, out of respect for my mother, I'm going to fallback on my old standby for bread that disappoints and say, "It makes great toast". I've made a lot of toast in my lifetime. Now I'm perfectly willing to concede that mine is a minority opinion. Thousands of these loaves are sold every summer, so the fault probably lies more with my expectations than the bread itself. l had hoped to find a bread that would kindle memories of Portuguese peasant kitchens and that didn't happen.

Now, I don't give up easily. If I couldn't buy it, I would make it and so I began a search for the quintessential Cape Cod cookbook, one that had a recipe for Portuguese sweet bread that used ingredients found in a peasant, as well as a castle, kitchen. I found the book and recipe I was looking for in the Journey Around Cape Cod and the Islands Cookbook, by Heather and Martha Zschock. The recipe I'm sharing today appears exactly as it was written. I've made no changes to the ingredient list, but I did depart from their instructions when I made my loaves. The dough for this type of bread can be very sticky and hard to work. I decided to let my stand mixer do most of the work for me. I mixed the ingredients using the paddle attachment. When the dough became shaggy I switched to the dough hook and continued mixing/beating until the dough began to climb the hook. At that point, I turned it onto a floured work surface and manually worked the dough until a smooth ball was formed. I followed the recipe from that point on. I really like this bread and highly recommend this recipe to you. Here is how the bread is made.

Portuguese Sweet Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Heather and Martha Zschock

Ingredients:
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1) Sprinkle yeast over hot water and stir to dissolve. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until mixture begins to look a bit foamy.
2) Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat to melt butter. Let cool slightly. Pour into large mixing bowl.
3) Whisk eggs, sugar and salt into milk mixture. Add yeast and gradually add flour, mixing until mixture forms a ball. Dough will be very sticky at this point,so flour your hands before beginning to work the dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth, soft and elastic.
4) Oil a large mixing bowl. Add dough and turn to lightly coat all surfaces. Cover bowl with a warm damp towel and allow dough to sit until it has doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
5) Punch dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 minutes. Grease a pie pan, form dough into a ball and place in center of pan. Cover with a warm damp cloth and let sit until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake loaf in center of oven for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven, let sit for 10 minutes before transferring loaf to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Basque Piperade

Two Years Ago Today: Key Lime Cheesecake

Three years Ago Today: Watermelon Limeade

Four Years Ago Today: Baked French Toast with Cardamom and Apricot Preserves

Honey Spice Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had some help in the kitchen Sunday morning. One of our neighbors was running a local marathon and wanted to keep her children occupied while she completed the 26 miles. The kids enjoy visiting with us and they are great cookie bakers, so the plan for their entertainment included some kitchen time and a batch of chocolate chips. It also ended up including several loaves of their mother's favorite honey bread,  meant as a warm bouquet to soothe her throbbing feet and pounding head.  This moist cake-like bread has much to commend it. It is not as sweet as the traditional cake that is eaten on the Jewish New Year and it is much easier to prepare. So easy in fact, that my eight and ten year old visitors were able to make it by themselves, and that will make it sweeter still to those for whom it was made. Honey cakes are not universally popular. They have a distinctive taste and texture that can be off-putting to many, but this one overcomes those problems and, if allowed to age a day before serving, is downright tasty. The use of honey in breads and cakes began centuries ago in Egypt, where flour and honey were mixed together and allowed to ferment for a month or so before baking. Over time additional ingredients were added and something resembling a recipe was developed. Cakes made using these early formulas were very sweet and the honey kept them fresh for a remarkable length of time. The first real honey cakes were made in Germany, but the honey bread of France, the classic pain d'epices, became the gold standard by which all others would be judged. This is not pain d'epices, but the recipe does make a nice honey cake that is fuss-free to prepare. If you let the finished loaves sit overnight, you'll find the cloying taste of honey dissipates and the flavor of the spices comes more into play. This is a nice cake that is easy to make and portable. It travels well, so it is a natural candidate for tea or a morning coffee. Here's how it is made.

Honey Spice Bread...from the kitchens of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup 2% milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup canola oil
Glaze
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons 2% milk

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray an 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2) In a small saucepan over low heat, cook and stir brown sugar and milk for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3) In another bowl, combine eggs, honey, oil and brown sugar mixture. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into prepared pan.
4) Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
5) Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Combine confectioners' sugar and milk and mix until smooth. Drizzle over bread. Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).

One Year Ago Today: Chinese Chicken with Cashews

Two Years Ago Today: Smooshed Potatoes

Three Years Ago Today: Fry Bread

Four Years Ago Today: Thai Cucumber Relish - Ah Jaht

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

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

Pulla - A Finnish Cardamom and Raisin Sweet Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the great pleasures of my childhood was the smell of bread baking on Sunday mornings. I spent a good part of my early years in a building that housed 4 adjacent duplex units that shared a common basement. Our neighbors were extraordinarily good cooks and the aromas that wafted into the basement on a Sunday were enough to drive the hungry truly mad. One of our neighbors was Scandinavian and she rose early on Sunday mornings to bake off slow-rising bread that had been refrigerated overnight. Back in the day, it was not unusual for extended families to gather for Sunday supper and the P's clan faithfully broke bread together following Sunday services. The bread, whose aroma I so enjoyed, was part of that Sunday ritual. It was a sweet bread made rich with butter and laced with soft raisins and a liberal dose of cardamom. I learned to make bread watching Mrs. P and Hannie, another of our neighbors, miraculously turn flour and water into breads with wonderfully toothsome crusts. I was too young at the time to realize that nothing lasts forever, so, I only have a handful of the old recipes in my files. Unfortunately, Mrs. P's Sunday bread was not among them. Several years ago, I came across a recipe in Gourmet magazine that came very close to that lovely bread of memory. The Gourmet recipe makes a loaf that is soft and barely sweet, but has that special richness that only butter can provide. The recipe is unusual in that cold butter is cut into the flour, pie crust fashion, before liquid is added to form the dough. The dough is a slow-riser, so factor wait time into any plans you have for serving the bread. The finished loaves keep for several days if well-wrapped and they freeze beautifully for up to a month. The marvel of this bread is the aroma that is released by the yeast and cardamom as it bakes. This is truly a lovely bread that is perfect for special occasions. I'm going to freeze a loaf to serve for breakfast on Valentine's day. I really hope you'll give this loaf a try. It's wonderful. Here's how it is made.

Pulla - Finnish Cardamom and Raisin Sweet Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup light or dark raisins
1/4 cup warm water
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast ( 2-1/4 teaspoons)
5 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1-1/4 cups warm whole milk ( 105-115 F)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolks, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions:
1) Soak raisins in hot tap water to cover until plump, about 20 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, stir together warm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2) Stir together flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl, then blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk, whole egg, and yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting surface and hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
3) Pat dough into a 9-inch square and sprinkle with raisins. Fold dough over to enclose raisins and pinch edges to seal. Knead, dusting surface and hands lightly with flour, until raisins are distributed. (Dough will be lumpy and slightly sticky; if any raisins pop out, just push them back in.) Form dough into a ball.
4) Put dough in a buttered large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
5) Punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Cut each half into thirds and roll each piece into a 15-inch rope. Braid together 3 ropes to form a loaf, then transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet, tucking ends under. Make another loaf with remaining 3 ropes, arranging loaves 4 inches apart. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle.
7) Brush loaves with egg wash and bake until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Yield: 2 loaves.

One Year Ago Today: Snickerdoodle Blondies

Two Years Ago Today: Homemade Nutella Spread

Three Years Ago Today: Warm Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

Vasilopita - St. Basil's Bread to Start the New Year

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm sending all of you, wishes for health and happiness in the coming year. I hope that you and your families thrive, and that the New Year brings all measure of good things your way. I've been looking for recipes festive enough to start the New Year with a bang and, at the last minute, I found one cloaked in the tradition and lore of the Greek people and the liturgical calendar of the Greek Orthodox church. In Greece, January 1st marks the feast of St. Basil, as well as New Year's Day. Now, Basil was a fourth century bishop who wanted to return money, unfairly taken by others, to the poor of his Diocese. To accomplish that, he commissioned the baking of a sweetened bread that was to hide the coins and treasure being returned to their rightful owners. Somehow, everyone received exactly what had been taken from them and Basil is credited with the miracle. His gift to the people, is commemorated in Orthodox homes each year on January 1st, by the baking of a bread to which sweets and a coin have been added. For believers, the bread, which is called, Vasilopita, is the symbol of the sweetness and joy of corporeal and everlasting life. When the bread is prepared, a coin is usually kneaded into the dough and when it is cut the person who receives that portion of the bread is considered blessed. There are many recipes for Vasilopita and the bread can take many forms. I've chosen a simple recipe and even simpler form to share with you tonight. The date on top of the bread is a secular addition that has gained favor in recent years. This is a mildly sweet and anise-flavored bread that is traditionally cut at midnight by the head of the family. To honor the memory of St. Basil, he will cut a piece of the bread as a symbolic offering to the poor and needy of the world. The bread is lovely and the story is sweet. Here's how it is made.

Vasilopita - St. Basil's Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the Orthodox Kitchen

Ingredients:
6 cups + 1/2 cup bread flour, divided use
2-1/4 teaspoons package dry yeast
2 cups warm milk, divided use
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon anise seed
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs, divided use
3/4 cup melted butter
Crushed almonds, for a topping
1 coin (cleaned)

Directions:
1) In a small mixing bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of warm milk, yeast, and 1/2 cup of flour. Let the mixture rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
2) Place remaining 5-1/2 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and anise seeds. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add yeast mixture, 3 eggs, butter and remaining 1-1/2 cups of milk and mix well. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for at least five minutes, adding more flour as needed to form a smooth though slightly sticky dough. Tuck a coin into dough before pressing into a well-greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Cover and let the dough rise until double in bulk, about1-1/2 to 2 hours.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Beat reserved egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush top of dough with some beaten egg and then sprinkle crushed almonds over the top.
4) Bake until crust is a golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom (about 45 -55 minutes). Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and complete cooling on a wire rack. Yield: 1 large loaf or 12 to 16 pieces.

One Year Ago Today: Muhammara

Two Years Ago Today:  Bouillabaise la Marseillaise

Three Years Ago Today: Mexican Beer-Cheese Spread

Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...On the off chance that your holiday menu is not yet set in stone, and you are still looking for a coffee cake to start the day, I'd like to recommend this sinfully rich concoction that comes from the recipe developers at Martha Stewart Living. This cake is as sweet as it is rich, so if you have a more European sensibility and prefer barely sweet treats, you might want to bypass this recipe. IT IS SWEET. The cake is not difficult to make if you divide it construction into workable segments. The only problem you might have in making it, is deciding when it is actually done. As is the case with many filled cakes, a toothpick or cake tester will probably fail you miserably. You'll get crumbs even when the cake is done. I've found that a thump in the center of the cake is a better predictor of doneness than a toothpick. Time-wise, I've found 60 minutes works well for me and my oven. Please keep in mind that ovens are calibrated differently and what works for me may not work for you. I'd also like to recommend lining the the bottom of the tube pan with parchment paper. This cake wants to stick and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to prevent that from happening. If your pan is well-greased, lined and floured, you won't have any problems when you unmold it, especially if you swear. I hope those of you who really enjoy sweet things will give this recipe a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Here's how the cake is made.

Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
Streusel Topping
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Streusel Filling
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Cake
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-inch tube pan with removable bottom with butter or coat with a nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
2) To make streusel topping: Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small to medium clumps form. Mix in 1/2 cup pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3) To make streusel filling: Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Set aside.
4) To make cake: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Continue to beat until well combined. Spoon half of batter into pan. Sprinkle streusel filling mixture evenly over batter. Top with remaining batter, and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Sprinkle streusel topping mixture evenly over batter.
Bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Remove cake from pan, and transfer to parchment.
4) To make glaze: Mix together confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle over cake, and let drip down sides. Let set for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Cook's Note: Coffee cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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