Sweet Crescent Rolls

We need to talk.

First off, yes, my little brother got married last weekend, as I previously mentioned.  No one got cold feet, thank goodness, but those four days were filled with so much good food, drink, family, and laughter that I think my brother needs to get married every weekend.  Needless to say, the daily grind kinda stinks.

So while they're away on a tropical honeymoon (capital JEALOUS), we're back in Texas and I'm staring at my 26-by-27 list.  Things don't look good here people.  I'm turning 27 in less than two weeks and, quite frankly, I have a feeling I won't be crossing off all 26 items by the twenty-fourth of June.  Although I have had some pretty good margaritas (#8), and there is a fresh coconut sitting on our kitchen counter (#7), and I have purchased both the paint and the furniture piece that I intend to refinish (#23), it appears as though I've only accomplished about one-third of the list (yes, I'm being generous here). 

Hence, I'm going to make a new game plan.  In the meantime, though, I'm going to make rolls, because every newly wed housewife could use a good crescent recipe.  A flaky, buttery roll that makes you feel all domestic and homey and Martha Stewart-esque.  And with all those unessential (but oh-so-necessary) culinary-inspired wedding gifts, you could even deep fry them (weird? maybe just stick with battered chicken and twinkies).

Sweet Crescent Rolls

Makes 24 rolls

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one .25-ounce packet)
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened and cut up into small pieces

Combine yeast, water, and milk in mixer fitted with dough hook and allow yeast to proof for 10 minutes or until foamy.  Mix in the egg, sugar, and salt.  Gradually add the flour and butter, alternating between the two, until the dough comes together (you may need less flour, you may need more, just start with 3 cups and then add it a quarter cup at a time until the dough becomes tacky, yet pliable).

Turn dough out into a greased bowl and cover loosely with a kitchen towel.  Let rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle and cut each circle into 12 wedges (a pizza cutter works well here). Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

Adapted from AllRecipes.

Potato Rosemary Rolls

I am loving January.

Things have slowed down and I am finally able to spend more time in the kitchen, baking up savory breads and preparing actual meals (we had our fair share of frozen pizzas last month).  I have been organizing, tossing, cleaning and condensing all over the house.  Buuuut....I will confess, our Christmas decorations are still up (ps our neighbors still have their multi-colored roof lights on, so don't judge me!).  Now I planned on keeping them up for a while.  In fact, upon arriving back home after spending the holidays with family I warned Nathan:  "Just so you know, we're keeping the decor up through January".  His reply: "heck, you can keep them up all year!"  This is why I love that boy.  But I'll be honest, I'm ready to take them down.  This weekend- it's on my list.

So back in the kitchen- I've been cooking and baking, blog searching and menu planning.  (Tonight we had this salmon.  Wowza.  And this is coming from a non-salmon eater.  Ok, a salmon hater, if we're honest.)  But I should probably gush about these here rolls.  That's what this post is about, afterall.  Soft and flaky, with a sprinkling of salt and rosemary.  They're pretty wowza too.

Potato Rosemary Rolls

Makes 8 rolls

3/4 cup warm water (between 110-115 degrees)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon yeast
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup dry potato flakes
1 1/2 cups bread flour (I'm sure all-purpose would work fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

Combine water, yeast, and sugar in mixer fitted with dough hook and allow yeast to proof for 10 minutes.

Add in olive oil and milk and stir.  Add in potato flakes, 1 cup flour, salt, and rosemary and mix until combined.  Gradually add additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more or less until dough becomes tacky yet pliable.  Knead in mixer for 1-2 minutes to allow yeast to incorporate into dough.  Remove dough hook, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in the fridge overnight (up to 24 hours)*.

Once doubled in size, punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Form dough into a ball shape and roll out into a circle.  Cut circle into eighths (I use a pizza cutter and just cut it like you were slicing up a pizza!).  Take each dough "slice", one at a time, and gently pull at the two ends, stretching out the triangle shape.  Tie the stretched out triangle into a single knot and place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

Mix the coarse salt and rosemary in small bowl.  Brush the top of each roll with egg and lightly sprinkle with rosemary salt.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until slightly golden.

*Alternatively, you can let the covered bowl of dough sit at room temp for one hour or until doubled in size.

Adapted from AllRecipes.

Sea-Salted French Bread

Do not be afraid.

I won't lie to you, this does, in fact, involve yeast. 

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love yeast and those who..well..don't.  I happen to fall into the former category and yeast and I have always been bff's.  I don't even measure the temp of the water (gasp!) (ps it's supposed to be between 100 and 115 degrees if you're curious and/or OCD).  Instead, I was taught a little trick a few years back while working for a catering company and officially being handed over the role of making all the cinnamon buns.  Here's my secret: simply stick your finger in the warm water before adding the yeast and make sure the water doesn't have a "bite" to it.  Easy peasy. 

Ok, so if you can get over that fear of yeast and get over the fact that yes, you can stop at the grocery store on the way home and pick up a loaf of french bread for approximately 99 cents, then please make a loaf of this bread.  It is super simple (involving only six ingredients) and smells amazing.  Really, who doesn't love the smell of bread baking in the oven?  I think that's gotta be in the top 10 favorite smells of everyone in America.  Oh yea, and it tastes amazing too- don't think I mentioned that :)

Sea-Salted French Bread

1 cup warm water (between 100 and 115 degrees)

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 egg white

Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Combine water, yeast, and sugar in mixer fitted with dough hook and allow yeast to proof for 10 minutes.

Add in flour, starting with 2 cups and adding more if necessary, until tacky, yet pliable dough forms.  Knead in mixer for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over dough and knead until well-incorporated.

Remove dough hook and let dough rise in mixing bowl covered with a loose towel until doubled in size (about 1 hour). 

Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a small rectangle. Roll up dough tightly, beginning on the long side. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaf every 2 inches.  Cover again with loose towel, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Brush egg white over top of loaf and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Adapted from AllRecipes.

Sourdough Bread

I have a little confession to make:  as much as I like to bake and cook, when it comes to grilled cheese, Nathan is the master.  I know, I know, what's so hard about a simple grilled cheese sandwich?  Nothing, really.  It's just that ever since we met four years ago, Nathan has always made our grilled cheese sandwiches.  He butters them just right, cooks them to the perfect crispness, and gets all the cheesy goodness in the middle to melt into the bread. 

But...this post is not a Grilled Cheese 411.  No siree.  I like it to be a little more complicated that.  This post is for the bread that holds the cheese. 

And this bread is good by the way.  I have always adored sourdough and felt it was time to make my own loaf at home.  I was not disappointed.  It was soft and fluffy and actually rather easy to make!  You do need to plan in advance though, as it requires a sourdough starter that has to sit at room temp for a few days (this gives it its classic "sour" taste), and then there is a 12 hour rise time, but the majority of the "time" is inactive. 

Once the loaf was baked and cooled, we filled our slices with sliced buffalo chicken deli meat and cheddar cheese and my Grilled Cheese Master cooked up one heck of a delicious sandwich.

Sourdough Starter

2 cups warm water

1 tbsp. sugar or honey

1 tbsp. active dry yeast

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Pour the water into a 2-quart glass or ceramic jar or bowl.  Stir in the sugar or honey to dissolve.  Stir in the yeast.  Gradually whisk in the flour.  Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or dishcloth (not plastic wrap) and place it in a warm area.  Let it develop 2-5 days, stirring once a day due to the separation that will occur.  When bubbling has subsided and a sour aroma has developed, stir once more and refrigerate until ready to use.

**The starter needs to be replenished every two weeks or so.  Feed the starter each time you remove a portion for use in baking, but if it has been two weeks and you don't intend to use it, remove one cup and discard.  For every one cup removed, replace with one cup flour and 1/2 cup water.  Stir to blend and let sit at room temp for at least 12 hours before returning to fridge. 

**Can be frozen for one month or longer.  When ready to use, give it a day to revive, feed it, give it another day to sit at room temp out of the fridge, then it is ready for use.

Sourdough Bread

Makes 1 large round loaf

3/4 cup lukewarm water (100˚ F)

2 tsp. active dry or instant yeast

1/2 tbsp. honey

1/2 cup sourdough starter

2 3/4 - 3 cups bread flour, plus more as needed

1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tbsp. bread flour mixed with 1/2 tbsp. yellow cornmeal

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted, whisk together the water, yeast, honey, and sourdough starter just until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until slightly increased in bulk and bubbly, about 1 hour.

With the flat beater attached to the mixer and the mixer on low speed, mix in 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the butter, egg and salt.  Increase the speed to medium-low and mix until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add in 1 more cup of the flour and beat for 2 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook.  With the mixer on low speed, add the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a very soft dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead on low speed, adding a tablespoon of flour if the dough begins to stick, until the dough is smooth and elastic, tacky but not sticky, about 6 minutes.  

Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1½-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Sprinkle generously with the flour-cornmeal mixture.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a tight, oval loaf.  Place the loaf on the prepared baking sheet, several inches apart.  Sprinkle the top with flour and gently rub in.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator, 8-12 hours.

Place a baking stone on the lowest oven rack and preheat the oven to 450˚ F.  (If you don't have a baking stone, use an overturned baking sheet.)  Using a thin sharp knife, make three slash marks over the top of the loaf.  Place the baking sheet on the heated baking stone and bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F and continue to bake until the loaf is golden brown, 20-30 minutes more.  Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Adapted from Annie's Eats.