The Cunning Whisk

I had a recipe for soft pretzels, but didn’t feel like making two dozen. I also had a craving for something even softer than soft pretzels normally are. I halved the recipe and made the ropes a little bigger, cutting the servings down to eight. Then I twisted them up into knots so that the inside wouldn’t bake as quickly. I LOVE how they turned out. It was a real challenge to save some for when John got home late from work.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. warm water
• 1 pkg. dry yeast
• 1/8 c. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 – 2.25 c. all purpose flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp. water
• sea salt

Directions:
Add yeast to warm water and stir until dissolved. Mix in sugar and table salt. Beat yeast mixture with 1 1/2 cup flour until smooth. Gradually add the remaining flour until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic in texture. Place in a bowl and cover for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Divide dough into 8 equal sections. Cover again and let rest for an additional 5 minutes. Roll into even ropes and twist into a spiral, kind of like a cinnamon bun.

Beat together the egg white and tablespoon of water. Brush liberally over knots. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until edges are a deep golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on platter. The outside will be hard and the inside will be soft and doughy.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

We were digging through the pantry the other day and found a whole string of yeast packets. That really put me in the mood for homemade bread but, alas! I’ve never had very good luck with bread. The best I ever made was the Persimmon Loaf from two years ago. Sadly, this recipe won’t be using any of those handy packets o’ leavening. But it is tasty, and decently good for you considering it’s bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1.5 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice*
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/3 c. honey
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1.5 c. zucchini, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan.

Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Stir in whole wheat flour. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, oil and honey until smooth and frothy. Fold in zucchini and lemon zest. Thoroughly add dry mixture to wet mixture, stirring in a little at a time so that it doesn’t clump, but do not beat or you will change the final texture of the bread.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. Outside should be crusty, inside should be moist.

* If you don’t have any ground allspice, you can substitute 1/8 teaspoon of each of the following: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...