This recipe is adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zöe François; this is a wonderful book that really shows you how you can easily bake up delicious and healthy homemade breads. You make up the dough ahead of time, which makes it really easy to make bread every day. My family eats a lot of bread, so when I make all sorts of different and tasty breads, everyone is quite happy around here.

We recently received this book from the publisher for review, and when I opened it up, this was the recipe the book fell open to. Belle took one look, and saw “rosemary” and “potato”, two of her favourite things. The decision as to what to try first from the book was as easy as that!

Loosely covered and left to rise.

The recipe was for rolls, but I decided to make the rolls bigger than the original recipe suggested, sort of personal breads rather then rolls. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, as I used dark rye and did not use lukewarm water, a baking stone or a tray of water in the oven, but they still turned out great.

Ready for the oven.

I think little personal loaf pans next time might give a better shape but everyone was happy with these little breads.

Belle’s note: These little breads are just delicious, and I really loved the salt crust. The next day, I sliced one of the leftover breads in half, toasted and buttered the pieces, and then added smoked salmon and thin slices of cucumber on top – so delicious!

100% Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Dinner Rolls with a Salt Crust

5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup dark rye flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1-1/2 tbsp granulated yeast
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup wheat gluten
2 tbsp fresh rosemary , finely chopped
3 cups hot water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups diced raw peeled potatoes (1/4″ dice)
1 tsp sea salt for the top crust
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped for the top crust

1. Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, wheat gluten and 2 tbsp rosemary in a stand mixer bowl (5qt size).
2. Add the liquid ingredients and potatoes and mix  with a paddle attachment on the stand mixer. (You can also mix by hand.)
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (loosely) and let stand 2 hours at room temperature to rise.
4. At this point, you can either refrigerate the dough for up to a week in a lidded but not airtight container or use it immediately. (I used half the recipe right away, and half a few days later; both times the rolls were excellent.)
5. When you’re ready to make the rolls, dump the dough out onto a floured surface and flour the top. Roll into a ball. Cut off pieces about double the size of a golf ball.*
6. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place on a baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using the dough after storing it in the fridge).
7. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap, brush rolls with water and sprinkle tops with salt and chopped rosemary.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

* If you prefer smaller rolls, then cut off pieces about the size of a golf ball, and reduce your baking time to 20 minutes.

I needed something simple and found a great and simple recipe in America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.

Dylan is prepared!

This is what our finished loaf looked like.

I had to go out at this point and when I got back, there was none left so I have no pictures of it sliced. That’s a good thing, I think.

Thanks to Dylan, we were successful in our adventure in the world of baking!

Banana Bread
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book (makes one 8″ loaf)

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1-1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (approx 3)
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large free range eggs
1/4 cup whole yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in lower-middle position.
2. Spray a 9″ x 4″ loaf pan with non-stick spray.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and sea salt with a whisk in a large bowl.
4. Combine the mashed bananas, butter, eggs, yogurt and vanilla extract in another bowl.
5. Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture, being sure not to over mix.
6. Place the batter in loaf pan and smooth over the top.
7. Bake about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
8. Let cool 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool 1 hour.

I am fairly new to baking (as witnessed in my crust for the Jamiacan-spiced pumpkin pie) but I am very interested in it. I’m hopeful that if I continue, eventually I will get the knack. I’m not complaining about the taste, just the presentation. I especially would like to be able to make all different types of breads, as they are really fun to make.

Belle found this recipe for Spicy Spiral Bread on Amber’s Delectable Delights. Amber includes a list of optional ingredients all of which Belle asked me to include. So I did!

Belle says: This bread was so delicious, and what I liked best was that it contained beans instead of meat, making it perfect for everyone in the family. I love savory breads, and the optional ingredients were perfect!

Spicy Spiral Bread (from Amber’s Delectable Delights)

Dough:

2-1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup hot water
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup corn meal
1-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper powder
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup water

Filling:

14 oz (398 ml) organic refried beans
10.5 oz (300 gm) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1-1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup diced onions
8 oz sliced black olives
2 jalapenos peppers seeded and diced
1/4 cup salsa (hot)
1/2 cup cilantro chopped

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and the hot water and let sit 5-6 minutes until frothy.
2. Add the flour, corn meal, sea salt, chili powder and sugar to the yeast and mix in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on slow speed for 3-4 minutes.
3. Slowly add the water and oil and continue to mix on slow speed for 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove bowl from mixer, remove dough from bowl, and form into a round ball. Spray mixer bowl with non-stick spray then place dough in bowl. Spray top of dough with more non-stick spray, then cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a draft-free place for 2 hours. (When you think about it, how many of us have drafty places in our home? Most homes are draft-free now unless you count an open window, so really we could just say don’t put the bowl in front of an open window!)
5. Roll dough out on a floured surface to 8” x 24”.
6. Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a large bowl and spread on the dough leaving a 1” space around the edges so the filling won’t spill out when rolled. Fold over the short ends.
7. Spray a 9” round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
8. Spiral the dough into the cake pan, seam side down and flatten it down so it fills in all the parts of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1-2 hours.
9. After 1 hour and 15 minutes the bread looked like this and I was happy so I removed the cover and prepared to bake it.
10. Pre-heat to 350 degrees F and bake 45 minutes.
11. Remove bread and place on wire rack to cool.
12. When cool, remove bread from pan and enjoy.

How about shark and homemade bread on the BBQ?

The Barbecue! Bible! has a great recipe for Grilled Shark and Bakes. I adapted the recipe for the marinade and followed the recipe for the bakes, sort of.

First, let me say if you do any kind of barbecuing you need to have this book. The Barbecue! Bible by Steven Raichlen, is fantastic and nearly every recipe (and there are over 500 recipes!) is mouth watering. This particular recipe for Grilled Shark and Bakes is from Trinidad and Tobago.

The recipe is for four but Belle had gone out shopping with our daughter, my older son was out and Dylan had already eaten (like he would try shark anyway), so I made this for one. If you’re serving more people, just increase the number of shark steaks but leave the rest of ingredients the same.

Oh, I guess I should have had a veggie but I did have the veggie pizza already so that covered the greens.

This is a wonderful bread to make and it is pretty fast. I would just make the bakes by themselves and eat with the chilli fish sauce that goes with the Classic Thai Fried Rice. Belle loves this – well actually she loves that chilli fish sauce on just about everything except ice cream.

The following recipe is adapted from The Barbecue! Bible.

SHARK AND BAKES

Fish and Marinade

shark steak(s)
1/2 bunch scallions trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp chives cut in half
2 shallots coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
1 rib of celery coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
1 jalapeño chilli, seeded and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh organic lime juice
2-1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

The Bakes

1 tbsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup hot water
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup hot water
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/4 tsp salt

1. Rinse the shark steaks and pat dry.
2. Combine the chives, shallots, garlic, celery, parsley, mint,  jalapeño, water, lime juice, salt and pepper in a blender and purée until smooth.
3. Taste and adjust with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour marinade into a freezer bag, add the shark steaks and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
5. Start the bakes 2 hours before you want to make the shark. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add the yeast and 1/4 cup hot water and let it sit and get frothy for at least 5 minutes. Then add sugar, the rest of the hot water and the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until it is a ball (about 5-10 minutes).
6. Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place dough in bowl, spray the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap.
7. The recipe says let dough rise 1- 2 hours. I actually only let the dough rise 45 minutes but I force the dough by heating the oven. In this case the oven was already at 500 degrees F for the pizza so I left the door open, pulled out the rack and placed the dough on the rack.
8. Here it is after 45 minutes.
9. Pre-heat your BBQ to medium high (do this by putting it on high for a few minutes, then clean your grill, reduce to medium high and spray with non-stick cooking spray or oil the grill – be careful not to catch fire)
10. On a floured surface, punch the dough down and divide into 4 equal pieces, and with a floured French rolling pin (or any rolling pin) roll out each piece to a 6” – 7” oval (or whatever shape you like – I just prefer an oval), about 1/4” thick.
11. So they are not perfect ovals or circles. They are handmade and should just feel good. We are going to eat them, not put them on a wall in an art gallery!
12. You are supposed to lightly oil the bakes and then put them on the grill but for some reason I usually forget to oil them and they always turn out great so try it both ways and see. Grill for 2- 4 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.
13. For the shark steaks, remove the steaks from the marinade and blot dry. Brush both sides with vegetable oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on the grill. Grill 3-5 minutes per side, turning carefully with a long “fish” spatula.
14. Place the shark on a plate along with a bake. Serve with chilli sauce or hot sauce.
15. Since this was dinner for one I had the rest of the bakes for later – they are great cold!

I started these on a Friday and they were great on Saturday when I baked them, chewy and firm – but when I reheated them on Sunday for Thanksgiving, they were too hard for me. The Thanksgiving plan was to do as much as possible ahead of time and for the most part it worked but I should have started these Saturday and baked them Sunday.

If you’re wanting soft and fluffy rolls, though, this isn’t the recipe to use!

I will definitely make these again, as they were fun and easy, but only for occasions when I know they’ll all be eaten right away.

The following recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2009 issue.

Multi-grain dinner rolls

3 cups hard whole wheat flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup wheat bran
2-1/2 tbsp quick rising yeast
1-1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
non stick cooking spray
1 large egg beaten with 2 tbsp water for glaze.

1. Combine 3 cups flour and next 6 ingredients in a heavy duty stand mixer with paddle attachment.
2. Warm 1 cup water and buttermilk in small sauce pan over low heat to 95F.
3. Add buttermilk mixture, oil and honey to flour. Mix on low speed until dough forms a coarse ball (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Let dough rest in bowl for 5 minutes (the dough should be sticky).
5. Replace paddle with dough hook, mix on medium speed until dough is elastic and slightly tacky, adding more flour if required (about 4 minutes).
6. Lightly oil large bowl. Shape dough into ball and place in bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight in fridge. If the dough rises a bit, don’t punch it down.
7. Remove from fridge the next day. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at room temperature for about 1.5 – 2 hours.
8. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
9. Place dough on a floured surface and divide into 18 equal pieces, rolling into balls.
10. Evenly space the dough balls on the two baking sheets. Spray the dough balls with non-stick cooking spray.
11. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place for 1 hour.
12. Position one rack in top third and other in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
13. Brush  rolls with egg glaze
14. Bake 10 minutes, reverse sheets and bake for a further 10-12 minutes
15. Cool rolls on a wire rack

The other day the latest issue of Gourmet magazine arrived in the mail. My job around here is to look through cookbooks and magazines and decide what I’d like to have for dinner. So I decided to sit outside in the sunshine and look through the magazine – and I found this recipe for Nectarine Golden Cake.

I said, “Oh, look at that! Doesn’t that look so good?” or something along those lines.

Yesterday, this is what came out of the oven (well, after I cut off my first slice):

And this is what my first slice looked like:

Ward says the recipe’s really easy, and best of all, of course, is that it makes use of all those lovely local nectarines that are available right now.

As for how it tastes – it was simply delicious. A lovely mingling of sweetness with the slightly fruity tartness of nectarines. Needless to say, it’s a day later now, and there’s no more of the cake left. Yes, it was that good.

He decided not to go for the homemade ketchup or mustard, though – which was fine by me, because I don’t add ketchup or mustard to my burger (I pile mine high with lots of onion and tomatoes, and a sprinkle of salt).

How did the hamburger buns turn out?

They were simply amazing! Flavorful and chewy, they could actually be eaten on their own, without anything on them! My older son had seconds – without the meat.

Ready to Pop into the Oven

All Done (Sesame Seed Topping & Salt, Pepper & Sesame Topping)

Ward kept raving about how easy the recipe was. It took about five and a half hours altogether, but much of the time the dough was rising. Then he sprinkled on the toppings and popped them into the oven. Absolutely lovely!

Even our six-year-old, who’s the World’s Pickiest Eater, much to his parents’ sorrow, had one. This cheeseburger was his. Plain, of course; no ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish, onions or tomatoes.

Cheeseburger, Anyone?