It is has been a very long time since I have posted. My personal life has been in chaos for almost the past year now but I am trying to come back to my new reality and get my mojo back. Baking has just become part of my routine again in the past month or so and this no-knead focaccia has been a fan favourite amongst my friends. So I decided I had better get to it and write a post after many requests for the recipe.
Bread
Montreal Style Bagels
I have been making all of my own bread during this pandemic and we were getting a little tired of toast in the morning. So today I decided it was time to tackle bagels again and specifically Montreal Style Bagels. We have been several times to the Byward Market in Ottawa and the bagels there are the best I have ever had so to try and copy those was my mission.
Flaky Cheese Crackers
Have you ever wondered if you could make really good flaky cheese crackers at home instead of having to purchase a box from the grocery store? Then when you look at that box it has a list of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Well wonder no more! You can make really good flaky cheese crackers at home! The best part is that you may have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
Pumpkin Apple Loaf with Crumble Topping
The calendar says that today is the first day of Fall, but the thermometer says it is 26ºC! Record breaking temperatures here for the next few days – finally summer has arrived! But the pumpkins are in the grocery stores so that means baking must include roasted pumpkin. Pumpkin Apple Loaf with Crumble Topping has 3 healthy ingredients in it – pumpkin, banana and apple so indulge yourself.
Oatmeal Honey No-Knead Bread
If you are looking for an easy recipe for a crusty and satisfying loaf of bread – this is the one! Oatmeal Honey No-Knead bread is definitely easy but it is also a little time consuming but so worth it. I wanted to make a bread to go with the home-made Tomato Macaroni Soup we were going to be having for dinner so it needed to be substantial. The dough was mixed together by 9 a.m. and the final loaves came out of the oven and 1 p.m. so 4 hours in total, but probably only 20-30 minutes of hands-on work.
Rhubarb Loaf
It is finally spring and that means all things rhubarb coming your way. Rhubarb is one of my favourite flavours to use in baking and it is best used fresh not frozen. This recipe for Rhubarb Loaf is one that I posted last spring but I have lightened it up and reduced the sweetness so that this loaf is now a perfect breakfast. Rhubarb is technically a vegetable so eating it for breakfast is definitely a good thing. Those little red gems of tartness add amazing taste but definitely need a little sugar to make the flavour zing.
White Bread
I have been blogging about baking for more than a year now and just today I realized that I haven’t posted my every day recipe for White Bread. Yes I know White Bread isn’t very healthy but really what tastes better than fresh bread spread with butter and topped with home made jelly or jam? Not much in my books. At least there is no preservatives or ingredients that you can’t pronounce in this loaf. This is my go-to recipe for dinner rolls as well – it is very versatile. This White Bread is also fantastic toasted spread with your favourite topping which in my case would be peanut butter and crabapple jelly.
No-Knead Country Bread
This recipe for No-Knead Country bread has turned my bread baking world upside down! When I first saw this recipe I thought why would anyone bake bread in a pot? But after trying it I can definitely see why and I am quite sure I will continue doing it for years to come. It is such a wonderful bread I am going to see if I can find a rectangular covered pot so I can make an actual loaf shape – not that there was anything wrong with the round loaf. But it does make for a good excuse to buy another cast-iron pan.
Oatmeal Molasses Bread
It is bread making season! Saturday morning, the cold October winds are blowing and it is raining…..time to put a pot of chicken and barley soup on. That is the definition of a dreary autumn day here in Northern Ontario. But the upside is that the house is going to smell wonderful. Now we need some fresh bread to go with that simmering pot of soup. Today’s bread is going to be hearty, stick to your ribs sort of bread. This bread is an old-fashioned bread made with oatmeal, molasses and some whole wheat flour. If you have only all-purpose flour you can use that as well.
Cheese Buns
All of the members of our household are big cheese lovers. One of our favourites is Asiago. It is quite a strong cheese and the older and drier it gets, the better it tastes. So when deciding on a cheese to add to bread dough to make cheese buns, it really was quite an easy decision to make. Asiago it was!
Even the smell of the dough rising filled the house with the aroma of cheese. Once the dough hit the heat of the oven even the dog starting whining. I knew then this was going to be a good choice.
Once they were baked, it was very difficult letting them cool before we devoured them. There was left over roast chicken and baby spinach in the fridge, so that was put to good use in building these cheese bun sandwiches. After a busy morning finishing taking the dock out the boys had a very satisfying lunch of chicken salad on fresh cheese buns. They made short order of this stack….I was lucky to get pictures!
These buns would be great along with a pasta dinner or a barbecued steak and salad. Feel free to use any shredded hard cheese of your liking in this recipe. An old cheddar would also be wonderful. Don’t omit the hot sauce though. It doesn’t give any kick to the buns, just enhances the flavour of the cheese. I think it is the secret ingredient that makes these cheese buns stand out.
Cheese Buns
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Tammy
Serves: 24 buns
Ingredients
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1½ c warm water (105℉ to 115℉)
- 2¼ tsp dry yeast
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 egg
- 2½ cups shredded Asiago or Old Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 4½ - 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg- for brushing tops
Instructions
- In bowl of stand mixer add sugar and warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.
- Add oil, hot sauce and egg. Mix well. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese and the parmesan cheese.
- Add 4 cups of flour and salt. Mix with dough hook until soft dough forms, adding ½ to 1 cup more of flour until dough ball forms.
- Transfer dough to oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Turn dough out onto floured surface and punch down. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, reserving 2 tablespoons for topping. Knead cheese in. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Form into balls and place on the parchment lined baking sheets at least 2 inches apart and 12 to a sheet.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Whisk egg and with a pastry brush, brush tops of buns and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake on bottom rack for about 20 minutes until tops are golden.
- Transfer immediately from pan to cooling rack.