Vessy's day » Sweet breads

Blueberry Easter Bread

Vessy — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 12:25:23 +0000

This is my one and only favorite Easter bread recipe. I’ve made this bread so many times that I can’t even count. Every time it turns out great.
Recipe is not complicated, just the opposite – it’s quite easy and straight forward.
The only thing that’s important here is the dough kneading. This dough is way more stickier and softer that a regular bread dough so it’s a bit harder to knead by hand. I strongly recommend you to use a stand mixer with the dough attachment for this recipe or any other food processor with kneading setting you might have.
In case you don’t have such equipment, you can knead the dough by hand but prepare for a good work out because total kneading time is about 30 minutes. If you are doing this by hand just use a rubber spatula and just stir it and push it around the bowl until soft, smooth and glossy. In case you need to use your palms and fingers for the kneading make sure they are greased with butter.
Blueberry jam is one our favorite and I decided to make our Easter bread a little bit more interesting this yer. Feel free to use any other jam of your choice, even nutella will be awesome addition too!
***This bread is best on the day that is baked!
***prepare the dough ahead – make the dough the night before and leave in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. It will slowly rise by the morning. Then take it out and leave it at room temperature for about two hours to warm up. Once at room temperature you may continue with dividing, shaping and prepping for second rise (see the rest of instructions below).
Happy Easter, friends!

Ingredients:
550 grams (19,5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 packages instant dry yeast
A pinch of salt
240 ml. (8 fl. oz) milk, at room temperature
3 small eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
120 grams (4 oz) honey
120 grams (3,5 oz) oil at room temperature
Zest from 1 orange
100-150 grams (about 4-5 oz) candied orange peel
1 jar of blueberry jam (or other jam of your choice)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook, add the flour, salt and yeast. Beat for 15 seconds to distribute the yeast evenly within the flour. Add the milk, eggs and honey and beat for about a minute then add the oil and continue beating for another 20-25 minutes or until you have super smooth and shiny dough. Dough will be a bit sticky, but don’t get tempted to add extra flour. Within the last minute add the orange peel and beat to combine, about a minute.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the dough to the center of the bowl using a rubber spatula. Dust lightly with flour all around the dough and underneath it, cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
*** You could pop that bowl in your oven, set on the lowest possible temperature (enough to warm up the oven a bit, not bake the dough!) for a quicker rise.
Grease a 30 cm (12 inch) round baking pan with butter and set aside.
After rising, gently take the dough out of the bowl, using your hands, greased with oil and place on a large kneading board or on your counter. Don’t knead the dough and be gentle with it, you don’t want to deflate it too much.
Cut dough in half. Gently roll each piece of dough into a large rectangular then spread a thin (or thicker) layer of the blueberry jam. Roll the dough tightly then twist it as much as possible. Gently transfer onto your baking pan. Repeat steps for the other piece of dough.
Set aside to rise again for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room.
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F).
After the second rise, brush dough with lightly beaten egg yolk with a little water and sprinkle some sugar on top (optional).
Bake for 45-50 minutes, lowering the temperature of the oven if you see the top starting to burn.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

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Easter Bread

Vessy — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 19:50:33 +0000

Easter bread is the best! The one bread I can eat all year long, every day. Especially if it’s homemade.
Easter bread is famous all over the world, in Bulgaria we call it “kozunak”, there is the Italian Easter bread, the Greek… For me it is all the same – flour, milk, sugar, oil/butter and eggs. So, no matter how you call it, it’s all the same and I love it!
It’s the proportions of the ingredients that make a difference, I believe. I’ve heard many complicated and overwhelming techniques for preparation, but I think there is no need of over thinking an Easter bread recipe. Some people keep a steady room temperature when kneading the dough then, let it rise in the same room, without opening the door (what?!) … some “bang” it on the kneading board many times, for whatever reason they might have. I think there is no need for such drastic approaches. The “banging” is probably to let the gluten develop, but if you have a stand mixer, you can just let it do the job. As for the steady temperature – what? why?… The yeast will do it’s job, no matter the temperature of the room. Yes, dough might rise faster if you keep it in a warmer room, but no matter what, it will rise eventually. Well, don’t keep it in the fridge unless you plan to bake it on the next day, though.
***no offence to those putting an extra though and effort into the Easter bread
As for this recipe, it is absolutely delicious, but my huge recommendation would be to make it and eat it. Don’t bake it ahead cause it’s meant to be eaten right away, soft and slightly warm.
You can totally make the dough the night before and leave in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. It will slowly rise by the morning. Then take it out and leave it at room temperature for about two hours to warm up. Once at room temperature you may continue with dividing, shaping and prepping for second rise (see the rest of instructions below).
Another important thing here is to understand that such dough needs a looo-o-ot of kneading. So, in case you have a hand or stand mixer – just use it. Dough is pretty sticky, so kneading it by hand will be a challenge, and please do not add extra flour to make the hand kneading easier, cause this dough is supposed to be sticky and greasy. For kneading by hand just use a non-stick spoon/spatula or whatever you have on hands and just stir it and push it around the bowl until soft, smooth and glossy.
I made these breads with orange peel and dark chocolate, but you could do other flavors, if you prefer.
Continue reading for detailed instructions on the preparation!
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
500 grams (17,5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 package instant dry yeast
A pinch of salt
220 ml. (8 fl. oz) milk, at room temperature
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
100 grams (3,5 oz) honey
100 grams (3,5 oz) canola oil or other flavorless oil of your choice
Zest from 1 orange
100 grams (3,5 oz) mini chocolate chips or shredded chocolate
200 grams (7 oz) candied orange peel, finely chopped or raisins, soaked in rum overnight

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook, add the flour, salt and yeast. Beat for 15 seconds to distribute the yeast evenly within the flour. Add the milk, eggs, oil and honey and beat for about 5 minutes until all is well combined. Continue beating for another 20-25 minutes or until you have super smooth and shiny dough. Dough will be a bit sticky, but don’t get tempted to add extra flour. Within the last minute add the chocolate chips and orange peel/raisins and beat to combine, about a minute.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the dough to the center of the bowl using a rubber spatula. Dust lightly with flour and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
After rising, gently take the dough out of the bowl, using your hands, greased with oil and place on a large kneading board or on your counter. Don’t knead the dough and be gentle with it, you don’t want to deflate it too much.
Divide the dough into equal parts, as many as you like, depending on how many breads you are making and their size. I would recommend you to make two breads, because dough rises additionally during baking, so if you use it for one whole Easter bread it will turn out pretty huge. This dough makes two perfect medium sized breads. In order to do that, you will need to divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Gently roll each piece into a long rope, twisting it as you go. Attach two ropes at the ends, then twist them to make some sort of braid. Connect both ends to make a wreath and gently transfer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat steps for the other two pieces of dough, which will leave you with two medium size wreaths.
Set them aside to rise again for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room.
Preheat your oven to 170C.
After the second rise, brush wreaths with lightly beaten egg and sprinkle some sugar on top.
Bake for 30 minutes, lowering the temperature of the oven if you see the tops starting to burn.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Christmas Stollen

Vessy — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 19:53:39 +0000

I never imagined that one day I will be kneading dough for Stollen in my kitchen, or any other kitchen.
I was a bit scared the first time, cause it seemed like a looo-t of work, but it turned out to be much easier than it seems. All the effort is totally worth it – this is one of the most delicious desserts I have ever tasted… you know, bread-like dessert.
I would definitely recommend to follow strictly the recipe, but you are free to add whatever nuts, chocolate or other fruits you prefer.
Stollen is a traditional German holiday dessert but it had become a Christmas tradition for our family, as well.

Ingredients:
Adopted by www.poiresauchocolat.net

30ml lukewarm water (43º C)
1 packages (7 grams) active dry yeast or other type of yeast you have on hands
120 ml milk
90 grams (3 oz) unsalted butter
380 grams (13.5 oz) all-purpose plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
100g (3.5 oz) brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
70 grams (2.5 oz) mixed candied peel
150 grams (5 oz) chocolate chips (optional)
90 grams (3 oz) firmly packed raisins
Rum to cover the raisins
90 grams (3 oz) dates (chopped in small pieces)

100 grams (3,5 oz) marzipan (almond paste)
Melted unsalted butter for coating the Stollen
Powdered sugar for dusting Stollen

Directions:
1 Day
Soak the raisins in a small bowl with enough rum to cover them. Keep soaked overnight.
2 Day
Make the dough by hand:
Pour the water into a small bowl, sprinkle with the yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.
In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter over medium heat until butter is melted.
Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl and add the lemon and vanilla extracts.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.
Add the yeast, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture to the flour. Mix well with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to your counter or kneading board, lightly covered with flour and begin kneading the dough.
***Dough might seem a bit sticky at first, but don’t get tempted to add too much flour. Instead, prepare a small bowl of melted butter or canola oil and lightly grease your hands once in a while. You will see that as one point dough will stop be that sticky.
So, keep your hands greased and knead dough for about 10 minutes.
Then, add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit, dates, part by part and mix with your hands.
While adding the raisins and other ingredients, knead to distribute them evenly. The dough should have a reasonable bread-dough consistency.
Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly.
Make the dough in a food processor with the dough attachment:
Pour the water into a small bowl, sprinkle with the yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.
In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer/food processor, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests. Add the yeast, milk and eggs to the flour. Mix well with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Turn the food processor on and knead for about 10 minutes. Then, slowly, piece by piece start adding the soften butter, waiting for each piece to be incorporated into the dough. Once all of the butter is incorporated continue to beat for another 10 minutes or until dough is shiny and not sticky to the touch. Now, add the chocolate chips, raisins, candied peel and dates. Continue to knead for another 2 minutes or until evenly distributed.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly.
3 Day
Take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest for 2-3 hours in order to warm and soften.
Preheat your oven to 180 C (350°F) and center the the oven rack on the middle shelf.
Roll the dough over a piece of parchment paper, into a rectangle, about 1.5 sm. thick.
Place marzipan on the edge of one of the long sides. Roll up the dough tightly, forming a cylinder. Transfer the cylinder roll to your baking pan, brushed with oil (I use a deep rectangular loaf pan).
Let stollen rise again for about 30-60 minutes, then bake in your preheated oven for about 45 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack or a wooden board and brush the top with melted butter while it is still hot. Immediately sift powdered sugar over the top.
Let cool at least an hour before serving (the hard part – cause I usually can’t wait for that long).

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag.

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Classic popovers

Vessy — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 15:42:32 +0000

These nice, delicious popovers are now one of my favorite easy and quick party meals.
When I say easy , I mean it. All you need to do is mix all ingledients in a bowl and then bake the popovers. The batter will look as almost the same as a classic batter for crepes – thin and light. This is how it should be, so don’t worry, it will bake perfectly fine.
Now, think of the filling – you have so many options, from sweet to salty and most of all, you can serve these popovers instead of bread, people will love them.
I tested the overnight popovers, stored in an airtight container, and they tasted just as good as they were taken out of the oven a minute ago.
Make sure to have enough popovers when having people over, because everyone will be in love with them and will be asking for more!

Ingredients:
150 grams of all purpose flour
250 ml. milk or half and half
3 eggs
50 grams melted butter
1 tea spoon sugar
Salt & Pepper

Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F).
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk the mixture until nice and smooth, as a pancake mixture.
Use a hand blender to mix the batter, if you have one.
Prepare a muffin tin (or popovers tin, if you have one), spray with a non-stick spray or butter.
Fill in each muffin cup half the way up.
Bake for about 20 minutes and then turn the oven off. Leave the popovers in the oven for another 10-15 minutes and then take out & place on a wire rack to cool off.
* Make sure not to open the oven while baking or after you turn off the oven.
Fill the popovers with whatever filling you prefer and serve immediately. They will be good on the next day as well, if storred in an airtight container, not filled.

Whiskey banana bread with chocolate chips

Vessy — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:05:35 +0000

Hi friends!
I have been in an alcohol-food mood lately, thinking all kinds of desserts with different types of alcohol, so I guess it’s the perfect time to share with you a whiskey bread I made last week for my colleagues and dear friends…. well since drinking is forbidden in the office, this was one way to sneak in the office a bit of whiskey in the form of bread… Tricky ha?
Anyway… The recipe is super easy, and the result – super delicious!
Enjoy my whiskey-bread recipe and I will be happy to read your comments or recipe improvement suggestions!

Ingredients:
260 grams (9 oz) all-purpose flour
10 grams (0,35 oz) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dark or white chocolate chips (its up to you how much, but I add around 150 grams)
3 apples (cut into small cubes)
150 grams dark chocolate
125 grams (4.4 oz) unsalted butter
110 grams (4 oz) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
50 ml. bourbon/whiskey
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and place the rack in the center of the oven.
Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of your pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips and apples.

Place the butter, chocolate and sugar in a double broiler, over medium-low. If you don’t have a double-broiler, get a pot with a little water (1 inch) and set over medium-low. Place a heatproof/fireproof glass bowl over the pot. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the bottom of the pot, neither the water. Mix well until everything melts and set aside to cool a bit.
In another large bowl combine the wet ingredients – the mashed bananas, eggs, whiskey, and vanilla and mix well.
Add the chocolate mixture to the wet ingredients mixture and mix well.

Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula, until just combined (Be careful not to over mix the batter). Over mixing the batter will yield a tough, rubbery bread.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle with some nuts on top if you want.
Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, around 50 minutes.
Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Voila!

Banana bread with apples, chocolate chips and walnuts

Vessy — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 15:41:45 +0000

Hello everyone,
To be honest I am not in such a mood for writing in the last couple of days, or week….
With the weather getting colder and colder each day, my thoughts kind of froze as well…. But I guess that is okay for this time of year
I am not going to bore you with my moods and feelings… Instead I would like to share one of the most delicious sweet breads with bananas, apples, walnuts and chocolate chips I have ever had. And to be honest I am not the biggest fan of sweet breads….unless they are all made of chocolate .
This recipe includes healthy and fresh fruits as well as sweet chocolate for even greater taste.

Ingredients:
260 grams (9 oz) all-purpose flour
110 grams (4 oz) light brown sugar
10 grams (0,35 oz) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
100 grams (3.50 oz) walnuts (you can use whatever nuts you like – pecans, hazelnuts, pecans, and etc.)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
125 grams (4.4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
100 ml. buttermilk
Chocolate chips (its up to you how much, but I add around 100-150 grams)
1 apple (cut into small cubes)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and place the rack in the center of the oven.
Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of your pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm). Set aside.

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients – the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, 2/3 of the walnuts, chocolate chips and apples.
In another large bowl combine all wet ingredients – the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix well.
Tip: To do the buttermilk, just add one table spoon of lemon juice into a glass of milk and let if stay for 10 minutes.
Tip: You can chop your nuts, using a food processor (super easy and fast) or, of course if you don’t have one, just use a knife and a cutting board.

Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula, until just combined (Be careful not to over mix the batter). Over mixing the batter will yield a tough, rubbery bread.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle remaining walnuts on top of the batter.
Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, around 50 minutes.
Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature with ice-cream or other sauce of your choice.

Voila!