Honey Wheat Rolls

Description:
This is my second bread project for the week and it just keeps getting better. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com a long time ago and I just kept it in my binder for future use, and now, it will always be in my bread repertoire. It's always so comforting to use honey in any baked treat more so in breads, so I'm deeply concerned about the colony collapse disorder happening to bees all over the world, but that's another story. But you may learn more about it at http://www.e-changesolutions.com/Beebook/index.html; I got this link from Ilog Maria who sells really, really good virgin honey.

Ingredients:
A.
355 ml (1.5 cups) warm water (110 F)
1 .25oz envelope active dry yeast
40 ml honey
342.5 g (2.5 cups) unbleached bread flour

B.
22.5 g (1.5 tablespoons) melted butter
40 ml honey
10 g (1/2 teaspoon) salt
200-300 g of whole wheat flour, depending on dough

Directions:
A. Mix in warm water, yeast and honey. Add in the white flour and set aside for 30 minutes until bubbly.

B. Add in melted butter, honey and salt. Then add in whole wheat flour little by little while kneading the dough, until the dough pulls away from the but is still sticky to the touch.
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the top, then cover with cling wrap. Let it rise for 1 hour.
Punch down the dough, flatten, and make into a roll.
Divide into 24 pieces and make into rounds or balls.
Place in a greased sheet or rectangular pan, and set aside to proof for about 30 minutes.
Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Lightly brush the tops with melted butter as soon as the rolls come out of the oven.

Yogurt Rolls

Description:
Just baked dinner rolls (in preparation for breakfast tomorrow) and they came out wonderful; I got the recipe from cupcakeproject.com. The rolls were soft and chewy, reminiscent of pugon pan de sal but not sweet, and since the recipe calls for yogurt, there was a slight tang in the taste (as if a sourdough starter was used). I also love the fact that this bread recipe is quite healthy, using honey as sweetener and olive oil as fat. We will surely have a delightful breakfast tomorrow.

Ingredients:
3-4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (You may use a blend of whole wheat and white flours)
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
3 Tablespoons honey
1 cup warm water (105-115F)
1 cup yogurt (I used Greek yogurt from Rizal Dairy Farms)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1/2 cup flour, yeast, honey and warm water.
Stir well and let stand for 10 minutes until bubbly.
Stir in yogurt, oil, salt and two more cups of flour. Combine using a spatula or a wooden spoon. Gradually add in the remaining flour. Using the hook attachment of the mixer, knead the dough, adding in more flour little by little if the dough is too sticky. Finish kneading the dough by hand on a floured work surface, until dough is quite elastic and smooth.
Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let rise for about 1 hour, until double in size.
Grease a rectangular pan (I always use stainless steel pans) with olive oil then set aside.
Place the dough on a work surface and degas by pressing down with your fingers. Spread the dough using your hands until it becomes flat, then make a long roll. Cut dough into about 18 pieces, then make into balls. (Kids helped me here, and they had loads of fun.)
Place each piece unto the pan, making sure to leave spaces in between.
Cover with a damp kitchen cloth and let rise for 25 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat oven to 375F.
Bake the bread for 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Holiday Baking

I just love Christmas and the fact that our home always smells great every Christmas.

Maple Bacon Muffins

Description:
These muffins smelled heavenly while baking and they're so soft and flavorful, warm or not. I just couldn't get enough of it. I got the recipe from tasteofhome.com and next time, I will tweak the recipe to make more variations of this wonderful muffin.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
(I used 5 strips Applegate Farms Turkey Bacon)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup maple syrup

Directions:
Combine the flour, bacon, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, oil and maple syrup.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the liquid ingredients. Mix to moisten; do not overmix.
Using a scooper, fill paper-lined standard muffin pans, about 3/4 full.
Bake at 400F for about 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Microplane Zester

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

I baked orange chiffon cake this morning and I got to use my Microplane Zester for the first time. This is such an amazing kitchen tool! Talk about effortless zesting! Oranges looked bald after zesting- nothing put to waste!