Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread.

Recipe 33.

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread (from The Pastry Affair).

Ingredients:
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/3 cps barely warm water
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Stir together yeast and water in a large mixing bowl. Let sit 5 minutes until yeast becomes foamy. Mix in the olive oil, salt, and flour. In your stand mixer, attach dough hook and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. If you are doing this by hand (my preferred method, I LOVE kneading!) knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 7-10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it is doubled in size.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, parsley, and garlic. Set aside.

Punch down the dough. Tear off small pieces (about how much would fit in a medium spoon), coat each piece in the butter mixture, and place in the bottom of a bundt pan. Repeat this process until you have one layer of dough pieces, and the sprinkle on 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Continue creating layers until the cheese and dough is all in the bundt pan. Cover and allow the dough to rise for 20-30 more minutes.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn out of bundt pan and serve warm with marinara sauce.

We loved it! I somehow convinced my friends who had just been to a water park to pose for a "candid-I'm-really-enjoying-this" shot. It's surprising how willing they will be when you feed them good food!


Keep this recipe in your "use-this-to-manipulate-people" file. Legit.

Pesto Breadsticks.

Recipe 22.

Pesto Breadsticks (from Heat Oven to 350).

Ok, ok. So mine didn't turn out at beautifully as they could have (and the pictures were at night, so I apologize for the lighting). I would have doubled the recipe or made half the amount if I had only known. Really thin dough = kind of crispy breadsticks. But they were still a hit (especially with ranch dressing, you know, to counter the crispiness. Oops.).

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour (and a little extra)

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs olive oil

3/4 cup and 2 tbs warm water

1/4 cup pesto

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Whisk 2 cups of flour, yeast, and salt together. Add oil and water and stir until dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead (YES!) for about ten minutes, forming a smooth ball. Place somewhere warm and let it rise for at least an hour. Don't rush this one.

Turn the dough back onto the counter and roll it into about a 15" x 10" square. Mine was 20" x 10", but as I mentioned earlier, I wouldn't recommend making 20 breadsticks out of this little amount of dough. Spread pesto generously over the dough. It's simpler if you plop it on in different areas and then spread it out. Sprinkle with the parmesan.

Fold the dough in half and press the edges together. Cut into 1" slices. As you lay the dough onto the pan, twist them evenly. Brush with more olive oil.

Let rise for about 30 more minutes. Preheat oven to 375, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Eat with pork and salad and everything good!

Focaccia Bread.

Recipe 18.

Focaccia Bread (adapted from here).

Everyone. Pay attention. I'm not even kidding. This may or may not be my favorite thing I've made so far. And it was so easy. Please make this bread. I want to share all my joy and happiness with you.

Ok now that we are through with that, this bread was fantastic! Dip it in a little olive oil and pepper and it doesn't get any better than this, folks. And it only took a couple hours! Who could ask for more?

Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp sugar
3 1/2 cups or more flour
1 tbsp coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Toppings:
2 tbsp olive oil
minced garlic
shredded Parmesan
coarse salt
black pepper
fresh rosemary

In your mixer's bowl, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve, and let sit for 3 minutes until foamy.  Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve the salt in 2 tbsp of water and then add it to the mixture. Pour in the 1/4 cup olive oil. Increase the speed, and scrape the dough off the hook periodically.  After about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth and elastic.  Add flour when necessary.

Fold and knead the dough on the counter a few times, form into a ball, and set into a well-oiled bowl.  Oil every side of the dough so it doesn't form a skin, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place for only 45 minutes!

Coat a pan with olive oil. Once the dough is doubles in size, roll and stretch it into an oval-ish shape that will fit on your pan. Put it on the pan and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400.

Uncover the dough and press into it with your fingertips to create the 'dimples.' Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add as much garlic, olives, cheese, salt, pepper, and rosemary as you'd like! Try topping it with nearly any spice! Bake on the bottom rack for 15 or 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Please please tell me if you make this and how it turns out! I want to make it again right now.

Soft Pretzels.

Recipe 15.

Soft Pretzels.

(from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 ounces melted butter

vegetable oil

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water

more kosher salt

Combine the warm water, sugar, and 1 tsp kosher salt in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes; the mixture should start to foam.  Add the flour and butter and mix with a hook attachment until well combined. Then change your mixer to medium and let it knead the bread for 4 or 5 minutes. Remove the dough, clean the bowl, oil the bowl, set the dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 50-55 minutes or until the dough doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line two cookie pans with parchment paper or oil really well. Set aside.  Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a big pot.

While you're waiting, oil up your counter and pull the dough out. Divide it into 8 equal pieces.

Roll out each piece of the dough into a long rope (about 18 inches or so). Make a U-shape with the rope.

Cross the ends of the rope over each other to create the pretzel shape.

One by one, place each pretzel into the boiling mixture for about 30 seconds.

I was so afraid they would come apart in the pot but they turned out just fine! The baking soda and water just made the pretzels puff up some and hold together.

When the pretzels are back on the cookie sheets, brush the top of them with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture. Sprinkle on as much kosher salt as you desire. Be careful, that stuff is potent.

Bake until they are a dark, golden brown.  It took mine about 12 or 14 minutes.

The best part of the pretzels is that they can be frozen and then nuked later and they will taste just like new!  Also, you can take some to your great-grandmother.

Monkey Bread.

Recipe 14.

Monkey Bread

(from my mom)

This may be the easiest thing you'll ever make with the most wonderful outcome. And it's perfect for Saturday morning General Conference. You won't regret it.

Ingredients:

36 oz (2 packages) refrigerated biscuit dough

1 cup sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 or 10 inch Bundt pan. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a big ziploc.  Separate the biscuits and cut them into fourths.  The quickest way for me was with a pizza cutter. Put 6-8 pieces into the bag of cinnamon sugar, and toss around until covered.  Place the pieces into the pan. Do this with all the pieces until the pan is about 3/4 full.  If you want to throw nuts or raisins in between layers you can. I went plain this time.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and boil for about one minute, and then pour it over the biscuits.  Bake for 35 minutes, let the bread cool for 10 minutes, and then turn it out onto a plate.

Pull off as many pieces as you desire, and enjoy!

Basic Bread Recipe

Recipe 4.

Basic Bread Recipe

(from King Arthur Flour)

2 cups warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1 packet yeast

2 cups 100% White Whole Wheat Flour

1 tbsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 cups All-Purpose Flour

Warning: This recipe takes around 3.5 hours, so if you are going to make real bread, be dedicated.

Yes, I've made bread before. But don't you think a baking project deserves at least a basic bread recipe? Thank you for agreeing.

In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and 2 cups of white whole wheat flour. Cover mixture with a clean towel and let stand 10 minutes until it is bubbly looking.

Stir in the salt and vegetable oil. Stir in the all-purpose flour one cup at a time until the dough holds together and everything is mixed in (I added a little more water to help the process, but not too much!). Plop the dough onto a floured surface and roll up your sleeves!

My favorite part: knead the dough! So therapeutic.  It might be one of my top 5 favorite things to do. Maybe. Anyway, knead for a solid five minutes. Pick your favorite song and a half to get you through it if this is a painful process for you.  Let the dough rest (ha! and your forearms) while you clean out your mixing bowl and cover the sides with oil.

Knead for one or two more minutes, mainly so you can listen to the second half of that song, and then place it into the oiled bowl. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a clean towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1.5 hours. Just to add pressure, make sure you have three handsome young men sitting in your living room waiting for food.

And while you are waiting for the dough to rise, you could make some lemon-peppered chicken, spinach salad, and sauteed squash for dinner. Just an idea.

Once your dough has risen to about double its original size, gently deflate it (by punching it) and turn it back onto that floured surface. Divide the dough in half and form it in any shape you'd like! You can stick it in two bread pans or make round loaves.  I split mine into six even pieces and braided two loaves.

Grease a baking sheet and place your loaves on it.  Cover it with plastic wrap and a towel and then let it rise AGAIN for 30 more minutes.

Finally, bake the loaves for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees. When it's golden brown and it sounds hollow when you tap it, you've got bread! Cool before eating, please. I don't want to be the cause of a burnt tongue.