DoughSeeDough

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Category Archives: Bread, Muffins & Rolls


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Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan

I bought a huge tub of plain, non-fat yogurt to use in some dish I planned on making. Then, I couldn’t remember what dish I wanted to make. Does this ever happen to you?? It happens to me way too frequently. I tried to fix this by writing down the meals I have planned on a piece of paper, but then I end up misplacing the paper or throwing it out. Maybe I should start writing the dishes I want to make with it on the food itself.

I looked online for a bit to find a dish that would use a good portion of yogurt and finally found one that I thought sounded pretty good. Chicken Tikka Masala. Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you. It’s really a lot easier than it looks, since most of the ingredients are spices! Give it a try – I loved it and will definitely be making it again!

Chicken Tikka Masala
serves 4

For the marinade:
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
skewers

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons paprika
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 cups half and half
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  1. To make the marinade, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, and ginger in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Preheat grill to high.
  3. Thread chicken onto skewers. Discard marinade. Grill chicken until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
  4. To make the sauce, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Stir in cumin and paprika. Pour in tomato sauce and half and half, and stir to combine.
  5. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Add in grilled chicken and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
  6. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or naan (or both)!

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Easy Garlic Naan

1 .25 ounce package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, chopped

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, or until frothy.
  2. Pour liquid into mixer fitted with dough hook. Add in milk, egg, salt, and 2 1/2 cups of flour. Knead on low speed for 1 minute, or until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add in remaining 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes.
  3. Knead for 2 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove dough from hook and place in oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise. Let rise for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.
  4. Punch down dough. Pinch off ping-pong ball sized pieces of dough. Roll into a ball and place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rise for 30 minutes, or until double in size.
  5. Meanwhile, combine melted butter with garlic and set aside.
  6. Roll risen dough balls into a thin circle.
  7. Heat oil in a small pan over medium high heat. Cook dough on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Before flipping, brush uncooked side with garlic butter. Flip, and cook second side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Brush cooked side with melted butter. Continue this process until all the naan has been prepared.


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Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

I’m in shock. I made bread. For the first time. And it didn’t fail. In fact, it was perfectly golden brown, with a crunchy crust and soft center. Oh my goodness. I died a little inside when I tried it. The best part? It’s so darn easy!!

This all started when Mike and I went and visited some friends a couple weekends ago. She made this bread and it was so good. Then, she shared her secret with me – Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I made their Simple Crusty Bread and the recipe is idiot-proof.

Simple Crusty Bread
makes 4 loaves

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
cornmeal, for dusting

  1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100°F). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
  2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for up to two weeks.
  3. To bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with a serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top. Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal and place dough on pizza peel. Let rest 40 minutes.
  4. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack. Heat oven to 450°F. Heat stone at 450°F for 20 minutes.
  5. Dust dough with flour and slash top with serrated knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes.
Check it out!


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Banana Bread

I dislike bananas. A lot.  The texture of them makes me sick to my stomach. On the rare occasion that I do buy them, they usually just sit until they’re disgustingly brown. What to do? Make banana bread, of course! I’m a huge fan of little or no fat in my cooking and I’ve been making an attempt to use more whole wheat flour as well. I guess I’m finally admitting it – I’m a nutrition freak. I guess my schooling taught me well! In the past I’ve tried posting recipes that the “average” person would like, but it’s taking way too much effort to make meals that I know aren’t good for me. Better eating means better running, and it requires so little effort! Trust me, the foods tastes just as good as the full-fat, full-sugar versions.

I recently had a discussion with a friend about how frustrating it can be to cook (and bake) with whole wheat flour. I closed my eyes, crossed my fingers, and hoped this bread wouldn’t come out super dense, gummy, or brick-like. I’m glad to say that it actually tastes pretty darn good!!

Healthier Banana Bread

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups over-ripe banana, mashed (about 3 large bananas)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips and/or chopped walnuts, optional

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8.5″x4.5″ loaf pan or 8 mini loaf pans.
  2. In medium bowl, mix together applesauce and brown sugar until well combined.
  3. Beat in eggs and then bananas. Add flours, baking soda, chocolate chips and walnuts, mixing by hand until just combined.*
  4. Pour batter into loaf pan, or divide evenly into mini loaf pans.
  5. Bake for 1 hour (large loaf) or minutes (mini loaf pans), or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
*If you have a good eye, you’ll see that I didn’t mix in my toppings. Since I decided to make both the nut and the chocolate and because I’m a lazy bum and didn’t want to wash any extra dishes, I cheated. I put half the batter in the pan, topped it with a sprinkle of nuts or chocolate chips, put another layer of batter on, and then finished it off with some more nuts or chocolate!


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Garlic Bread

I love love love garlic bread. I don’t go out to eat enough to get it, and I don’t like the freezer section stuff all that much. Solution? I make my own! It’s really simple and oh-so-good. Remember though, your garlic bread will only be as good as the bread you put it on. Try to find a local bakery and give them some business!

Garlic Bread
serves 12

1 loaf of French or Italian bread (not a baguette)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Cut bread into 1 inch thick slices.
  3. In a small bowl, mix butter, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture onto bread slices.
  4. Arrange slices on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until bread is lightly browned and crispy.  Remove from oven.
  5. Turn on broiler.
  6. Top slices of bread with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Broil for 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.


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Soft Pretzels

I find myself craving soft pretzels at times. Who can resist their soft, doughy saltiness?? I love these because you can put whatever you want on them – cinnamon sugar, garlic powder, Parmesan, or just plain salted. The best part is that they’re wayyy cheaper to make than to buy at the mall!

Making these is a ton of fun; I’ll have to keep making them so I can practice on my pretzel twisting…

Soft Pretzels
adapted from allrecipes.com
serves 12

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons butter, melted

toppings of your choice* (for the photo above, I used cinnamon sugar)

  1. Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl of warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until creamy.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour melted butter and yeast mixture into well and stir to combine. Slowly incorporate remaining 2 cups flour to form dough. Knead dough until smooth, about 7 – 10 minutes.
  3. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough into bowl, turning to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 415°F. In a large bowl, mix baking soda and hot water.
  5. When dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 even pieces. Roll pieces into ropes and twist into a pretzel shape.
  6. Dip pretzels into the baking soda water before placing on baking sheet.
  7. Brush pretzels with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with topping of your choice.
  8. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

*For toppings, try the following:

  • kosher salt, served with melted cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup sugar
  • garlic salt, served with melted cheese
  • Parmesan cheese, served with marinara sauce


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Rhubarb Bread

I can only make so much rhubarb crisp and rhubarb pie before I get sick of looking at it. So, I thought I would attempt to make rhubarb bread! The bread turned out to be perfectly sweet and moist. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com and I’ve copied it below.

Rhubarb bread

Rhubarb Bread
from allrecipes.com

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together milk, lemon juice and vanilla; let stand for 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil and egg. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture just until combined. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
  3. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

I made mini loaves and baked them for about 25 minutes!


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Banana Crumb Muffins

Mike had 3 bananas that were too brown and soft to eat, so I turned them into banana crumb muffins.

banana crumb muffin

Banana Crumb Muffins
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture and walnuts into the flour mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
  4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.


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Apple Strudel Muffins

I bought 10 pounds of granny smith apples to bake a caramel apple pie and only used up a quarter of them. With the rest, I made applesauce and these muffins! I don’t know why I didn’t take pictures of the pie or applesauce, but I did manage to remember to snap a photo of the muffins.

apple strudel muffins

Apple Strudel Muffins
yields 12 muffins

–For the muffin
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples

–For the strudel topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Thoroughly grease a 12 cup muffin pan or use liners.
  2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the apples and then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
  4. For the strudel topping: mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the muffin pans.
  5. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to rest for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove muffins from the pan to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.


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Cranberry Orange Muffins

I made these muffins Saturday night and Sunday night – they were just that good!

cranberry orange muffins

Cranberry Orange Muffins
yields 16 muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons orange marmalade
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, or both!)
4 tablespoons sugar

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add the milk, orange juice, oil, and egg into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.
  4. Stir in the cranberries and marmalade. The marmalade blends in more easily if placed in dollops around the batter instead of in one huge mass.
  5. Fill the muffin cups up 2/3 full or 3/4 full for more “top-heavy” muffins.
  6. Mix the pecans and sugar in a separate bowl and then sprinkle on top of the muffins.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

I find lining the muffin cups with liners makes cleanup a bit easier, but I would recommend that you don’t use them because I think the texture of the muffin turns out better without a liner. Either way, they are delicious!