Dreaming of the Caribbean

Oh how I miss the predictable weather of the Caribbean. Today in Southern MD we had a 4 hour thunderstorm. 4 HOURS!!! Gray skies, and absolutely no sun. Blah! 3+ years ago my husband and I spent 2 weeks in the Caribbean on a cruise. I'm not a huge fan of the cruise scene but it does have it's perks. You wake up every morning in a new place, people at your beckon call, spas, gyms, and the food. Oh the glorious food! Being the crackhead I am about cookbooks I of course bought the Holland of America cookbook.

Looks good right! Well seeing how lobster is not currently in my budget I decided to make something that I haven't tasted for 3+ long years, Dutch Raisin Rolls. I know it doesn't sound all that amazing but envision a round buttery cake like roll studded with plump juicy raisins. Oh yeah! This bread was waiting for me every morning on my cruise and now it will be there tomorrow once again for me.

I had to change the recipe because the measurements were off a bit.

Krentenbollen (Dutch Raisins Rolls)

2 3/4-3 3/4c. all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

21 grams (6 3/4 tsp) active dry yeast

3 ounces milk, warmed to 110 degrees F

3/4 c. raisins or 1/2 & 1/2 with currants

2 eggs

10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp. plus more for pans

1.Combine the warmed milk, pinch of sugar, and yeast in a container and let yeast proof until foamy 5-10 minutes.

2. In a kitchen aid mixing bowl, combine 3/4 c. flour, yeast mixture, and remaining sugar, with a dough hook attachment until fully combined. Cover and set aside in a warm place to let the dough rise for 1 hour.

3. Place the raisins in a small bowl and add enough water to just cover them. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them sit for 30 minutes, stirring once. ( Don't soak them longer or the raisins will lose there texture.) Drain the raisins and reserve the liquid.

4. After 1 hour add 2 c. of flour, salt, eggs, butter, and 1/3 c. of the raisin liquid. Using the dough hook knead dough for 10 minutes on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add more liquid and flour as needed. Add drained raisins and mix until they are incorporated. Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot to rise again for another hour.

The original recipe call for 3 c. of flour and 1/3c. of liquid in this step but from prior experiences I usually hold back quite a bit on the flour and add as needed. I only needed an additional 2 c. of flour, but I needed about a 1/2 c. of the liquid. The more you make bread and work with doughs the easier it is to determine what it needs. You want a smooth elastic dough the is slightly tacky but doesn't stick to you fingers. It should also pull away from the sides cleanly.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter; set aside. Punch down the dough and portion it out into 6-8 rolls depending on your mood. The 8 portion size bakes to be about the size of a hamburger bun. Take a wad of dough on your hand and with you pinkie and thumb controlling the motion and you other fingers loose on top gently rotate the dough in a circular motion until you achieve a smooth surfaced round ball. And continue.

You could use parchment or a silpat but this is a treat people and nothing says treat more than buttery brown edges of a warm raisin roll. And lets be honest it not like your going to be holding back on the butter once these little gems pop out of the oven.

6. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and let them rise again for 30-40 minutes until they have doubled in size.

Oh and brush more butter on the tops...or, you could brush them with watered down egg (egg wash), or milk with a light sprinkle of course sanding sugar. Or you could make an icing to glaze them with once out of the oven and cooled...Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. I am a baker!

7. Bake them for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven, until they are golden brown and sound hollow when you tapped.

 

I hope you all enjoy these yummy rolls as much as I did. Now I have to keep myself for eating them all before tomorrow :)

Carbs, Carbs, Gobble, Gobble

I always love having the weekend off with my hubby. Having no plans is somewhat depressing for some people but I absolutely love the solitude. I have all day to dream up what I want to make for dinner. Since I bake at work all day the last thing I want to do after a long day on my feet is bake some more. So I usually pull out whatever I've prepped and try to pull a dish together in 15 minutes. But on the weekend I'm a baking machine.

I spent most of yesterday reading blogs and recipe hunting. Which ultimately cause me to dream of food all night. I don't think I have ever had that experience before. So today I woke up ready to do some damage in my kitchen. I made Challah, Old Fashioned Lemon Buttermilk Cake (that I found on bakingandbooks.com), and lastly turkey meatball subs, as requested by my hubby.

Makes me wanna challah!

I absolutely love making bread. There's nothing better than kneading and shaping dough other than the aroma of fresh baked bread. Challah is such a versatile bread for both sweet and savory applications. My favorite way to eat this eggy sweet bread is to smear it with apricot jam and goat cheese. But I have also used it for deli sandwiches, like tuna salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and sliced red onions. YUM! Another good use for it is to make french toast, or bread pudding.

Here is the recipe I always use.

Challah

adapted from  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Braided-Egg-Bread/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:

4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 c. warm water (110 degrees F)

2 c. hot whole milk

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. unsalted butter

2 tsp. salt

5 eggs, slightly beaten

10 c. all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

Topping:

egg wash: 1 egg mixed with a little water

optional: poppy seeds or sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Mix (proof) yeast with 1/2 c. warm water in a 5 qt. kitchen aid mixing bowl. Let stand 10 minutes, if the yeast does not foam up throw out your yeast and get some fresher stuff.
2. In a microwave safe container melt butter and add in you milk heating that to 110 degrees F. Whisk in sugar and salt. Combine well. Add slightly beaten eggs, and milk mixture to yeast mixture, combine well.
3. Add 2 cups flour and beat until smooth. Slowly add remaining flour until it forms a stiff dough. Knead on a floured board for 10 minutes (5 minutes with a bread hook). Place in a large glass or plastic bowl lightly greased. Turn dough over to grease both sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, dark place until doubled in volume, approximately 60 minutes. I use the top of a preheated oven.
4.Punch down, cover, and let rise again until double, approximately 30 minutes.
5.Punch again, and form into three parts. Form each part into a 20-inch roll. Braid rolls on a large, greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled.
6.Lightly coat loaves with egg wash and top with seeds. Bake in preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for about 55 minutes until nicely browned. May be made into three regular sized loaves. Reduce baking time slightly.

Here are the pics of the other two items

Anyone willing to trade challah, cake, or meatballs for cleaning some dishes?

The Begining of Something Great

Hello All, and welcome to Jeska's Kitchen :) I decided to start a blog about my food journeys and explorations because well it seemed the only logical way to keep track of what I've cooked and what I'd like to cook next. I do not really have much experience in writing my own recipes, but I am usually pretty successful at making other established recipes. Sometimes with minor to major alterations.

 I have a cookbook collection of 200+ books and yet I find myself continually buying more before I have tried out the old ones. Pure insanity right, I know! But I'm sure many of you out there have done the same thing. There is nothing like picking up a new cookbook and thumbing  through the shiny new pages with all the possibilities of grandeur swimming through your head. You bring home your new love and for some reason after trying out only a few recipes your new love becomes just another book on the shelf. I actually have cookbooks that I have never used, such a travesty. So with much agreeance from my wonderful husband, it is time to cook. I'll be cooking and baking my way through my collection so wish me luck!