Summertime Basil and Garlic Bread - Cookbook Countdown Specials : BAKE!

Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake is a baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  This is a "spin-off" from our on-going monthly Cookbook Countdown. Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake is for baking desserts ; pastries, cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, breads. While the monthly Cookbook Countdown is to use from one selected cookbook each month, for CC Specials : Bake, you may use any baking cookbooks of your choice, either from one single cookbook or from numerous books. The link is open from July to end September. You may link your post here. Do join us, everyone is welcome!

To link to Cookbook Countdown Specials : BAKE, click here

To link to Cookbook Countdown #8, click here

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This bread uses fresh basil leaves and garlic which are coarsely processed with some olive oil and leave to stand for at least an hour for the flavours to blend. And yes, the flavours really came through. It smells incredibly herby and garlicky, very fragrant. This Basil and Garlic Oil would be great as a dip for crusty bread and over pasta. 

Fresh basil leaves are coarsely processed with the garlic, and blend in the oil. Leave the mixture aside for at least an hour for the flavours to blend.

Then use it to make this lovely bread!

Right after baking, I brushed some melted butter over.

Smells really good!

The bread is very moist and soft. It smells garlicky good. If you are a garlic lover, you would like this bread.

Our lunch, with some mushroom soup. 

Summertime Basil and Garlic Bread
(adapted from "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig)
Makes 1 loaf of 750gm or 12 rolls
2 tsp granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 cup lukewarm water (85F to 95F)
1/2 cup basil and garlic oil **refer below
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
1-1/2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

1. Add sugar, salt, water and oil to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.
2. Select Dough Cycle and press Start.
3. Grease a 9-inch round metal cake pan.
4. When the cycle is finished, transfer dough to a floured surface and punch down gently. Flour your hands and pinch off 12 portions of dough. Form each portion into a ball.
5. Place in prepared pan and sprinkle with 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (180C). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until risen and lightly browned on top and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a roill registers 190F (90C). Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Basil and Garlic Oil
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil

1. In a food processor, process basil and garlic for 30 seconds or until very finely chopped but not pureed. With the motor running, slowly drizzle oil through the feed tube, process until well combined.
2. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let stand for at least 1 hour to blend the flavours.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake
 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Sweet Orange Swirl Bread

If you are looking for a sweet, soft and fluffy bread, try this lovely Sweet Orange Swirl Bread. This is another wonderful recipe from Judith Fertig's book, "The Artisan Bread Machine".  Very easy to make, especially if you have the handy-dandy bread machine! The dough is mixed in the bread machine right up to the first rising, then the dough is taken out to be shaped and rise in the baking pan.

1. The ingredients are mixed in the bread machine, and let the machine do its work right up to the first rising. The dough is enriched with eggs and butter. Remove the dough from the bread machine when done, and place on a lightly floured working surface. It is soft but not sticky, and very easy to work with. The feel and texture of the dough is similar to that of a brioche.  Punch down gently and roll it out to the size of 9x12-inch, the shorter length facing you.
2. The filling is made by mixing some softened butter, orange zest, sugar and salt. Spread the filling on the rolled dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Roll it up, pinch the seam and ends to close.
3. Place the dough, seam side down on the prepared pan. Cover with a greased cling wrap and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
4. It has risen significantly well at the end of 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180F for about 40 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, I tent the top with foil as it is getting too brown. Continue to bake for another 10 minutes until the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped with your fingers. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove bread and let cool on wire rack completely.

The only changes I've made was to reduce the sugar for the dough to 1/3 cup, it turns out just right, with a hint of sweetness without being overly sweet. If you prefer your sweet bread to be sweeter, use the full amount as indicated in the recipe. Also, I have used only 2 tbsp sugar for the filling, and it was just right too. I have used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. 

Good enough to eat it on its own, it does not need any jam or butter, already tasty on its own. And great with either a cup of warm coffee or tea! I had it with coffee for breakfast and another slice with a cup of warm tea in the late afternoon, when I took a moment to sit back and relax! 

Can you see the texture of this bread. It really is so very soft, very fluffy and yummy with the orange filling! And the best thing is, it stays as soft and fluffy the very next day too!

Sweet Orange Swirl Bread
(adapted from "The Artisan Bread Machine", Judith Fertig)
Makes 1 loaf
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use 1/3 cup)
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup lukewarm buttermilk (I use mixture of homemade yoghurt + milk)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
1-1/2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

Orange Filling :
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I use 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1/8 tsp salt (omitted, as butter is salted)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

Bread machine with a 2-lb (1kg) capacity
Grease a 9x5-inch metal loaf pan, or lined with parchment paper.

1. Add sugar, salt, eggs, buttermilk and butter to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.
2. Select the Dough cycle and press Start.
3. Filling : In a bowl, using a fork, combine sugar, orange zest, salt and butter until smooth. Set aside.
4. When the cycle is finished, transfer dough to a floured surface and punch down gently. Roll out into a 12-by-9-inch rectangle.
5. Spread filling over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch perimeter. Starting with a short end, roll dough into a cylinder. Pinch the seam and ends closed.
6. Place loaf, seam side down, in the prepared loaf pan. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (180C).
7. Bake for about 40 minutes or until risen and lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190f (90C). Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to the rack and let cool for 1 hour.

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This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Bake For Happy Kids, and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Ann of Anncoo Journal . 

and 

Cook-Your-Books #11 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

Classic Butter Crust Bread

The thought of having some plain white bread with homemade jam for a simple nice breakfast, finds me looking for a simple, fuss-free white bread that is very easy and quick to make. Of course, for quick and easy bread, I always find myself reaching out to one of my favourite bread machine books, "The Artisan Bread Machine". And again, this recipe from Judith Fertig is a winner. This book never fails to amaze me with the recipes that I've tried. They have all turned out great and this is one of them.

The recipe is meant for the bread machine, from the mixing right up to the baking. But I have always prefer to finish the baking in the oven, as I hate to have the bread machine paddle stuck into the otherwise perfect looking bread! So for this, I have done what I usually do, mix the dough using the bread machine, remove the dough after the first rising, shape it and leave it to rise in a greased loaf pan, and proceed with the baking in the oven. 

This is one lovely bread. It has a soft crust and the bread texture is so, so soft and very tasty, good enough to eat it on its own. The only changes I've made was to replace the buttermilk with full cream milk, and to reduce the salt slightly to 1 teaspoon (original is 1-1/2 teaspoon). 

Can you see how soft and moist this bread is?  Perfect when you need some plain simple white bread that is a breeze to make. It stays soft on the next day, and I finished the last two pieces on the third day, and it stays just as soft. Very nice eaten with homemade jam. A definite keeper recipe. Make one today, you would be glad you did! 

I'm sharing this with :

See Ya In The Gumbo hosted by Ms. enPlace
Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen Country Cottage

This is linked to Cook-Your-Books, hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours

Classic Butter Crust Bread
(adapted from "The Artisan Bread Machine", Judith Fertig)
Makes one 1-1/2 lb (750gm) loaf
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt (I use 1 tsp)
1 cup lukewarm buttermilk (I use milk)
3 tbsp butter, softened
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
1-1/2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

Topping
2 tbsp butter, melted

To make in the bread machine

Add sugar, salt, buttermilk and butter to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.

Select the Basic/White Cycle and the Light Crust setting and press Start.

Topping : After the final rise and just before baking, press Pause. Raise the lid, cut a 1/2-inch (1 cm) slash down the length or across the top of the loaf and brush with melted butter. Close the lid and press Start to continue the Cycle.

Kitchen Flavours notes :

To bake in the oven : Place sugar, salt, milk and butter to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast. Select Basic Dough Cycle, press Start. (which takes 1 hours 35 minutes inclusive of first rising). When machine beeps at end of cycle, remove dough and place on lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough to the length of the loaf pan, roll it up, tuck the ends under, and place in the greased 8-1/2"x4-1/2" loaf pan, cover loosely with greased cling wrap and leave to rise until doubled in size. Remove cling wrap, make a slash down the length of the dough, brush with melted butter and bake at 175C for 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely on wire rack.

#51/100

Herbed Pumpkin Roll

I'm back! Thank you, for all the Chinese New Year wishes! I hope that my Chinese friends had a great festive Chinese New Year with your families and friends. Chinese New Year is not over yet, we still have another 9 days more to go to Chap Goh Mei! But it will be back to daily routine for us when school starts on Monday, yeah, the kids are grumbling! Me, I'm smiling! Hahaha!  :o)

I'm sharing today, a herbed pumpkin roll which I've made a few weeks ago.

Clearing my pantry : from the freezer, pumpkin puree. I am slowly clearing my freezer, I have bookmarked many recipes which I intended to try, to use up all that frozen egg whites "hibernating" in my freezer, some frozen berries and pumpkin puree too.

There are quite a number of recipes using pumpkin puree which I've bookmarked, and since I wanted some buns or rolls for our sandwich at lunchtime, I decided to make these Herbed Pumpkin Rolls. 

Herbed Pumpkin Rolls

I've  use my homemade pumpkin puree which I've frozen in 1-cup containers. Simply thaw the frozen pumpkin puree in the refrigerator overnight, place your frozen pumpkin puree container on a plate to catch any excess moisture.

The dough for the rolls is kneaded in the bread machine, right up to the first rising. Then the dough is removed, proceed with the shaping of rolls and final rising before they are baked. The dried herbs used are basil and thymes. I have omitted the black pepper.

This recipe makes 12 rolls. I've made 6 rolls with sesame seeds scattered over the top and leave the other 6 plain. I brushed the top of six rolls with some melted butter and scatter the sesame seeds on top. The seeds do not stay in place for long, after baking, most of them fell off.  Next time I'll leave the buns plain, they look much nicer that way too!

We had the rolls eaten as burger buns sandwiched with fluffy egg rounds. Eggs are beaten lightly with a pinch of salt, coarse black pepper powder, some chives from the garden, a tablespoon of milk, grated cheddar cheese and some chopped sandwich ham. These are cooked using the egg ring mould, refer to the instructions from the recipe below.

Fluffy Egg Rounds, cooked till brown, like an "egg burger", or ....

Fluffy Egg Rounds, cooked just done

Herbed Pumpkin Roll

It has a soft texture and a gorgeous sunny colour from the pumpkin.

A soft, nice golden brown crust.

Herbed Pumpkin Roll with Fluffy Egg Round, garnish with some slices of cucumber, tomato and add your favourite mayonnaise, chili sauce or mustard, your choice! My kids had slices of cheese in between. 

The rolls are not as soft on the second day, simply cut them in half, as above, spread with a little butter on the cut  surface and heat them up in a frying pan over very low heat for a few minutes, they will be very soft once again. Add your favourite filling and enjoy your breakfast. We had the rolls with some sliced ham the next day.

I'm sharing this post with :
Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes
BYOB, Bake Your Own Bread hosted by Roxana's Home Baking

Herbed Pumpkin Rolls

(adapted from "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig)
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried rosemary or thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (I omit this)
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

1. In a small saucepan, scald milk over medium-high heat, until small bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar and butter. Transfer to the bread pan and let cool to lukewarm (between 86F and 95F/30C and 35C).
2. Add salt, basil, rosemary, pepper, egg and pumpkin to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.
3. Select the Dough Cycle and press Start
4. When the cycle is finished, transfer dough to a floured surface and punch down gently. Divide dough in half. Cut each half into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place at least 2 inches (5cm) apart on prepared baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F (190C).
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until risen and browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a roll registers 190F (90C).

Fluffy Egg Rounds
by kitchen flavours
4 eggs
1 tbsp milk
pinch of salt
dash of coarse black pepper
2 slices sandwich ham, cut to small pieces
4 tbsps grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsps chopped fresh chives

1. Beat eggs and salt lightly. Add in the rest of the ingredients, beat lightly to combine. 
2. Brush egg ring mould all over with oil to prevent eggs from sticking to rings. Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat, brush with base with oil. Place egg ring mould on saucepan and heat for a minute.
3. Scoop some egg mixture into ring mould until almost full, it will puff up a little later on. Turn heat to lowest setting, cover saucepan and let cook for about 3-4 minutes or until egg has set. 
4. Slowly but gently turn ring mould over and cook the other side of egg for another minute or two. Remove ring mould. Remove egg to a plate. Serve immediately with your favourite rolls or buns as a sandwich filling.

#17/100

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Clearing my pantry : dried blueberries. I made this bread many months ago, when I found a small pack of dried blueberries in my fridge that I have completely forgotten about. Browsed thru some of  my bread books for a recipe and so happy to see that I have the exact amount of 2/3 cup for this recipe! If you're looking for a sweet (well, slightly sweet) bread that you can enjoy on its own or with a spread of butter, this bread would be a lovely one to try. It is a nice, soft,  no-fuss, simple sweet bread to be enjoyed with a cup of tea.

This bread was meant to be baked in the bread machine, of course as usual, I use the bread machine to do the kneading and then shape it into a loaf and finish off the baking in my oven. The stars in this bread are obviously lemons and dried blueberries. According to the book, in order to avoid staining the dough with the colour of blueberries, dried blueberries are used, as you can see from the photos above, even though I've used dried blueberries, a few minutes after I've added them in, I saw the dough turning from white to the tinge of blue as the machine continues to  knead the dough. But then, I'm not concerned with that. And it smells really lemony nice while the bread is being proved in the bread machine.

I used a 9x5-inch loaf pan to bake the loaf for 35 minutes at 175C .

A lovely bread, with specks of lemon zest in every slice. Soft, moist and good enough eaten on its own. And it stays soft too the next day, just wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place in an airtight container.

I'm sharing this with :
See Ya In The Gumbo hosted by Ms. enPlace
Tea Time Treats hosted by Lavender and Lovage and What Kate Baked

Lemon Blueberry Bread
(adapted from : "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig)
Makes 1 loaf (750gm)
2/3 cup milk
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large egg, beaten
1 large egg yolk, beaten
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
1-1/2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast
2/3 cup dried blueberries

1. In a small saucepan, scald milk, over medium-high heat until small bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and stir in butter and sugar. Tansfer to the bread pan and let cool to lukewarm (between 86F and 95F/30C and 35C).
2. Add salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast. Place blueberries in the dispenser (or add at the "add ingredient" or "mix in" signal).
3. Select the Sweet or Fruit & Nut cycle and press Start. When the cycle is finished, transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour.

Kitchen Flavour's notes :

~ I use bread flour instead of AP.

~ Follow instructions up to step 2, select Basic Dough cycle (my machine takes 1hour 35 minutes for this cycle, first rise in machine and punch down by machine), remove dough to a lightly floured work surface, dough is slightly sticky, just sprinkle lightly with flour, roll out to 9" square and roll up dough like a swiss roll. Place in a greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Cover with a lightly greased plastic cling wrap loosely and leave to rise about 30 minutes until risen, about 1-1/2 inch above pan level. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 175C.

~ Bake for about 35 minutes until done. 

#10/100

Braided Challah

Challah has been one of the bread that I have always wanted to make. When I've read that Breaking Bread Society has featured "Challah" as the bread for the month of July, I knew that this is the time for me to get my Challah in the oven!  I went through my bread baking books, and have about half a dozen different Challah recipes. It is not easy picking out which recipe when I have one too many! Finally, I settled for this easy bread machine recipe from my favourite bread machine baking book "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig.

Challah is an egg-enriched bread, sometimes with honey as one of its main ingredients. Most recipes that I've read calls for 2-3 number of eggs, but this recipe uses only 1 egg for 1 medium loaf. This recipe has the option of baking the bread in the full cycle of the bread machine or another option of mixing the dough in the bread machine, shapped into a braid or make into a round by hand and finished off the baking in the oven. Of course, as usual, I let the bread machine do all the mixing and kneading, take out the dough, braid it and bake it in the oven.

I use the Basic Dough setting in my bread machine, which takes 1 hour 35 minutes, right up to the first rise and "punched down" by the machine. I added in about 1/3 cup of bread flour at the first 10 minutes of kneading time, as I find that the dough is really wet.

At the end of the cycle, the dough is placed on a lightly floured working surface, divide into three and roll each piece into a 16" rope. The dough was a little sticky, I sprinkled with a light dusting of flour and it was easier to work with. Line the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. I then placed the three ropes on the parchment paper, next to each other, close but not touching. Most books including this, states that to braid the dough first, then transfer them to the baking sheet. From my experience, I find that it is easier to braid them directly on the lined baking sheet, as I always have problem transferring the braided loaf to the baking sheet, especially when the braided dough is quite huge. Back to my braids, I braided the ropes starting from the center, I find that by braiding them this way, the braid will be neater than when I start from one end to the other end. Second pic above, tuck one end under to seal.

Repeat with the other side, from the center. That is a lovely braid! Cover with a clean kitchen towel and left to rise for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. I find that mine was rising rather quick. About 45 minutes into the rising time, I switched on the oven.

After about 1 hour and 10 minutes, it is ready to be placed in the oven. The braided dough rises really well, not so pretty braid anymore! Brush top of dough with egg wash and sprinkle some sesame seeds all over. Bake in the oven for 34-36 minutes, mine was done at 32 minutes.

Rich and golden crust. 

Nice Challah! The sweetness of the honey is really nice, without being overly sweet. I did reduced the salt slightly, and even then, I can taste the light saltiness, which works out well with the hint of sweetness from the honey. This bread has a soft crumb and soft interior, but I can tell that this is definitely not as egg-enriched as other Challah recipes, as it contains only 1 egg. I will be trying out other recipes from my other books.

This loaf of Challah is tasty enough to be eaten on its own or with a spread of butter and jam, and a cup of coffee. 

I'm linking this Braided Challah to :
Breaking Bread Society, hosted by Cake Duchess
Bake Your Own Bread (BYOB) hosted by Girlichef
Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes
Cookbook Sundays hosted by Couscous & Consciousness


Braided Challah
(The Artisan Bread Machine by Judith Fertig)
Makes 1 loaf of 750gm (1-1/2 pound)
1 tsp salt (I use slightly less than 1 tsp)
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup lukewarm water (between 86F and 95F)
1/3 cup liquid honey
1-1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3/4 cups bread flour (I added about 1/3 cup more)
1-1/4 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

Topping :
1 large egg, beaten
sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

1. Add salt, egg, water, honey and oil to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.
2. Select the Dough cycle and press Start.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. When the cycle is finished, transfer dough to a floured surface and punch down gently.
4. Divide dough into thirds. Roll each third into a 16-inch (40cm) long rope. Braid ropes together, tucking ends under. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (180C). Brush braid with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired, pressing the seeds into the dough. Bake until risen and golden pan an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190F (90C). Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

The Miller's Cinnamon and Raisin Bread

This was one of the first breads that I've made when I bought the book "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig.  She got this recipe from a wheat miller in Kansas. And the miller says that people love their cinnamon and raisin bread because it has got a very soft, tender crumb. It has! Another keeper recipe!

I love the rich brown colour of the bread, mostly from the cinnamon powder and also some from the raisins that got mashed up during kneading  :o)

This is really easy and simple, kneading all done by the ever faithful bread machine. The recipe calls for all-purpose flour and vital wheat gluten, but I use bread flour and added in 1 teaspoon of dough enhancer, I omitted the vital wheat gluten as bread flour is used here. As usual, I let the machine do the kneading. The dough is really wet after a few minutes of kneading, I added in about a tablespoon of flour at a time but stop at about 1/3 cup of flour. At the sound of the beep, I gradually added in the raisins. Oops, I can see some of the raisins being mashed up during the kneading process. I guess that contributes more colour to the final bread! I took out the dough and put it directly into a greased loaf pan. The dough will be very soft and sticky, I sprinkled some flour onto the dough and with floured fingers, stretch the dough gently to evenly cover the pan. The pan I used is a little too small, use a bigger pan, refer my notes below, as it really puffs up within 30 minutes, almost spill over from the pan!

Bake in a preheated oven at 175C for about 28 minutes. Remove bread and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is one lovely bread, very tasty with soft tender crumbs, just as described by the miller. It stays soft the next day too, probably from the dough enhancer that I added in.  Good with a spread of salted butter and your favourite jam. 

I'm sharing this with :
BYOB, Bake Your Own Bread hosted by Girlichef
Recipe Box 1 hosted by Bizzy Bakes
Cookbook Sunday hosted by Couscous & Counsciousness


The Miller's Cinnamon and Raisin Bread
(adapted from "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig)
makes one 750gm loaf
3/4 cup milk
2-1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp packed light or dark brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, beaten
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
1-1/2 tbp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast
2/3 cup raisins, plumped and drained *

1. In a medium saucepan, scald milk over medium-high heat until bubbles form aound the edge. Remove from heat and stir in butter and brown sugar. Transfer to the bread pan and let cool to lukewarm. (between 86F and 95F / 30C and 35C)
2. Add salt and eggs to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add wheat gluten, cinnamon and yeast. Place raisins in the dispenser (or add at the "add ingredient" or "mix in" signal).
3. Select the Basic/White Cycle and Light Crust setting and press Start.

** To plump raisins, place them in a bowl and add enough hot water to cover. Let stand for 15 minutes or untill plump. Drain well and let cool, then pat dry.

kitchen flavour's notes :

~ replace the all-purpose flour with bread flour.

~ omited vital wheat gluten because I use the bread flour, but added in 1 teaspoon dough enhancer.

~ the dough was really wet and I added in about another 1/3 cup of bread flour to the bread pan until the dough does not stick to the side of the pan, but still soft to touch. 

~ mixed the dough using the bread machine, at setting "Basic Dough". Add in the raisins gradually at the sound of the beep.

~ at the end of the cycle, transfer dough to a greased loaf pan, I used a 8-1/2x4-1/2 inch pan, which is a little too small, use preferably a slightly larger pan, perhaps 9x5-inch pan, or slightly larger. Dough will be very soft and sticky, I sprinkled some flour lightly over dough in pan, and with floured fingers, spread dough to fill up pan and level the top. Leave dough covered loosely with lightly oiled cling wrap for about 30 minutes or until it has puffed and risen to about 1inch above pan rim. Meanwhile, preheat oven at 175C.
~ Bake for about 25 minutes until done. Immediately transfer bread onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Braided Italian Scali Bread

Scali Bread is the signature bread of Boston's Italian-American community. According to the book, the Scali family of Boston once specialized in this bread, which is now a fixture in grocery stores, bakeries and cafes in the area. It is light-textured, usually braided and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I have never heard of Scali Bread before this,  and now it is in my to-make-again list! 

This is one delicious bread!

This bread starts off with an overnight starter. Water, flour and yeast are mixed, covered and  leave for at least 12 hours or overnight. When it's ready (starter will rise and  have small bubbles), scrape into the bread machine pan, add in the rest of the ingredients, select Basic Dough cycle. I find that the dough is really wet, so I added in about 1/4 cup more flour to the bread pan. Once dough is ready, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into three equal sizes. Dough is very soft and sticky, I sprinkled more flour on work surface and on the dough. Flour your hands. Shape each piece into a 16" long roll. Make into a plait, it was quite difficult as the dough is really soft! Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, again is not an easy task! Covered, leave to rise for about 30 minutes. 

Once the dough has risen, brush with beaten eggs all over and sprinkled some sesame, pressing the seeds gently. Bake in a preheated oven at 220C for 25 minutes.

Leave to cool, then slice and enjoy!

This Braided Italian Scali Bread has a soft crust, with soft, moist and wonderful texture. The sesame seeds adds the nutty taste and fragrance to this lovely bread. I really like the crust!

I ate a slice, spread with some butter and raspberry jam, delicious! This bread is also suitable as a sandwich bread, may also be served with pasta or with soup. An all-purpose bread!

I'm sharing this with :

BYOB, Bake Your Own Bread hosted by Girlichef

Cookbook Sunday hosted by Couscous & Consciousness

Bake with Bizzy hosted by Bizzy Bakes

Braided Italian Scali Bread
(adapted from "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig)
Starter
1 cup all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
1/2 cup water, at room temperature
1/4 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

Dough
1/3 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup lukewarm milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1-1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use bread flour)
2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

Topping
1 large egg, beaten
2 tsbp sesame seeds

1. Starter : In a bowl, combine flour, water and yeast. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight.
2. Dough : Transfer starter to the bread pan. Add water, milk, oil and salt. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.
3. Select the Artisan Dough or Dough cycle and press Start.
4. When the cycle is finished, transfer dough to a floured surface and punch down gently. Divide dough into thirds. Roll each third into a 16-inch (40cm) long rope. Braid ropes together, tucking ends under. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425F (220C).
5. Topping : Brush braid with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, pressing the seeds into the dough.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until risen and dark brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190F (90C). Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Ham, Green Onions and Cheddar Buns

I made some savory buns from my latest favourite bread machine cookbook, "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig. Each bread that I've tried so far have turned out fantastic!

I have lots of spring onions in my garden. Harvested some of them, most of it goes into my simple stir-fry noodles for our lunch, and used some of it for this fantastic buns. The original recipe is baked as a loaf bread, and there's a variation on making these into a boule. But I wanted these to be small pan-buns, so that's what I did. However, I did not have any bacon, I substitute with sandwich hams instead, which I pan-fried lightly and chopped into pieces. Also I did not have any blue cheese, have not tried blue cheese before actually, but I always have some cheddar cheese in my freezer, so that is what I used. Since both the ham and cheese are already salty, I reduced the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, and it turns out not that salty, so I think the full 3/4 teaspoon would be alright, but I would stick to 1/2 teaspoon if you are watching on the salt intake, it's all a matter of preference. I added in about 1 teaspoon of dough enhancer.

As usual, I let the machine do the kneading for me, set at Basic Dough cycle. The top picture is the first rise in the bread pan just before the end of cycle. The second picture is when the dough is 'punched down' by the bread machine just before it beeps, signalling the end of the cycle.

Remove the dough from the bread pan to a lightly floured bowl, divide the dough to 8 round balls as follows, 7 balls of approx 80gm in weight and 1 bigger ball at approx 140gm in weight. Place them in a round 9" greased baking pan with the bigger ball in the centre, as pictured above. Cover loosely with oiled cling wrap and leave to rise for about 45 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes until done. Brush top of  hot buns with melted butter for a shiny and soft crust. Leave to cool till slightly warm.

 Lovely buns!

Lovely buns! Did I mention how lovely they are?  :o)  I made some tea while waiting for it to cool a little! 

 So soft, I love doing this!  :)

The bits of ham and spring onions, the cheese got melted in.

 Couldn't resist, we ate this about 20 minutes after baking. Yum!

We love the bits of ham and the spring onions.

The texture is soft and fluffy, very tasty, good enough on its own with a cup of tea!  Or tear it open and spread a generous serving of butter! A keeper recipe that I can see returning to my kitchen! 

I'm sharing this with :
BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread hosted by Girlichef

Cookbook Sundays hosted by Couscous & Consciousness

Bake with Bizzy hosted by Bizzy Bakes

Bacon, Green Onion and Blue Cheese Bread (Ham, Green Onions and Cheddar Buns)
(adapted from "The Artisan Bread Machine" by Judith Fertig)
Makes one 1-1/2 lb (750gm) loaf
1-1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp instant or bread machine yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110F/43C)
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3/4 cups bread flour
3/4 tsp salt (I use 1/2 tsp)
1/3 cup finely chopped crispy cooked bacon (I use sandwich ham)
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (I use cheddar cheese)
scant 1 teaspoon dough enhancer (my addition)

1. Add sugar, yeast and water to the bread pan. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast starts to bubble.
2. Add green onions and oil. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add salt, bacon and cheese.
3. Select the Basic/White Cycle and press Start.

kitchen flavour's notes :

~ the changes I made to the ingredients : I use sandwich ham which I pan-fried lightly, I use Cheddar cheese instead and I reduce the salt to 1/2 tsp as the cheese and ham are already salty. I added 1 scant teaspoon of dough enhancer to the flour.

~ follow step 1 and step 2 above. Select Basic Dough Cycle.

~ at the end of Basic Dough Cycle, remove dough and divide into 8 round balls, 7 balls about 80gm weight and 1 ball about 140gm weight. Arrange moulded round balls in a greased 9" round cake pan, placing the bigger ball in the centre and the smaller ones all around. Cover loosely with a greased plastic cling wrap and leave to rise for about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 180C.

~ remove cling wrap and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until done. Transfer buns from cake pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Brush top of hot buns with melted butter for a soft and shiny crust.