Homemade Soft Pretzels

If there is one concession stand/mall food I'm a sucker for, it's soft pretzels. Cinnamon with cream cheese frosting. Salted with spicy cheddar. Garlic and Parmesan. It doesn't matter the flavor ... Pretzels are delicious. And now I can make them at home. And you can too =)

Cheese sauce recipe below.

Homemade Soft Pretzels (courtesy of Alton Brown, foodnetwork.com) 

• 1 1/2 C warm (110 to 115° F) water
• 1 T sugar
• 2 t kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 t)
• 22 oz all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 C
• 2 oz unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 C water
• 2/3 C baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 T water
• Pretzel salt or cinnamon and sugar (or both =)

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (or bread machine*) and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

*I used a bread machine and made the following adjustments: (1) combine the water, sugar and salt in the bread machine pan and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add flour and butter and begin dough cycle. Once the dough is in a smooth ball, and the machine is resting, remove the dough, clean the pan and oil it with vegetable oil. Let the machine complete the dough cycle. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper (this part is important. I thought "meh, I'll be fine without parchment paper" and I still have pretzel outlines on my pan and it's been 2 months! The baking soda will stain your pan) and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 C of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one by one, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt or cinnamon and sugar. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Cheese Dipping Sauce (courtesy of Smells like Home)

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 C milk
• 8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (not package pre-shredded cheese - shred your own)

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.

Slowly whisk in the milk until no lumps of flour remain. Stirring constantly, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat until mixture thickens (about 3-5 minutes). Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the shredded cheese until all of the cheese has melted. Serve warm. 

Reheat in microwave at medium power for 30 second intervals, stirring between, if needed. 

Banana Coconut Crunch Muffins

There they are. Those old, brown bananas. They seem to be breeding fruit flies as you read. No, as you blink. But is plain ol' banana bread worth the effort? Should you toss those yellow beauties of yester-week and cut your losses?

No. 

Because now you have the recipe old, brown bananas were made for. Intended for. Over-ripened for. Allow me to give you the life-giving elixir [aka recipe] for those banished bananas:

The Muffins:

• 3 C all-purpose flour
• 2 C sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda (Oops! -- I left this out on accident. Still turned out great)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 C whole milk (I had cream and 1%. After a little research, I learned you can combine 3 T cream with 1 C skim/1% to approximate whole milk)
• 2 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 C mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
• 1 C medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
• 1 C small-diced pecans
• 1 C old-fashioned oats
• 1 C sweetened shredded coconut
• Streusel (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Grease or line muffin pans (makes 18-20). Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in bowl using a whisk. Add the melted butter and stir well. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas. Add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and stir well to combine. Don't overmix.

Fold the diced bananas, pecans, oats and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each to the top. Top each muffin with streusel. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

The Streusel: 

• 1/4 C butter, softened
• 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 C light brown sugar
• cinnamon (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Using two knives, cut the butter into the mixture [basically you're coarsely "chopping" the butter] as you would if making a pie crust (if that makes no sense to you, it's probably because of my bad explanation. Watch the video below). 

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/banana-crunch-muffins-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

WARNING: If you proceed any further down the page, you may not want to consume. I'm still including the nutrition information. You have been warned. But you should still make them. And eat one today. Save one for tomorrow. And take the rest to your neighbors. =)

Yeah, it's definitely not a hearty, healthy breakfast muffin. It's more of a dessert muffin. Those nutrition facts down there ... that's approximately per muffin.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 104 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 364 Calories from Fat 163

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 18.1g 28%

Saturated Fat 9.2g 46%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 48mg 16%

Sodium 215mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 47.6g 16%

Dietary Fiber 2.5g 10%

Sugars 25.0g

Protein 4.7g

Vitamin A 8% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 5% • Iron 12%

Nutrition Grade D+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Bad points

• High in saturated fat
• High in sugar

Whole wheat pancakes with mashed berries

Another Whitney original!

Whole wheat pancakes with mashed berries:

Makes 10 pancakes

• 1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 C milk, 1%
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 1/2 T sugar
• 1 1/2 t vanilla
• 2 C frozen berries, thawed and mashed

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Mix in the egg, milk and vanilla and stir until combined. Cook on a griddle at medium heat (about 350 degrees). Serve topped with the mashed berries. 

FYI, the nutritional info below is calculated on a per-pancake basis. I wanted to know how many calories each pancake was giving me, rather than a tricky division of portions. The second set of nutrition facts is for the pancakes AND the berries, combined. With the topping, each pancake only sets you back ~100 calories. Awesome! 

I would love some ideas for adding more fiber to the pancake batter. Feel free to leave comments with suggestions any time! I'm always looking for healthy, delicious tweaks to recipes.

Pancakes:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 49 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 84 Calories from Fat 7

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.8g 1%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 18mg 6%

Sodium 134mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 15.9g 5%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 3%

Sugars 3.3g

Protein 3.0g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 8% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• High in phosphorus
• High in selenium

Pancakes with berries:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 76 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 98 Calories from Fat 8

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.9g 1%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 18mg 6%

Sodium 134mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 19.3g 6%

Dietary Fiber 1.6g 7%

Sugars 5.3g

Protein 3.2g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 10% Calcium 8% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade B-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• High in phosphorus
• High in selenium

Bad points

• High in sugar

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a fan of Allrecipes.com. The reason being that you can look at the reviews/ratings and have a pretty good idea about what you're getting into -- before getting into it. This is kind of a big deal when you're trying new things and you don't have a back-up plan. Every once in a while, I come across a recipe on Allrecipes.com that has unbelievable ratings/reviews; one where you don't have to alter anything based on what others have said. This is one of those. A.Maz.Ing. Dig in! We paired this with Vegetarian Chili and it was fabulous!



Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

• 1/2 C butter


• 2/3 C white sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 C buttermilk


• 1/2 tsp baking soda


• 1 C cornmeal


• 1 C all-purpose flour


• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375° F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.

Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 104 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 306 Calories from Fat 122

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13.6g 21%

Saturated Fat 7.9g 40%

Cholesterol 78mg 26%

Sodium 362mg 15%

Total Carbohydrates 41.9g 14%

Dietary Fiber 1.5g 6%

Sugars 18.3g

Protein 5.4g

Vitamin A 9% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 5% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Bad points

• High in saturated fat


• High in sugar

Naan

This naan went great with the Vegetarian Korma. Made for a fun meal with friends! HERE is the original recipe. 

Naan

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 C warm water
• 1/4 C white sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 1/2 C bread flour
• 2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 C butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls and place on a tray. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 73 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  197 Calories from Fat  37

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  4.1g 6%

Saturated Fat  2.3g 11%

Cholesterol  22mg 7%

Sodium  364mg 15%

Total Carbohydrates  34.7g 12%

Dietary Fiber  1.2g 5%

Sugars  3.9g

Protein  4.9g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 1% • Iron 11%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• High in selenium
• High in thiamin

I made these on the George Foreman and it worked great and fast! 

French Bread & Garlic Herb Butter

Okay, so Dan and I have a soft spot for French Bread. We used to buy a loaf when we went grocery shopping and have it devoured before we even finished roaming the aisles. I wanted to try and make my own ... and I was amazed at how simple it is. HERE is where I got the bread recipe and HERE is where I got the garlic and herb butter.

French Bread: 

• 1 1/4 C water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 C bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

     GLAZE:

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water

In bread machine pan, place the first five ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal.

Place loaves seam side down on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes.

Whisk egg and water; brush over loaves. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Garlic Herb Butter:

• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/8 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 300° F.

In a small bowl, mix butter, garlic salt, rosemary, basil, thyme, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.

Cut each loaf of French bread in half lengthwise. Spread each half of the French bread with equal portions of the butter mixture. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Place bread halves, crusts down, on a medium baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned (I usually cook the bread folded back together instead of opened).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 94 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 255 Calories from Fat 92

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10.2g 16%

Saturated Fat 6.1g 31%

Cholesterol 43mg 14%

Sodium 314mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 34.8g 12%

Dietary Fiber 1.4g 5%

Sugars 1.1g

Protein 5.6g

Vitamin A 6% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% • Iron 12%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in sugar
• High in selenium

Bad points

• High in saturated fat

Nutrition information based on 10 servings. 

Monkey Bread

Confession: I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth on the face of the planet. I LOVE baking decadent desserts and pastries. To a fault. I rationalize my baking by taking portions of it to friends and neighbors. I'm sure that helps a little ... but I'm still pretty glutenous when it comes to desserts.

So, without further ado, here comes dessert post #1: Monkey Bread

Dough

• 1 1/4 C milk
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 C all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp yeast

Gooey Goodness

• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 butter or margarine

Combine dough ingredients in bread machine. Use dough setting. 

Combine white sugar and cinnamon. Set aside

Once dough cycle has finished, break off pieces of the dough and roll into balls, approximately 2" in diameter. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and place in a bunt pan. 

Bring brown sugar and butter/margarine to a boil over medium heat for one minute. Pour over dough balls in bunt pan. 

Bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes (until bread is cooked and starts to turn golden at top). Serves 10.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 110 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  325 Calories from Fat  76

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  8.5g 13%

Saturated Fat  5.0g 25%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  39mg 13%

Sodium  304mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates  54.6g 18%

Dietary Fiber  1.6g 6%

Sugars  16.3g

Protein  7.1g

Vitamin A 6% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 5% • Iron 14%

Nutrition Grade C-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Bad points

• High in sugar
• Contains alcohol

The "alcohol" referred to is just from the vanilla extract. 

Don't you worry, there are more sweets to come.