Southern Style Buttermilk Biscuits

This morning I was craving buttermilk biscuits, so after a quick search I found this recipe and got right to work in the kitchen. These are so easy to make and they are delicious right out of the oven. We ate them with bacon, egg and cheese. Total comfort food and perfect when paired with coffee to warm up a cold and rainy morning.

Garlic Bites

Garlic Bites
recipe from Wholesome Harvest by Carol Gelles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup very warm water (110°-115°F)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast
2 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/3 cup white or yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
3-5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
garlic powder to taste

Stir warm water, sugar and yeast in a glass bowl. Let stand until 1/4 inch bubbly foam forms on top.

While the yeast is proofing (foaming), stir 1 1/2 cups flour, cornmeal and salt in a separate large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, water, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the fresh garlic. Stir until combined. Add 1/3 cup more flour to form a manageable dough.

Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface and knead for about 7 minutes using as much of the remaining flour as necessary to create a smooth and elastic dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot (I like using the microwave) until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough and pinch small pieces off, form each into a small ball less than an inch in diameter. Place the "bites" on a greased baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Let rise for 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F and bake 15-18 minutes or until the tops are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven, brush with oil and serve warm!

Home Made Bagels

We eat bagels for breakfast often, and have grown to love Thomas's honey wheat quite a lot. They are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. One of David's old favorites is blueberry and mine used to be cinnamon raisin, but they both contain coloring and other additives. Not surprisingly, they all contain preservatives.

I decided to try to make my own bagels, and what do you know, though it took some time, (2 hours or so), it was a lot of fun and they turned out great!

Honey Wheat and Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
inspired by this recipe

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups (whole wheat and white wheat mix)
2 packages (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast or 4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbs sugar or honey
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs sugar

In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the yeast.
Combine warm water, 3 Tbs sugar or honey and the salt.
Pour over the flour mixture.
Beat at low speed of electric mixer for about 30 seconds scraping the bowl as you mix. Beat 3 minutes at high speed.
Stir in as much remaining flour as you can mixing with a spoon.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (knead 6-8 minutes total).
Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

(if you want to add cinnamon and raisins, add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup raisins now and knead well)

Cut into 6 or 12 portions, depending on the size you want. (6 will be similar to Thomas' bagels in size)
Shape each into a smooth ball.
Make a hole in the center of each and pull gently to make a 1 1/2-2 inch hole.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover, let rise 20 minutes.
Broil on low 5 inches from heat 3-4 minutes, turning once (tops should not brown).



Heat 1 gallon of water and 1 Tbsp of sugar to boiling; reduce heat.
Cook 4 or 5 bagels at a time for 7 minutes, turning once; drain.



Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375* for 25-30 minutes.






Let cool, then slice. Enjoy!

Home Made French Bread

Home Made French Bread

Preparation: 90 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

* 5 cups bread flour
* 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon cornmeal
* 1 egg white
* 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, melted butter, warm water and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups flour, and beat until well blended. Gradually add the rest of the flour.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a warm, damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place (the microwave) until doubled.
3. Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. *Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.*
4. Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
5. With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Adapted from this recipe.

I made this bread to go with our dinner tonight and we loved it! It's definitely a keeper! I had never made french bread before, and thought it was going to be difficult. I was surprised at how easy it was! It turned out wonderfully and tasted (almost) better than Albertson's, which says a lot!

I served it with whole grain pasta, garlic pasta sauce and grilled romaine hearts. Let me know what you think if you try it! :)


*P.S. Don't be afraid to roll the dough up. I was thinking of just skipping that and placing a big blob of dough shaped like a loaf of french bread and I am so glad I didn't. When you roll it up, it allows air to flow through the pockets and it creates a fluffy texture to the bread. So roll away!*