Category Archives: muffins, breads, biscuits, and sweet breads

Nov 21 1 comments
eggs, muffins, breads, biscuits, and sweet breads

Breakfast Pizza

First of all, I apologize for the phone pictures.  This was not a recipe I planned to post, but one that I photographed obsessively because, you know, that’s what I do.  Anyway, this pizza turned out to be SO delicious that I thought it would be criminal not to share it with you.  So here it is.

I started craving a breakfast pizza on Saturday, after my friends Dana and Juliet brought it up (in all its delicious detail) on twitter.  So often when those two start talking food I drop everything and eat what they’re eating.  Because they eat delicious things.

A breakfast pizza is a pizza topped with anything you love about breakfast.  I’ve seen ones with a million combinations of breakfast meats, cheeses, vegetables, and, of course, eggs.  This one included smoked bacon, caramelized onions, green peppers (the last from our garden), jalapeños, three cheeses, green onions, garlic, and eggs.  And oh. my. delicious.  I want to marry this pizza.

Yesterday we also headed to VA to hang with the nieces and Megan.  Can I just reiterate how great nieces are?  Nieces + breakfast pizza = wonderful Sunday.

Related to, you know, the major holiday coming up later this week, I think this breakfast pizza would be the perfect morning-after meal for the family.  Big enough to serve 4 or 5 adults, loaded with delicious (and, if you’d like, leftovers), it’s easy and very, very good.

Breakfast Pizza

Dough: 
1 tbsp dry active yeast
2 ½ cups bread flour
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
¾ cup warm water
½ tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp kosher salt

Toppings:

1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 jalapeño
Green onions
1 bell pepper
1/4 cup soft cheese (brie, goat, chèvre)
1/4 cup white cheddar
1/4 cup sharp cheddar
4-5 strips bacon
3 eggs

Olive oil & salt to finish

Whisk together olive oil, yeast, salt, basil, and water. Whisk until fully incorporated, at least 2 minutes. Add half of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Add remaining flour and knead for ten minutes, until the dough feels like a stress ball.

Coat a glass bowl with olive oil. Place the dough ball in the bowl, turn once, and cover with a damp towel. Let rise for at least an hour. Punch down and let rise another 15 minutes.

While your dough is rising, cook your bacon.  I like to cook mine on a rack in a 375 oven (takes about 30 minutes).  It cooks nicely and evenly.  When I do that, however, I always cook one or two pieces in the pan so that I have drippings to caramelize the onions in.  So, get your bacon going.  Dice your onions and pepper, and mince your garlic and jalapeños.  In your bacon drippings cook the onions, garlic, and jalapeños until nice and brown.  Next shred your cheese.

Roll out your dough and heat your oven to 500 (or as high as it goes).  Start with a layer of your soft cheese.  Then spoon your onions over this.  Add peppers, bacon, and cheddar cheeses.  Crack three eggs over the whole pizza.  Sprinkle the pizza with coarse salt.  Brush the edges with olive oil and salt.

Bake for 12 minutes for drippy eggs (my preference) and 14 for solid egg yolks.  Enjoy!

Oct 26 4 comments
grilled, barbequed, smoked, and fried, muffins, breads, biscuits, and sweet breads

Fall Donuts

This month I decided to give up processed sugar (as well as all processed sugar substitutes).  I did it for two reasons.  First off, I have been looking for a way to cut artificial sweetners out of my diet, specifically heavily processed candy and soda.  Very specifically diet coke. I love me some diet coke.  Secondly, I wanted a kickstart. I’ve been tired, sluggish, cranky, and downright hard to deal with lately.  I haven’t felt like cooking or writing or waking up, and I was hoping that a sugar-free period would allow my body to rediscover an energetic, sugar-free life.

Mostly, at the near end of the month, I feel the same.  I don’t have much more energy and getting out of the bed is still totally the pits.  I haven’t lost any weight and my hair is still frizzy. But, what did I really expect to happen? That one day, a few weeks into October, I would wake up Penelope Cruz? Unrealistic. Mostly I wanted a way to say goodbye to the sugary crap that was killing me slowly, and that I have accomplished.  I haven’t craved soda yet, and the only chocolate I want is on a croissant (I guess that reveals my real dependence- butter).  What I have been craving, like it is my job, is a donut.  I want a donut.  On November 1st, I will eat all the donuts. (PS- Donut or doughnut? I’ve gotten mixed feedback. I prefer donut).

I’ve been saving this recipe since last fall, and I have to tell you, these donuts have been in my dreams.  They’re light, delicious, and covered in tasty chocolate that makes your mouth water.  Mostly, they epitomize the things I love about this time of year.  The beautiful colors, the slightly richer food, frying things in my backyard… oh fall.

Still on a quest to kick my ass into gear I’m thinking that in November I’ll excuse myself from white carbs and alcohol that isn’t red wine.  Thanksgiving aside, of course.  We’ll see.  Fall is always a hard transition for me, I don’t expect there is a magical cure to the shorter, darker days and the dreary prospect of a long winter.  If there is, please let me know.  Also, I’d love to hear what worked for you, if you’ve tried something similar!

Fall Doughnuts

Doughnuts
3/4 cup milk, warm
1/4 cup heavy cream, warm
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, very soft
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Peanut oil, for frying

Glaze
1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup hot water

Chocolate topping
2 cups dark chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups fall-colored chocolate candy, crushed

Mix milk, cream and yeast. If you’re using a stand mixer, go ahead and combine them in the bowl for your mixer. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes. Add sugar, butter, yolks and flour. In a stand mixer, or by hand, mix together and then knead until it forms a ball. Add warm water as necessary.

Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch. Use a biscuit cutter (3 to 4 inches) to cut out circles. Use a smaller cutter (or a doughnut roller, if you have one) to cut a 1-inch hole from the center.

Heat your oil to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Two or three at a time, drop your donuts into the oil. Let fry one minute, flip, and then another minute on the other side.

While your doughnuts cool, make your glaze. Combine all ingredients. Dunk your doughnuts in the glaze and set aside.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in cream. Dip each donut in the chocolate and then sprinkle with chocolate candy.

Mar 11 5 comments
muffins, breads, biscuits, and sweet breads, tutorials

Biscuits 101

This week I was featured on a joint collaboration between Paula Deen and Kraft- an online publication called Live Richly.  A new venture, part of their Real Women of Philadelphia efforts, they’ll be promoting a blogger every other Thursday in a feature called “Build a Better Blog.”  I was honored to be the first blogger they spoke with and love the finished product.  I was also really touched by the kind words that were left on the Q&A and would like to welcome new readers!  We’re happy to have you joining us!

In the interview, they marked my answers with the name biscuits.  Since it went live yesterday half the Museum staff and a few family members have decided this is the perfect nickname for me.  With the exception of my life-long nickname, Enie (given to me by my cousin Taylor, five days my junior, who couldn’t pronounce Elena), I’ve never had nicknames.  So I’m a little excited about this development.

At the beginning of last month a reader asked if, after we were done with the pie craze, I could do a 101 on biscuits.  In the past with things like burgers and steak we’ve done tutorials at the request of readers and so I was glad to get this one, particularly as biscuits are kind of our thing. Okay, pie is kind of our thing but “biscuits and such” had a better ring to it, way back when.

The key to biscuits, as with any dough, is getting the fat to flour ratio right.  All of the ingredients are important, but you won’t get the flaky, delicious layers unless you treat the butter just right.  Which brings me to my next point, which is that while I have used vegetable shortening and lard in biscuits before, I prefer a combination of butter and heavy cream.  I also use a combination of pastry flour and self rising flour, and both baking soda and baking powder.

To start with biscuits, you combine your dry ingredients.  Whisk (which will lighten the flours) together 1 1/4 cup self rising flour,  3/4 cup pastry flour (or cake flour), 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, and any herbs/spices (like rosemary or green onions) that you’re interested in adding.  Whisk all the ingredients so that they are light and fluffy.  Now it’s time to add your butter, which should be COLD.  Cube four tablespoons of butter and, using, your fingers, work it into the flour.  I like to smooth the butter out into long, thin pieces.  This way, when you press the dough out later, it forms layers of butter between the flour, which is what makes the flakes.  Work the butter quickly so that your hands don’t warm it too much.

Next, it’s time to stir in 1 1/4 cups heavy cream.  Stir it in with a wooden spoon, bringing together all the ingredients until they form a rough ball.  It should be on the sticky side as it is always easier to work more flour in than it is to fix a dry dough.  Sprinkle a little all purpose flour on the countertop and dump your dough out.  Using floured hands gently press the dough out flat.  I like to work it a little at a time, working it out and then flipping it so that no one area or side gets too worked.  Continue to press it out until it is 1/2″ thick.  If at any time it starts getting sticky, pop it into the fridge for 20 minutes.

Now it’s time to cut the biscuits.  You’re welcome to cut them free-form, with cookie cutters, a glass jar, or a proper biscuit cutter.  As long as they end up portioned, it doesn’t matter.  Heat your oven to 475, cut them into shapes, and place them on an ungreased pan.  The last thing you want to do before baking is give them a glaze.  I like to take the measuring cup that I used to measure out my cream, stick 2 tbsp of butter in there, and melt the butter in the microwave.  Then I brush the butter/cream on my biscuits.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

As they bake your biscuits will rise into delicious, flaky treats.  Control yourself and let them rest for 10 minutes before you cut them (any sooner and they’ll crumble). After that they are the perfect vessel for jam, butter, a spicy chicken filet, or bacon egg and cheese.  Or you may simply indulge yourself with a perfectly wonderful biscuit.  Enjoy!

Jun 11 1 comments
cookies, cakes, tortes and cupcakes, grilled, barbequed, smoked, and fried, muffins, breads, biscuits, and sweet breads

Apple Sage Fritters

About a month ago I started a new job at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, working in their education and programming departments.  It’s amazing and I love it.  And, in an effort to keep work life separate, that is all I will say about it.  Except that I love my coworkers because they are sweet and wonderful and on occasion bring sage in from home.  Which, it turns out, I use by frying it.  Because I have to stay true to my roots.

There is something about sage where, when I smell it, I can only pictured it paired with a granny smith apple.  Sometimes that means on top of a burger or a pork chop, and other times that means in pie.  When I first started dreaming up the apple/sage dessert, I was picturing something akin to a hand pie.  Something bite sized but definitely in the realm of pie.  But I kept describing it to people (Dan) as a fritter.  Not because I can’t tell the difference between a pie and a fritter, but because apple sage fritter sounded better than apple sage pie. And because I’m crazy.

So I set out to make fritters.  And they were so good.  And I was in heaven.  And for a brief, fleeting moment (a week or so), I wanted to cheat on pie with fritters.  I’ve calmed down a bit, and now I just want to be polygamous.  Also, ALSO, I fried these on the grill.  Partially because I’m obsessed with my grill and partially because frying things on the grill is THE BEST THING EVER.  Because here’s the deal, internet.  Since I turned 18 and left the comfort of my parent’s house, where there was always pickled okra and tomatoes,  I’ve lived in apartments.  And you know what is NOT fun to do in apartments?  Fry things.  But, as a southerner who requires a quotient of fried food in her diet, I fried in my apartments.  And it was smoky and hot and messy.  But not any more.  Now I will fry ON MY GRILL.

Apple Sage Fritters

2 granny smith apples

1 cup fresh sage leaves

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Oil for frying

In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, eggs, and vanilla.  In another mixing bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.  Mince sage and add that.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Peel and dice your apples.  Fold them into the batter.

Place a large cast iron skillet directly on the grill and heat your oil to 350 degrees.  With a spoon (for a more freely shaped fritter) or an ice cream scoop (for a rounder fritter), drop your fritter into the oil.  The batter should sink and then float to the top.  Fry for 2-4 minutes and then, using a slotted spoon, turn them over.  Fry an additional 2-4 minutes or until both sides are golden brown.

Remove from oil and set on a paper towel.  Douse with powdered sugar.  Let cool, and devour.

Apr 19 0 comments
muffins, breads, biscuits, and sweet breads

Ramp & Cheddar Biscuits

The smell that always makes me breathe deep, wrap my arms around myself, and sigh in delight is, oddly enough, the smell of freshly mowed wild onions.  Nothing smells more like spring, not the Bradford Pears or the warm air.  It’s the tart, stinky smell that makes it seem like the world has come alive again.  So it is no wonder, knowing that stinky onions equate spring for me, that I love ramps so much.

Ramps are a member of the onion family, a long leafy green attached to a small bulb.  They grow wildly and are most easily found in the woods (if you know where to look) or at your local farmers market.  While there are many things to do with the bulbs (pickle them, saute them, etc) I threw mine in the freezer for future use and focused on the greens.  Like most pungent flavors, I find that ramps pair nicely with cheese, and in the form of a bread.  I’ve had ramp scones and ramp muffins, ramp cornbread and ramp sourdough, but I think that these ramp biscuits have been my favorite variant yet.

I served them with a fig jam (which by the way was amazing and got me so jazzed for figs to be in season that I cried a little in anticipation of the summer months) which was the perfect pairing.  The sweet jam played off the ramps in a fun way, and it all felt very spring.  I suggest you make them.  Go forth to your local farmers markets, pick up some ramps, and make biscuits!  Lots and lots of biscuits!

Ramp & Cheddar Biscuits

1 1/4 cups self rising flour

3/4 cup pastry flour (or cake flour)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp cold butter

2 tbsp melted butter (for glazing)

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup all purpose flour (for shaping the biscuits, not to go into the mix)

1/2 cup fresh ramp leaves, diced

1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 475(f).  Whisk together the dry ingredients, the cheese, and the ramps.  Use fingers to incorporate cold butter.  With the butter, you really just have to knead it with your fingers until the mixture has a course texture, like corn meal.  Pour in cream.  Stir (preferably with a wooden spoon) until dough forms.  It’s okay if the dough is a little sticky, you’ll work it out on the countertop.

Sprinkle the all purpose flour onto the countertop and scoop your dough onto it.  Use your hands to flatten it out.  I like to flatten it a little, flip it, and flatten it some more.  This method ensures that one side doesn’t get over worked, which is important.  If your dough (and this goes for any dough, really) ever gets too sticky and unmanageable, pop it into the fridge for twenty minutes or so.  The stickiness is really coming from the butter getting too warm, so cooling it off will allow it to firm up a bit.  Using a biscuit cutter (or whatever you have laying around), cut the dough into circular shapes.  Place on ungreased baking pan.

Now, I put aside the measuring cup that I used to hold the heavy cream and melt the butter for glazing in that.  It just gives it an extra creaminess.  Using a baking brush, brush melted butter on top of the biscuits.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 6 biscuits