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.

Rainy Day Bread Pudding

What to do on a stormy day—this is one question I have an easy answer to.  Aside from keeping updated on the latest weather bulletin, I just find it so enticing to make something rich yet comforting on any rainy day.  We were lucky enough to experience only an hour of blackout, so while Brandon and Trixie practically napped the whole day, I made Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding.  I got the recipe from Periplus’ Crazy for Chocolate Cookbook (gift from Stew from way, way back) and the result was just what I wanted.  It’s really rich and satisfying being made from dark chocolate, yet it’s so homey and so easy to prepare since the base is just white bread.  It was great served warm with vanilla ice cream but it tasted heavenly served cold the following day.  I’m posting the recipe here for you to enjoy this on your rainy days! 

 

Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

60g butter (I used only half)

6 slices fruit-loaf bread (I used soft white bread)

½ cup milk

2 cups thick cream

½ cup caster sugar (Plain white will do)

100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped (I used bittersweet couverture)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup dark choc bits (I used less than a half cup of Hershey’s semi-sweet choc chips)

2 tablespoons golden syrup (I didn’t have any so I omitted this)

 

Procedure

Preheat oven to 160C/ 315F.  Brush a 4-cup capacity baking dish with oil or melted butter.

Spread butter on bread.  Cut bread into diagonal quarters.  Place bread in dish in single layer, overlapping it.

Combine milk, cream and sugar in medium pan, stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Bring to boil, remove from heat.  Add chocolate; stir mixture until melted and smooth.  Cool slightly; gradually whisk in eggs.

Pour half the custard mixture over bread, stand 10 minutes or until bread absorbs most of the liquid.  Pour over remaining custard mixture.  Sprinkle with choc bits.  Drizzle with golden syrup.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until set and slightly puffed and golden.  Serve warm or cold with cream or ice cream.