I recently made some everything crisps so I didn’t want to make something everything flavored so soon. I did come across “Chopped Champion” Palak Patel’s Everything Cheese Puffs recipe. Instead I did maybe a variation of them but a bit different. The cheese puffs are made similar to the way you make gougeres (French Cheese Puffs) But they come out more moist. I made 21 cheesy bites but they are very small so you will want to eat at least two a serving…maybe more?
Ingredients for around 8 servings
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs – slightly beaten
1 oz. aged cheddar cheese – grated
1 oz. fontina cheese – grated
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning or ( my blend a Tablespoon each of course sea salt, black pepper, dry basil, dry oregano, fennel seeds, 1/2 Tablespoon granulated garlic, 1/2 Tablespoon granulated onion, 1 small Calabrian chile crushed)
Add butter, sugar, salt, and half a cup water to a sauce pan on medium high heat. Add the flour and mix and cook till it becomes a ball.
Mix in the eggs little by little.
Add the Italian seasoning, bomba, cheddar cheese, and fontina cheese.
This goes in a pastry bag (with or without star tip)
You squirt out small amounts of dough that are around an inch in diameter.
pinch a good amount of parm cheese and place on top of each dough ball.
This goes in the PREHEATED 400 degree F oven for ten minutes. Then you turn down heat to 350F and let it go another 25 minutes. Mine weren’t done yet so I turned the heat down to 300 for another 10 minutes………I thought they still needed more time so I shut off the oven and let them stay in for another hour.
They got crispier but are still moist and cheesy tasting in the middle. Nice bright Italian spices.
Italian Flavored Cheesy Bites
I have to Thank Chef Palak Patel for her Everything Bagel-Spiced Cheese Puff Recipe that was an inspiration for what I came up with today!
Here’s a pretty easy and quick way to make a delicious rye crisp bread. I played around and came up with this. This makes three flat breads that you break into more servings. This make at least 6 servings
Ingredients for at least 6 servings
1 cup bread flour
3/4 cup dark rye flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon course sea salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + plus extra to either spray or brush the tops of flat breads
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
flake sea salt to taste to sprinkle on the tops of breads after oil is applied
Directions
Set oven to 475 degrees F and use only the middle rack.
In a medium-large bowl mix together the flours, baking powder, course sea salt, water, oil, and caraway seeds by hand using a fork. You don’t want this well mixed. You want it mixed enough to hold together but not perfect…….(this is how you get the layers) Divide this into three dough balls.
Take one dough ball and flatten it with your hands sandwiching it between a heavy duty parchment type baking sheet and plastic wrap.
Roll it flat.
Place dough on sheet on a baking sheet.
Remove plastic.
Either spray or brush with olive oil.
Sprinkle flake sea salt.
I forgot to photo this rolled out but it looked similar to a different flavored one in the picture below.
This goes on middle rack till lightly browned. In my oven this took 10 minutes but your oven may differ.
I came across this recipe for triple chocolate cookies somewhere. I had to make some changes to the recipe because it didn’t turn into a dough as written…..(Misprint?)….Then I made a few changes to improve the flavor.
Ingredients for around 38 cookies
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon course sea salt
8 oz sweet butter melted
1+1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs – slightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilia
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups 62% dark chocolate chunks or chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
non stick spray
12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips or chopped (for drizzling) ((YOU DON’T Need whole bag ……I used maybe slightly more than half)
sea salt flakes – for finishing
Directions
Preheat ocen to 375 F.
Spray a few sheet pans with non stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl mix everything except the chips and non stick spray (flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, cocoa, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon) Then mix in the chips.
Scoop of the dough in meatball size (around 1 + 1/2 ounces each) and space them on your sprayed sheet trays.
Use the middle two racks and put them in for 10 minutes and after 10 minutes switch the pans on the racks and depending on your oven and size of cookies they will need about 5-10 minutes more. You can kinda tell when they are done by gently feeling the top of cookie. If it feels raw then it is raw.
By now the cookies are out of the oven cooling…..You finish with a chocolate drizzle and a very light pinch of sea salt flakes. To do the drizzle microwave or boil water in a sauce pan till very hot or almost boiling. Put about a cup of chips in a smaller bowl and let them melt as they sit….Drizzle the cookies with a spoon or fork and do a very light sprinkle of sea salt flakes.
I came up with this recipe and it came out so tasty and so easy you will love it. You don’t have to use a piping bag like I did. I did mine with a professional sized tip and it was not real hard but some work to do. I found out on my 2nd try with a home cooks star tip that it was even harder because the tips are meant for frosting not dough. It’s easier and better to roll the dough. You can just roll the dough into 24 logs (half, half, half again, and so on). If you eat one then you have 24 servings. If you eat two at a sitting then you have 12 servings.
Ingredients for around 12 servings
3 ounces mature cheddar cheese (I buy the cheddar that Costco sells) – shredded
4 ounces flour
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
2+1/2 ounce sweet butter – melted
1 egg – lightly beaten
non stick spray.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl mix together all the ingredients (expect non stick spray) (cheddar, flour, smoked paprika, Old Bay Seasoning, butter, egg, baking powder)
Either pipe (with a large professional sized tip) or roll logs with the dough.
I piped and used a tip like this.
When you have your cheese straws made put the baking sheet on your middle rack and keep them in the oven until you start to brown. Ovens do differ and the size of your straw may differ. Mine took 25 minutes.
I got some sweet potatoes so I threw them in the oven with a little water to steam them till they got soft. Then I got the idea to make them into hand pies. I made them up real fast. I did have extra filling left over that you can heat and then eat. I got lots of compliments on my unique crust. If you mix it up by hand real fast like I did it comes out light and flaky like from a master baker.
Ingredients for around 10 servings
2 cups flour
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon course sea salt
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs separated (egg whites for inside dough for sealing and yolks for glazing)
1 lb sweet potatoes – cooked, peeled, and mashed
1 egg – lightly beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions
In a large bowl mix together the flour, oil, vinegar, salt, water, and baking powder. Make it into a short fat log and wrap with plastic wrap.
Mix together the sweet potato mixture (sweet potatoes, 1 egg, cinnamon, ginger, dark brown sugar, and sour cream. If it’s lumpy use a mixer.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Either divide into 10 equal pieces or pinch off around a golfball 1.5-2oz piece of dough and roll it thin and flat and close to a round shape.
Brush the whole top with egg white.
Add small scoop or teaspoon of sweet potato mixture.
Bring up ends together.
crimp ends with your fingers or just use a fork.
These all go on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Brush the tops with all of the egg yolks.
These go in the oven till golden……depending on your oven around 30-40 minutes.
This recipe is a TWEAKED version of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine Recipe for Laugenbrezeln (German Lye Pretzels) I decided that I wanted to make the pretzel recipe but a few things I had to change. I didn’t want to use lye because lye can be dangerous to use. (they do give an alternative baking soda suggestion). I changed the water temperature because room temperature water never comes out as well as making bread doughs with warmer water. The biggest change I made was to add malt flour to the dough and to add malt flour to the water dip simmer. Malt flour is the secret ingredient to Philly Pretzels and most bagels in Pennsylvania so I thought malt flour was an essential ingredient. Malt flour adds a special flavor, some color, and a little chewy sweetness to the dough….I bought malt flour from my local Asiana Market but I’m certain that it is easy to buy on-line. Serving size is difficult to judge. The original recipe made 6 pretzels. I made this recipe into 12 small buns. One might not be enough for you???? My husband and me shared one as soon as they got cool enough to eat…He said that they were really good (several times) he went back to eat a whole one. That means you will want one or two a person. I’ll say 12 servings because I meant them to be small buns.
Ingredients for around 12 servings
12+3/4 oz bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter – room temperature
1 Tablespoon malt flour
1 cup 100 degree F water
8 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda
2 Tablespoons malt flour
12 pinches course sea salt
non stick canola spray
Directions
Ad the bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt, yeast, butter,1 Tablespoon malt flour, 1 cup water to your bowl from your stand mixer. Mix it up by hand so the ingredients don’t fly all over. Then on medium low speed keep it mixing for around 6 minutes. Make sure you stop around three minutes to scrap down the bowl to make sure the dough gets mixed all the way threw. This mixture gets shaped into a ball and goes in a greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and wait till it doubles in size. Around an hour or so.
Divide the dough in 6 pieces. Do not add flour.
Roll each piece into a long log. You will have 6 long longs and make two braids.
Each braid gets cut in thirds.
Each third gets cut in half.
Then you put your hands kinda “C” shaped with your pinky fingers against the board with your dough and rock your hands around each dough ball to shape the dough round.
Then you spray plastic wrap and be sure to use the sprayed side against the dough so it doesn’t stick.
Leave this rest around an hour.
Set your oven to 475F and spray a couple baking sheets with canola non stick spray. Set the pans to the side.
In a big pot (you might have bubble over problems)…..add the 8 cups of water, baking soda, 2 Tablespoons malt flour and mix well. Bring this to boil and then lower it to simmer. Drop about 4 dough balls at a time. For around 30 seconds and then turn them over and do 30 seconds again. Then use a slotted spoon to get them out and shake off all the water that you can before you place them spread out on sprayed baking sheets.
As you get them on baking sheets don’t forget to add a pinch of course sea salt onto each one.
They go on the middle & bottom rack of your preheated 475 degree oven for around 10 minutes and get turned over for another 2 or 3 minutes.
Pretzel Buns
I have to say that these pretzel buns came out CRAZY FORKING AMAZING!
My husband said I should sell them to a certain restaurant in metro Phoenix that offers baked pretzels that aren’t nearly as good.
Fluffy, soft, chewy, slightly moist inside with good tasting salt and a little crunch on the exterior.
Pretzel Buns
A Special THANKS!!!! To Cook’s Illustrated Magazine for their GREAT Recipe so I could come up with what you see here.
I’m baking less these days but was thinking that over the years I baked many delicious breads here. One thing I learned about baking bread is that all recipes for bread are not accurate. I know almost every time I follow a bread recipe I always have to make adjustments. Every brand of flour is ground different and produces different results. Also when you measure some people pack more flour into a cup than other people. There are other factors that also produce different results such as altitude, humidity, different ovens. The good news is that once you make your first really nice bread you almost don’t need a recipe for bread because you will learn quick what the dough should feel like. He are the breads. My apologies in advance if the recipe isn’t 100% accurate because of different brands of flour or other factors.
Up top is a beautiful classic boule bread.
Next one is dukkah feta cheese and barberry bread.
I was braising chicken in my oven and according to my thermometer my chicken was at 180 degrees. I noticed that it didn’t look done. Then I noticed blood running out of the chicken so I knew my thermometer wasn’t working accurately.
Then I thought my chicken was taking much longer to get done than normal so I wanted to get the temperature of my oven. I had two oven thermometers and they both gave me different readings. I figured my thermometers are old so maybe I need a new one? I ran to Ace Hardware and bought a new oven thermometer. WOW I got a another different temperature. My husband did some research into oven thermometers. According to Cook’s Illustrated the CDN Brand are highly recommended so we bought two of them since I have a double oven.
I put all 5 thermometers in my lower oven that I set for 350 degrees F roast. I let my oven run for around 20 minutes before I took a reading.
This is what I got.
New Taylor Thermometer from ACE read around 300 degrees F
NEW CDN Thermometer read around 320 degrees F
other NEW CDN Thermometer read around 276 degrees F
Old Thermometer read around 335 degrees F
other old thermometer read around 350 degrees F
I got between around 276 – around 350 degrees F
Now I will see what my top oven reads. I set it at 350 roast.
My New Taylor Thermometer reads around 280 degrees F
New CDN reads around 298 F
Other new CDN reads around 278 F
Old thermometer reads around 340 F
other old thermometer reads around 340 F
I got between 280 – 340 F reading on my upper oven set at 350 roast.
I’m thinking maybe I don’t FORKING NEED a thermometer? I shouldn’t get hot and bothered about this……..I have to just cook till the food is done.
The Forking Truth is that your thermometer (and your oven) might not be accurate.
