Basic White Bread

Hi Steiner Staff!

Some of you asked for the recipe for Snakes and for Pizza Rolls.  Well, I don't actually have a recipe for those.  It's pretty much white bread with stuff in it.  So here's the basic bread "recipe" (which is really more like instructions), and I'll give instructions for the specialty stuff at the end.

  First of all, when you make bread, remember this: 

• One cup of liquid (milk, water, broth, juice) will make one loaf of bread or eight to twelve rolls (depending on how big you make the rolls). 
• For every one cup of liquid you need to add one teaspoon of yeast.
• For every one cup of liquid you need to add one teaspoon of salt.
• Oil and sugar depend on your taste.
• NEVER add all the flour at once.  When I first add flour, I generally add one cup more than the liquid I started with (so if you used one cup of water, start with two cups of flour)—and I use heaping cups. Stir that in, then add a cup at a time until the dough seems about right—sticky, but like bread dough.  Any additional flour you need will be spread on the counter/table and kneaded in—again, you'll add a little at a time.

If you remember those guidelines you can make bread all day long without a recipe.

BASIC WHITE BREAD

1 cup warm water (or other liquid)—about like a nice, soothing bath temperature.
2 - 4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 - 4 Tbsp. oil (cooking oil or butter—I always used butter at camp, and I didn't measure it at all.  I just chucked in a glop of butter.)3 - 5 cups flour

1. Stir warm water, sugar and yeast together in a biggish bowl.  Let yeast proof (this means it will get all foamy and bubbly-looking—it takes about five minutes).
2. Add salt and oil; stir in.
3. Add two heaping cups of flour; stir (use a large mixing spoon or rubber spatula.  I prefer the rubber spatula myself).
4. Continue adding flour about 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon.  (If you're doubling, tripling or making ten times this recipe, add the flour about 1 cup at a time.) 
5. When the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon, then you start mixing it by hand.
6. Generously dust your table or counter with flour.
7. Dump the dough onto the floury table and begin kneading.  You do this by folding the dough in half, pulling the far edge toward you, then pressing down hard on it to seal it closed (you might even press it a few times).  Turn about a quarter turn and repeat; fold; press; fold, etc. You are finished when the dough is like a smooth ball, and very elastic—this takes me about five to ten minutes; you might take longer at first.
8. Scrape the gunk out of your mixing bowl, oil the bowl lightly and put the dough back into the bowl. Turn it to coat with oil on all sides. 
9. Cover with a damp towel and let rise about an hour, or until it's about doubled in bulk.
10. Spray a bread/loaf pan with cooking spray (PAM, etc.).  Make sure you get the corners.
11. Punch down the dough.
12. Shape dough into a loaf and place in the greased pan.  Let rise 30 to 60 minutes—until it's about doubled.
13. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
14. Bake loaf for about 35 to 40 minutes; remove from oven to a heat-proof surface.
15. Dump the loaf out of the pan and it's ready to eat (although easier to slice if you wait a bit!).

You can easily double, triple, or even octuple this recipe. :-)

YUM!
HAM & CHEESE ROLLS (or Pizza Rolls)

In addition to the basic bread ingredients, you'll need:
grated cheddar cheese and
some diced ham 
or
spaghetti sauce/pizza sauce
grated mozzarella cheese
chopped pepperoni

Follow the bread recipe up to instruction 9. Then:

10. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
11. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick.
12. Sprinkle the dough with grated cheese but leave about a 2-inch space bare, along one of the long edges.
13. Sprinkle ham over the cheese.

14. Starting with the long, cheese-covered edge, roll the whole thing up into a log (cinnamon-roll style). 

15. Pinch the long edge closed.

16. Use a piece of heavy thread or dental floss to slice into 10 to 12 rolls. (You can use a sharp knife, but the thread works beautifully and the rolls look nicer. Just slide a 10 to 15-inch length floss under the roll about one inch. Wrap the ends around the roll, let the ends cross over and keep pulling until the floss has cut all the way through the roll.)
17. Place the rolls onto the greased cookie sheet and let rise until about doubled.
18. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
19. Bake rolls for 25 to 30 minutes.
20. Remove from oven and eat them hot.

For Pizza Rolls, spread sauce, then mozzarella cheese, then pepperoni over the rolled out dough.  Be sure to leave the 2-inch blank space or the dough won't stick closed. Rise and bake as for ham & cheese rolls.



SNAKES!

This is easy.  Use the same ingredients as for Ham & Cheese Rolls, or Pizza Rolls.  OR I've also done sliced beef with barbecue sauce & Swiss cheese, or turkey with whatever cheese sounds good at the moment.  Just choose whatever sounds good in a hot sandwich.
Plus you'll need a couple eggs and some food coloring.

Make the bread just like basic bread dough—one whole snake takes about six times the recipe (6 cups water, 6 tsp. yeast, etc.).  After the first rising, divide the dough into three semi-equal pieces and roll each piece into a rectangle about 10-inches by 16 to 20-inches. Put the filling on each rolled-out piece just like for Ham & Cheese Rolls, and roll it up but do not slice it.   Pinch the ends closed, too.  Put the roll onto the greased cookie sheet and shape it kind of like an S. (Make sure all three pieces bend in the same direction.)

For every color you want to paint onto your snake you need to mix:
1 egg
1 Tbsp. water
food coloring

Use these colored egg mixtures to paint your snake pieces in stripes or whatever strikes your fancy.  Stripes are easiest.
Poke two fingers down into the dough on the head end, where you want to put the eyes.  Stick a couple of olive slices in the eye sockets you just made.

Bake each snake section at 350 for about 25 to 30 minutes.  Generally my snakes explode in the oven and some of their innards ooze out.  That's OK.  Just cut off the leaked-out stuff before you remove the snake section from it's baking sheet.

Lay the snake pieces out so they're touching, and look like a big, long snake.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

A lot of people think cheesecake must be really difficult to make. I think this is because it is so rich, and because it costs so much to buy just a single slice of cheesecake. But, actually, cheesecake is a very easy dessert to make. (I should quit telling people how easy it is to make my recipes, and just open up shop somewhere!)

When I first made this double chocolate cheesecake, I wondered if the white chocolate would make a difference—there's so much more cream cheese than chocolate. But you really can taste the white chocolate and it's delightful.

Perhaps in tribute to my absolute favorite part of this recipe, it should be called Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. Because the chocolate-hazelnut crust is a different chocolate flavor from the cake itself, or the ganache topping. And this crust is to - die - for! Seriously, I could just spoon it up and eat it by itself. (Or it could make a really nice ice-cream topping.)

In the photo, my cake is topped with white chocolate curls, which made it look very elegant. I'm not telling you how to make them though, because it would be a very lengthy explanation. I'll bet you could find directions online somewhere if you tried.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

CRUST:
2 cups Nabisco Famous Wafer crumbs
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

FILLING:
10 oz. white chocolate

4 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
5 large eggs
5 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
5 Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

GANACHE TOPPING:
12 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped (no pieces bigger than 1/4-inch)
1 cup heavy cream

Line the bottom of a 9 to 10-inch springform pan with foil; tuck foil underneath pan bottom, assemble pan, then tighten the foil up the sides of the pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper, the size of the pan bottom, and place in the bottom of the pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

For the crust: In food processor, blend crumbs, nuts and sugar until hazelnuts are ground fine. Add butter and combine well. Press into bottom and halfway up sides of prepared pan. Bake at 325-degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour and the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, melt the white chocolate; stir until smooth. In a slow stream, add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture, beating, until filling is well combined.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust. Place the cheesecake into a roasting pan [actually I use my deep-dish pizza pan]. Set the roasting pan in the oven and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Bake for about one hour--until a thin knife comes out pretty darn clean. Turn off the heat and keep the oven door ajar, leaving the cake in the oven for one more hour.
Remove the pan from the water bath and fold the foil down away from the sides of the pan. Place on a cooling rack and let cake cool to room temperature.
Now you can put it into the fridge.

For the topping: Place the chocolate pieces in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, but do not let it boil. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate pieces. Tap the bowl on the counter to settle the cream into the chocolate, then let it sit for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir, being careful not to incorporate a lot of air into the ganache. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes.
Let the ganache cool--so it's cool to touch, but not set-up.
Do not remove the sides from the springform pan until the cake is topped, and the ganache has a chance to set up!
Pour ganache over the top of the cooled cheesecake; spread evenly.
Refrigerate until the topping is set (give it a couple of hours), then remove the springform sides. Return to refrigerator until 1/2 to 1-hour before serving.

Thoroughly decadent!

Cheddar Chowder

I suppose if I'm going to gripe about whether or not people read this blog, then I ought to at least post something to read once in a while. So here's a recipe that's a family favorite--I mean everyone in my family likes it!
No, I take that back. Kaylie refuses to eat anything that's called "soup" (or anything like unto it). But I bet she'd like it if she'd actually taste it. :-)

CHEDDAR CHOWDER

1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
water
chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
2-3 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (sometimes I throw in a pinch of pepper-jack, just for kicks)
1 cup diced ham

Put onions, celery, carrots and potatoes into a big soup pot. Measure in enough water just to cover the veggies (probably 3-4 cups). Add one bouillon cube per cup of water you've put in. [Oh no! Did you forget to MEASURE the water? :) ] Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender.
In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and flour. Add to the soup and mix in thoroughly. Then add the milk and stir until smooth [well, actually it's kind of chunky because of the vegetables; oh well]. Add cheese and ham and stir until cheese is completely melted. Serve right away. Preferably with hot bread--in fact, this soup is just the right kind to put into bread bowls--Yum!

Veggie Lasagna

Yesterday was Bruce's birthday; he is 40 (and better than ever!). We had a surprise dinner party--and, yes, he really was surprised! (Thanks, Family!) Once again, I used a house full of guests as guinea pigs to try out a new recipe; a vegetable lasagna, this time. The lasagna got praised all over the place, so here is the recipe. Well, I didn't have a sauce recipe--I just kind of made up my own, but I'll do my best to give you something.

And now, here is the recipe:

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Sauce:
1 tsp. olive oil
salt
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes

left-over roast beef, a piece about half the size of your fist should do it (optional, but it makes a yummy sauce)

1 cup chicken broth
about 2 Tbsp. basil, or to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. oregano (optional)
other herbs (thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, etc.) to taste (optional)
1 bay leaf
2-3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 can black olives, drained

Cheese Filling:
1 lb. fat free ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded reduced-fat mozarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
black pepper
nutmeg

Veggie Filling:
1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
12 oz. zucchini, slice 1/4-inch thick
1 (10 oz.) package broccoli florets, thawed to room temperature

Lasagna:
*12 no-boil lasagna noodles (look for Ronzoni or Barilla)--about an 8-oz. package

*I made my lasagna the day before I baked it, but I think the noodles absorbed too much liquid by the time they'd sat in the sauce overnight and then baked for two hours. (Yes, two hours--I made a double-sized lasagna, and it needed more time to cook after being completely refrigerated. For a regular-sized one [like this recipe], I'd cook it for about 1 hour and 15 minutes after it's been refrigerated.) Anyway, if you want to prepare your lasagna a day ahead I would recommend using regular noodles. Boil them for about 9 minutes and drain them well before you assemble the lasagna. Refrigerate over-night and don't forget to cook it longer than 45 minutes. :-)

Sauce: Combine olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and onion in a large sauce-pot and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook about 30 seconds. Add one can of tomatoes; squish the tomatoes with a potato-masher. Blend or process the other can of tomatoes until almost smooth; add to the sauce. Add the roast beef, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf and any other herbs. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender enough to shred with a fork; 3-4 hours. Remove the beef from the pot, shred it and return it to the pot. Remove the bay leaf. Add the tomato paste, stirring until it's completely blended in. If the sauce has reduced a lot, add some tomato sauce to it. Stir in the olives.

Cheese Filling: Mix the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg together until thoroughly combined. [I find that this is easiest to do if you just stick your hands right in it and mix it like you would do cookie dough.]

Veggie Filling: Combine mushrooms, 1 tsp. olive oil and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large, non-stick skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 8 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook until all of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl; set aside.

Add the remaining teaspoon olive oil to the skillet and return to high heat until just smoking. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring often, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl; set aside.

Squeeze as much liquid out of the broccoli as you possibly can. Chop into small pieces; set aside.

To Assemble and Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour about 1 1/2 cups sauce into the bottom of the pan. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, spaced evenly apart. Put about 1/3 cup cheese filling on each noodle and spread evenly over the noodles [I use my fingers to spread it around--easier.] Scatter the mushrooms evenly over the cheese filling, then spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the mushrooms. Repeat this layering two more times, substituting the broccoli and the zucchini for the mushrooms. (Each vegetable has its own layer.)

Lay the last three noodles on the top; spread the remaining sauce evenly over the noodles, making sure to cover the edges. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozarella cheese over the top.

Spray a piece of foil with cooking-spray and cover the lasagna tightly. Place the pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any stuff that spills over) and *bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Delicious!