ChocoCran Biscotti

My husband and I eat pizza quite frequently.  I love making it at home because I think it tastes better than delivery from local pizza chains.  We love thin crust pizza.  Don’t get me wrong, we adore deep dish as well (Chicago Deep Dish!!!!) but it’s so much easier to make thin crust during the week for dinner.  I’ve made pizza dough from scratch (typically on the weekends) but after I’m home from work I want to assemble my pizza and put it in the oven ASAP.  To save time I use Martha White’s Thin & Crispy Pizza Crust Mix.  All you have to do is add warm water, oil.  Wait a few minutes and VOILA!  You have pizza dough!  I’ve tried a few instant mixes, but Martha White’s is super simple and tastes the best. 

You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about pizza dough when this post is for ChocoCran Biscotti, right?  Well, the Martha White brand has been around for over 100 years and became popular because they helped women bring convenience into the kitchen.  It just so happens that they recently featured a cooking contest on their website.  I’ve never entered a cooking contest so I wanted to give it a shot.  The challenge was to use any of their muffin mixes and turn them into something else besides muffins. Simple right?  Not quite. There were over 15 mixes to choose from.  Where to begin?

Choosing an idea was not the hard part, deciding what mix to use was.  Trust me, I went through many trial and errors in the kitchen.  It would be impossible for us to eat everything I baked so I began sneaking my creations into work and conveniently placing them near the coffee stations.   I say ‘sneak’ because I’m sure people began to wonder who the crazy person was that kept baking blueberry bread over and over.   I finally created 2 entries that I was proud of….Blueberries N’ Cream Bread and ChocoCran Biscotti.  

Plumping the dried cranberries

Form into logs and bake

Slice diagonally after finished baking

With the holidays quickly approaching I’ve had many requests to share my ChocoCran Biscotti recipe, so here it is!  What’s great is that it’s very easy to make (thanks Martha!) and it tastes amazing when dunked into a cup of hot coffee or tea!  And a special thanks to Sam Cusenza who was the winner of my naming contest.   I received a lot of great entries but ChocoCran Biscotti was by far the most popular!  Congratulations Sam!  You'll receive your very own personal batch of ChocoCran Biscotti this week.

ChocoCran Biscotti

Original recipe by Alissa Hebert

Servings: 22-24 slices

Prep Time:  10 mins.

Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes (cooling time included)

 

Ingredients:

• 2 (7.4 oz.) packages Martha White Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
• 2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Topping:

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Cover a large baking sheet (16 x 14 inches) with parchment paper. 
2. Plump dried cranberries by placing in a small bowl and covering with hot water.  Soak for 5 minutes; drain.
3. Soften butter by placing in a small bowl and heating in the microwave for 35 seconds.  In a large bowl use an electric mixer to combine softened butter, eggs, flour, muffin mix, and cranberries.  
4.  Lightly flour countertop and dust hands with flour.  Place half of dough on counter and form a 10 x 3 inch log.  Place log on parchment lined baking sheet and slightly flatten. Repeat with remaining dough; space logs 2 to 3 inches apart.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on baking sheet for 1 hour.   After cooled, transfer biscotti to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch wide slices.
6. Return slices to baking sheet and lay flat on parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, turn slices over, and bake for 10 minutes.  Allow biscotti to fully cool on baking sheet for 1 hour. 
7. Prepare topping by adding white chocolate chips to a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat in microwave, on medium-high, for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  If necessary, microwave for 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted.  Use a fork or spoon to drizzle topping over the biscotti.
8. This biscotti is best enjoyed when served with a cup of coffee or tea for dunking.  Enjoy!

Stromboli

I love making homemade pizza, but this week I thought I’d try something a little different…homemade calzones!  Calzones are pizza dough that is folded over and stuffed with cheese and your favorite pizza ingredients.  If you’ve never tasted one, then you need to try one pronto!

I thought I was making calzones, however there’s one distinct difference between calzones and Stromboli that I never knew about until today.  Calzones are served with sauce on the side whereas Stromboli has the sauce baked inside.  I set out to make ‘calzones’ but in actuality made Stromboli.

For this recipe I wanted to experiment with making my own dough and marinara sauce.  If you take the long route and make everything from scratch, like I did, this will take an hour and a half to complete.  Given that the Stromboli bakes for 35 minutes I didn’t find this to be too time consuming.  If you feel this is more time than you’d like to spend in the kitchen, make it easier on yourself and buy store bought dough and marinara sauce.  By choosing this route, the recipe will only take 30 minutes from start to finish!

Cover dough & let rise

What I learned when making this recipe is that the dough will be sticky.  Don’t worry as this is normal.  Just make sure your work surface is floured, as well as your hands.  Also, be sure to use parchment paper (different than wax paper).  It’s a wonderful way to line your baking sheets and easily remove food that would normally stick.   This works great with the Stromboli, by not only keeping your pans clean but also helping to easily transfer them.  I discovered that laying the parchment paper on my counter, assembling the Stromboli on top, and then transferring it to a baking sheet worked best.  Don’t try picking up the uncooked Stromboli and moving it.  It’s very hard to do as the filling weighs the Stromboli down and the dough will become misshapen upon transferring.   I found this out the hard way after I could barely move my first Stromboli to the baking sheet.  I was finally able to move it, however my perfect shape became distorted.  I used parchment paper for the rest of my Stromboli and transferring them was a cinch!

Choose your favorite ingredients for the filling

The dough does not need to be a perfect circle.  This is how mine looked.  Good enough!

Brush with egg wash & make slits to vent

The Stromboli came out great!  I chose to add ricotta cheese to the inside mixture which gave it a rich creaminess.  I highly recommend adding ricotta to yours.  The homemade marinara sauce was addicting.  We liked it so much that even though the sauce was in the filling, we ate the Stromboli with a side of sauce for dipping as well.   Each individual Stromboli was quite large and I found that one half was filling for me.  Ryan loved them as well.  We found these to be a nice lunch option on the weekend while we watched the football games.   Enjoy! 

Stromboli

Adapted from Calzone recipe by D. Adams, allrecipes.com 
& The Best of Vegan Cooking,by Priscilla Feral (Amazon Affiliate link)

Serves: 4-6 people

Prep Time: 

• 60 minutes (IF making dough & marinara sauce from scratch)
• 10 minutes (IF using store bought dough & marinara sauce)

Total Time:

• 95 minutes (IF making dough & marinara sauce from scratch)
• 30 minutes (IF using store bought dough & marinara sauce)

 

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon dry milk powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Filling

• Your favorite pizza toppings such as pepperoni, mushrooms, etc.
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Ricotta cheese (optional)

Marinara Sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cups crushed canned tomatoes

 

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl or KitchenAid Mixer add water and sprinkle yeast on top.  Let stand 5 minutes or until yeast is slightly foamy.  Then add salt, dry milk, sugar, and bread flour.  Mix until a ball of dough begins to form.
2. Cover bowl and place in a warm spot (such as a microwave).  Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes.
3. While dough is rising, make the marinara sauce.  Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat.
4. Add garlic next cooking for 1-2 minutes (allowing garlic to slightly brown, but not burn).  Then add the crushed tomatoes and herbs.  
5. Simmer marinara sauce until ready to use.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350˚F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. After dough has risen, knead and break apart into 4 even portions.  Roll each portion out one at a time on a floured surface.  Roll/shape into a medium to large size circle.  The circles do not need to be perfect shapes.
8. Transfer dough circle to the parchment lined baking sheet.  Spoon marinara sauce on one half of the circle leaving a ½ inch space from the edge of the circle. 
9. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of marinara sauce.  If you opt to also add ricotta cheese, place 2 or 3 dollops on top of the mozzarella cheese before adding pizza toppings.  Now top with your favorite pizza toppings.
10. When the filling is complete lightly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese before pulling/folding the other half of the circle over the completed side.  You should now have a half moon shape.  Lightly pinch the ends to seal.  Take a fork and use the tines to press down on the sealed edges.
11. Create an egg wash by combining 1 egg plus 1 teaspoon of water.  Lightly brush over the whole stromboli and edges. 
12.  Repeat process to make all 4 strombolis.  When all have been assembled, use a sharp knife to make 2 to 3 slits on top as this will allow steam to escape while cooking.
13. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown (cooking times will vary depending upon the size of the stromboli).  If desired, top with parmesan cheese before serving.

Challah Bread - Fancy Shmansy Bread

When I saw this recipe the picture reminded me of when I was younger and my mom’s friend would make us delicious bread with poppy seeds. I have no idea if this is the same bread, but it looked great and I can only imagine it would taste amazing. The bread looks like something you would purchase from a bakery as it’s very detailed and I figured this would be a good challenge for me.

Before I began cooking I looked up Challah bread online and learned that it’s a traditional Jewish bread eaten on Shabbat. You will also see it referred to as ‘egg bread’ because of the amount of eggs used in it.

The recipe had wonderful reviews online, however the only issue was that it called for preparing the dough in a bread machine. I don’t have a bread machine, however I figured I that there’s a way to alter the recipe and make it by hand. I looked at some other Challah recipes and got an idea of how I should prepare the dough without a bread machine. I didn’t know this, but with a bread machine, the dough rises while it’s in the bread machine. Then machine kneads it and allows it to rise. Making the dough without a bread machine is not hard, you’ll just find yourself kneading the dough more and planning enough time for it to rise. If you have a bread machine, then you should refer to the original recipe and follow those instructions vs. the directions I have created below.

The ingredients are items you most likely already have in your kitchen. I had everything but the poppy seeds. The recipe also states that you can use sesame seeds, but I had toasted sesame seeds and I didn’t know if those would work as well since the bread cooks in the oven and the seeds are already cooked. Instead I decided to buy each type of seed at the store and try both since this recipe produces 2 loaves. 

The steps for making the dough are actually quite simple. Really what takes the longest amount of time is allowing the dough to rise. All in all this takes about 2 hours, so if you’re looking to make bread and eat it the same day, prepare it earlier in the day. OR you can always make the dough the day before and bake it the next day which is what I did. There is one tip I can share about allowing the dough to rise. I learned this the hard way after I had a disastrous mess in the kitchen from pizza dough that I set aside to rise. Typically recipes will state that you should cover the dough and allow it rise in a warm place. The previous dough I made said to cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Don’t EVER do this without putting a protective layer underneath the towel like Saran wrap. I didn’t and the dough expanded so much that it overflowed out of the bowl and stuck to the towel so bad that I had to throw the towel out. So now when I need to place the dough in warm place, I always cover the top of the bowl with Saran wrap first, then I run a kitchen towel under hot water, wring it out, and place it on top of the bowl. You can then either put the bowl in the microwave or the oven for the rising to take place.

Covered & ready to rise for 1 hour

Placed in microwave to rise

After the 1st rise.  Doubled; airy & fluffy.

 If you follow the directions you can’t go wrong. I can tell you that the dough will be sticky. That’s okay, the dough for this bread is naturally sticky. I suggest liberally dusting your hands with flour before handling the dough as this will prevent it from sticking to your hands. Also generously dust the counter with flour before placing the dough on it. For the strands, roll dough from the center out until they become long and thin. Think of how you’d make a worm with Play-doh. Use the same technique to make these strands. Honestly once the strands are made it’s pretty fun to braid them. After they’re braided, just make sure to smoosh down the beginning and end points, folding them under the loaf. This will make it so that the bread doesn’t separate while cooking.

Sticky!

 

Ready to be seasoned

Be creative with the seasoning and have fun. I divided the loaves into thirds and put poppy seeds on one section, sesame seeds on another, and sesame, poppy, kosher salt, and some garlic seasoning on the last section. Play around with it and see what seasoning you prefer after the bread is finished and you’ve taste tested them all. Also, keep an eye on the bread while it’s in the oven. An egg wash is used to coat the top of the bread so this part of the bread will brown faster than rest. I prefer a lighter top. When I saw the bread had just the right amount of golden color for us I took the loaves out and covered the tops with foil. You can then continue baking them and the foil will protect them from darkening any further.

Going into the oven the loaves looked great and I have to say when they came out they tasted just as good! My husband and I each had a slice of warm bread with some butter on it and we both agreed that it was very tasty. Ryan even thought it looked like I bought it from a store. And the loaves were very big too! We saved a loaf for ourselves and gave our neighbor one since there’s no way we’d be able to eat all the bread. Something to keep in mind for the future…I learned that you can freeze the dough after it has risen the first time (but not after the 2nd rising).

Challah Bread
Adapted from Recipe #142387 by Mirj, food.com
Yields: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 2.25 hours
Total Time: 2.75 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• sesame seeds or poppy seed

Directions:

1. Add luke warm water to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and stir. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add to the yeast mixture: egg yolks, salt, flour, sugar. Mix well and as the mixture begins to take on more of a solid form (starting to form a dough ball), add the oil.
3. Transfer dough to a well oiled, large mixing bowl. Cover and place in a warm area (such as a microwave or oven). Allow to rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
4. After dough has doubled, punch down the dough while in the bowl and allow to rise for a second time, doubling in size (approx. 1 hour).
5. Divide the dough in half (1 for each loaf).
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Divide each piece into three sections.
8. Roll each section into a long strand.
9. Pinch the top 3 strands together and braid the strands. Once the braiding is finished pinch the bottom ends together. Gently fold both top and bottom pinched ends underneath the loaves.
10. Repeat process with remaining dough, to create the 2nd loaf.
11. Place loaves on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Make sure to spread apart as the loaves will increase in size.
12. Brush the dough with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or a combination of both.
13. Bake for 30 minutes.