The temperatures are rising, the AC's blasting and the pollen is everywhere! Welcome to North Carolina spring/summer. It's actually a lot different than Missouri, the weather is already really hot, its not near as humid but the downside is definitely the pollen.
What does that have to do with food anyway? Well don't leave your pie to cool on an open windowsill right now! It will get a lovely coating of the yellow powdery stuff floating in the breeze.
I've been working on some new pieces but haven't had the time to bust out the camera just yet and I did promise my best at a blog post a day so today I've decided to share a recipe with you =)
I loooooove a good loaf of home made bread (the kneading is a fantastic stress relief as well!) so I'm sharing with you a recipe for 2 loaves of a delicious buttery braided bread (say that 5 times fast!)
So without further ado lets jump right in!
Braided Bread Loaf
1 c. milk
½ c. unsalted butter cut into cubes
½ c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 packet active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
1 lg. Egg, beaten until white/yolk blended- room temperature
4 c. flour (you can use all purpose but bread flour tends to work the best)
Scald milk in medium saucepan and add butter, sugar and salt until butter has melted. Pour your milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. This part is extremely important! Cool the mixture to 105 to 115 degrees any colder and your yeast will not "burp" as much any hotter and you could kill your yeast. Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature
Add yeast and 1 beaten egg to milk mixture. Stir in enough flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form soft, slightly sticky dough. Lightly grease large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel or cheesecloth and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. (You can put a large pan of warm water in a cool oven and place your dough in there as a sort of home made proofer)
Grease two heavy large cookie sheets. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Divide each half into 3 pieces. Roll each piece out between hands and floured surface to 18 inch long rope.
Arrange 3 ropes side by side on 1 prepared sheet. Braid ropes. Pinch ends together and tuck under loaf. Repeat process with remaining 3 ropes on second cookie sheet for second loaf. Cover each loaf with kitchen towel and let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush with butter periodically throughout bake time. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, about 25 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool.
What does that have to do with food anyway? Well don't leave your pie to cool on an open windowsill right now! It will get a lovely coating of the yellow powdery stuff floating in the breeze.
I've been working on some new pieces but haven't had the time to bust out the camera just yet and I did promise my best at a blog post a day so today I've decided to share a recipe with you =)
I loooooove a good loaf of home made bread (the kneading is a fantastic stress relief as well!) so I'm sharing with you a recipe for 2 loaves of a delicious buttery braided bread (say that 5 times fast!)
So without further ado lets jump right in!
Braided Bread Loaf
1 c. milk
½ c. unsalted butter cut into cubes
½ c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 packet active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
1 lg. Egg, beaten until white/yolk blended- room temperature
4 c. flour (you can use all purpose but bread flour tends to work the best)
Scald milk in medium saucepan and add butter, sugar and salt until butter has melted. Pour your milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. This part is extremely important! Cool the mixture to 105 to 115 degrees any colder and your yeast will not "burp" as much any hotter and you could kill your yeast. Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature
Add yeast and 1 beaten egg to milk mixture. Stir in enough flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form soft, slightly sticky dough. Lightly grease large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel or cheesecloth and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. (You can put a large pan of warm water in a cool oven and place your dough in there as a sort of home made proofer)
Grease two heavy large cookie sheets. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Divide each half into 3 pieces. Roll each piece out between hands and floured surface to 18 inch long rope.
Arrange 3 ropes side by side on 1 prepared sheet. Braid ropes. Pinch ends together and tuck under loaf. Repeat process with remaining 3 ropes on second cookie sheet for second loaf. Cover each loaf with kitchen towel and let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush with butter periodically throughout bake time. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, about 25 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool.
Here's a couple pictures of the finished product =)
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