Archive for the ‘BREAD & PASTRY’ Category
Basic Streusel Coffee Cake
I used to make this type of coffee cake when I was little and learning to cook. This sounds pretty close to what I made, and I tested this out on 2 Jan 2018 and yep, this is really close to what I made, it is excellent. Now there is a story to the photos, the photo of the batter in the pan with the topping before the oven, picture perfect, after I put it in the oven, about 10 minutes later, I realized I had not opened my new bottle of baking powder! Since this cake was for my mother in law's birthday, removed the pan from the oven, scraped out the contents for the compost pile and let the pan cool while I prepared a new batter and topping mix. As I was making the batter, my wife walks through the kitchen and says, mother in law likes very little sugar, so go easy on the topping. The second cake is the cooked photo, with little topping. Mother in law took one bite, instant thumbs up from her!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten, chicken or duck
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
For the Topping
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C (375 F), grease a 9x9 baking dish with butter.
- Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the egg, oil, and milk. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix well to combine. (I just used two separate bowls, one for batter, one for topping.)
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly.
- Now using the bowl the flour mixture was in, add the Topping ingredients and mix together. Sprinkle the topping over the batter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. (I used the toothpick method, when it came out clean, done.)
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Hamburger Buns
This is from a good American friend, Brian, who lives in northeastern Thailand, and he makes these often. Brian's words "Being that I live in Thailand, in a place that does not have a bakery around the corner, making my own hamburger buns allows me to enjoy a burger with a proper bun." And Brian is very correct, want a proper bun for a burger here, you have to make it yourself. I know Brian well, if he provides a recipe or shortcut to my site, he makes it often.
Ingredients
For the Buns
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup luke warm water
- 1 egg, chicken egg, duck would be preferred
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 448 grams all purpose flour, 3 1/2 cups if no scale
For the Tops
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
- white sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and 1/2 cup of the flour. Add the luke warm water and mix together. Let this set for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and bubbly.
- To the flour mixture, add the egg, butter, sugar, salt, and whisk together until well combined.
- Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour. IF using a standup mixer, use the dough hook and kneed for 6-8 minutes, add flour as needed until the dough comes together and has come free of the sides of the bowl.
- IF mixing by hand, mix in the bowl until the dough comes together, adding flour as needed until the dough comes free from the sides of the bowl, turn out dough on a clean surface and kneed with hands for about 10 minutes, use flour as needed until the dough is tacky but comes free of the work surface.
- Oil a large bowl (large enough to allow the dough to double in size), and place the kneeded dough inside in the bowl, cover the bowl with a towel and set aside for about 2 hours to rise and double in size.
- Punch down the down and remove the dough from the bowl to a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a rectangle or circle and cut into 8 equal size pieces. A pastry cutter works well, and a digital scale is a bonus to ensure you get equal sizes. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly flour just the sheet.
- Using floured hands, form each dough piece into a ball, then take each ball and form into a disk about 1/2 inch thick, place each disk on the baking sheet evenly spaced.
- Lightly flour the tops of the disks and cover with a towel. Let rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
- About 20 minutes before buns have risen, preheat your oven to 190 C (375 F).
- Whisk together the egg and milk. Remove the towel from the rolls and using a pastry brush, lightly coat the top of each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place buns on a rack to cool.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Low cost.
Recipe provide by good friend, Brian Colligan, Pleasures & Pastimes (which is a great resource for gardening seeds and other items).
Thailand.
Thailand.
Easy Soft Flatbread (No Yeast)
Think wraps filled with whatever you like, or even as naan for Indian curries. The Vegan version is in the Recipes Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, 256 grams if weighing
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup milk
- cooking oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a saucepan or in the microwave, combine the milk and butter is just melted.
- Add the flour to a mixing bowl, add the salt, and pour in the milk and butter mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Flour your work surface and turn out the dough, knead for a few minutes to make a smooth dough, add a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky. Wrap in plastic film and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Flour the work surface, cut dough into 4 pieces, roll into balls, then roll each one out to about 1/8 inch thick.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil in a non stick pan on medium heat or low for a heavy bottomed pan.
- When the pan is hot, place 1 flatbread in and cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, it should puff up, just press those down with the spatula. Flip and cook the other side, there should be golden brown spots on both sides.
- Remove from the pan and place on a plate and cover with a towel. Repeat the steps cooking the rest, staking each on on the same plate.
- Use with fillings of your choice for a lunch or light dinner.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: Brush each flatbread with olive oil or melted butter. Or with melted butter mixed with minced garlic and parsley for a garlic butter version. Higher heat and thinner dough (say cut the dough into 5 or 6 pieces) will result in crispier bread, which is compatible as a naan type of bread.
Vegan Version: Replace the butter with olive oil, replace the milk with almond milk.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Middle Eastern Pita Bread
As I expand my culinary learning, pita bread is needed for some recipes, and since pita bread is not available near me, I will make this myself, and will save money doing this as well.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour, 384 grams if weighing
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10 to15 minutes until water is frothy.
- Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of the flour and pour yeast water mixture into it.
- Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic.
- Place dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it is done.
- Coat a large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough into the bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
- Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10 to 12 small pieces, just smaller than a tennis ball. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered with a towel for 10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 500 F and make sure rack is at the very bottom of the oven, and heat the your baking sheet as well.
- Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5 to 6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.
- Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 more minutes.
- Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and place on a wire rack.
- While still warm, take a spatula and gently push down on each puff. When they are thoroughly cool, place in storage bags.
- Pita bread can be stored for up to 1 week in a pantry or bread box or up to a month in the freezer.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Banana Bread II
This recipe uses a yellow cake mix, and I even have a shortcut to make a yellow cake mix. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow cake mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 eggs
- 4-5 bananas, large size, overripe, mashed
- pecans, chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease two medium loaf pans or one large loaf pan with butter.
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, pour batter into two medium loaf pans or one large loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Yellow Cake Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
Amish Cinnamon Bread
This is an old Amish quick bread recipe, mix and bake.
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 1 cup butter, softened, this is 1 block
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4 cups flour, 512 grams with a scale
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
For the Cinnamon Sugar Mix
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease two bread pans with butter.
- In a small bowl, mix together the 2/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon, set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the 2 cups of sugar, then mix in the eggs, then mix in the flour and baking soda to make the batter.
- Pour 1/4 of the batter into each bread pan, leaving half the batter in the large bowl. Now using only 3/4 of the sugar cinnamon mixture, sprinkle this onto the batter in each bread pan, use a butter knife to make some swirls in the batter.
- Pour the remain batter into each bread pan and sprinkle each pan with the remaining sugar cinnamon mix, and make the swirly thing again with the knife. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes before turning out from the pans.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Bacon Cheese Biscuits
Sounds tasty! On my to cook list. I have never seen crescent rolls in a tube anywhere in Thailand (maybe Villa Market carries them) so there is a bread maker recipe for crescent rolls listed as a shortcut. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 tubes crescent rolls, OR make from a shortcut
- cheese, what ever you like
- 300-500 grams bacon, fried crisp
- all purpose flour, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Unroll one can of crescent rolls on your work surface (if using the shortcut, roll out one half). Using your hands, press the seams together and lightly press and stretch a little into a nice rectangle.
- Add a layer of cheese, can be sliced or shredded, then then add your layer of cooked bacon. Unroll the remaining can of crescent rolls on top & press all the seems together both on top and all around the edges.
- Using a pizza cutter or a knife slice into squares. Place the entire thing on your baking sheet using a large spatula, working in batches. Lay all the squares right beside each other, just as they were before you sliced it. You want all the cut seams to be touching so that your cheese doesn’t leak out.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the crescent rolls are lightly browned. Remove from the oven ans cool on a wire rack for 3-5 minutes before digging in. The crescent squares will pull right apart. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
I cannot price this until I find out how many servings this will make, for now I will say this is a fair value dish based on just the cheese and bacon used.
Variants: Use cooked crumbled sausage or even just ground beef.
Shortcut: Crescent Rolls (Bread Machine).
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Fresh Strawberry & Blueberry Pie
Sounds like a great pie! On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts, fresh, frozen, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed and slightly chopped
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- lemon zest, OR orange zest, from 1 orange or lemon
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 205 C. Mix together the berries, sugar, zest, and corns starch in a large bowl.
- Place one pie crust in a pie dish, pour the berry mixture into the dish. For the top crust, you can do this several ways, one complete crust on the top with a few slits cut in it, a lattice top, or use different shape cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top. Mix together the egg and a tablespoon of water and brush this on the top crust.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before cutting to maintain the shape.
Notes
I cannot price this until I purchase the berries. For 8 servings I will say for now this is low cost.
Shortcut: Basic Buttery Pie Crust.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Apple Crumb Pie
Sounds really good and inexpensive. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, frozen, OR make from a shortcut on this site, unbaked
For the Filling
- 8 Granny Smith apples
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Topping
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter, softened, this is 1/2 of a standard block
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 230 C.
- To make the topping, combine all of the topping ingredients in a bowl and use a fork to mix completely, set aside.
- To make the filling, peal, core and slice the apples to about 1/8 inch slices then toss the slices with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Layer the slices into the unbaked pie crust, it will be full and heaping, any leftover juices from the apples, pour that over the apple slices as well. Now pile on the topping and pat it down a bit over the apples.
- Set the pie dish on a cookie sheet in case of overflows, and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temp to 180 C and continue to bake for another 45 minutes. If the topping is browning too much, place a sheet of foil over the top. Run a butter knife through the center at the 45 minute mark, it should insert easily indicating all the apples are cooked through. Removed from the oven and serve warm or room temp. Ice cream or whipped cream on top would be a nice touch.
Notes
This is low cost.
Shortcut: Pie Crust.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
French Baguettes
This is a basic recipe that you may need to experiment with to get the right consistency with the flour you have available. And I am really winging this with the type of flour. This takes a lot of time to make. Metric and Imperial measurements are given, the metric is more accurate if you have that measuring capability. This recipe ranks right up there are expert level!
Ingredients
- 2.83 cups bread flour, 360 grams
- 1 cup luke warm water, 240 ml
- 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast, .65 g
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 7 g
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 2 g
Instructions
- Mix the water, yeast, salt and sugar together until dissolved. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center and pour in the water mixture. Mix to form a smooth dough. The dough should be kneaded until it does not stick to the bowl any longer (alternatively have a mixer or kitchen machine do it. First slow then a bit faster.) Once you have a smooth dough, you are going to let this rest for 1 hour but you will fold it over on itself every 20 minutes.
- Now take the take the dough and transfer to the fridge to rest for 48 hours, put the dough in a bowl that is covered. After it has rested, take it out of the fridge and divide it into 2 or 3 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, fold each piece over on itself 2-3 times, to make a cylinder, place each roll seam side up on a towel and cover with the towel for 15 minutes.
- Now take each roll and on a lightly floured surface, roll with your hands to make the roll longer, about 3 times longer than what it started out as, place each long roll on a towel. Cover these with the towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Place a oven proof small pot filled with water in the bottom center of your oven. Now preheat your oven to 250 C. Once it is heated, place the long rolls on a baking sheet seam side up and put into the oven (you can also use a razor and make 2 or 3 light cuts along the top of each roll at an angle), then reduce the temp to 230 C. They will be done in about 25 minutes and should be golden brown.
Notes
Bread flour is available in Tops, Tesco, etc. Some shops will have better quality flours. Once you make this and it comes out good for you, stick with that type of flour when making again. Easliy low cost.
Recipe and photos provided courtesy of good friend, Daniela Dalaa Payerl.
Thailand.
Thailand.