Brioche Buns

I love the taste of homemade bread (I really need to make it more often!), but have never made homemade buns. These have been making the rounds in the blogging world, and when I planned on making a crock full of pulled pork (recipe to come!), I knew I had to try these out.

The recipe actually called for a combination of bread flour & all purpose flour, but I was currently out. They were still fantastic! I'm so glad that that I tried them, and I plan on keeping this recipe handy for the future. (Of note, when stored in an air tight container, they are still fluffy & fresh 3-4 days after being baked)



BRIOCHE BUNS (From Annie's Eats)
Makes 8-10 buns

3 tbsp. warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. instant yeast
2½ tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. salt
1 large egg
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash
Sesame seeds (optional)


Combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg with electric mixer. Mix briefly to combine. Add the flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the butter. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F with a rack in the center. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.


(Look at that beautiful texture!)

ENJOY!

Garlic Pesto Rolls

When planning for my Easter dinner, I decided I wanted to try to make homemade rolls. I ran across these from Tastespotting.com. I decided to give them a try before the big meal, and they are delicious! Much easier to make than I thought they would be, and easy to whip up again for Easter Dinner.



GARLIC PESTO ROLLS (adapted from Savory Sweet Life)
Makes 12

Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg (room temperature)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 (.25 ounce) package (2 1/4 tsp) instant dry yeast
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place water, milk, egg, melted butter, sugar, and garlic salt in a KitchenAid mixing bowl. Add flour on top of all the liquid mixture sprinkling yeast on top. Using the dough hook, knead bread mixture on speed 3 until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour in a warm area.



Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle slightly larger than 9×13 inches. Spread surface evenly with pesto and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Beginning with the long side, roll dough pinching the seam to seal.



Cut into 12 equal slices and place them in a greased muffin tin, cut side up. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from muffin cups and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza Dough

My husband & I fell in love with grilled pizza last summer. My dad bought us a HUGE gas grill for our housewarming present after he helped us with our cross-country move. (This thing is big - 4 or 5 burners, plus a stove top on the side - it takes up most of our deck). However, it's large burner size is great for pizzas!

I don't know what made me decide to try grilling pizza last summer. I think it was the fact that it was hot out, our 3rd floor apartment was steaming, and I didn't want to start the oven to make pizza.

Well, it's finally grilling weather again (55 degrees in early March - I am NOT used to this!), so we decided it's time to grill pizzas! The dough is extremely easy to make & tastes delicious. It complements any type of topping (we've done everything - BBQ Chicken, buffalo chicken, shrimp scampi, margarita, pepperoni, chicken pesto, etc). The recipe makes 4 nice sized pizzas (10-12 inches). If I'm very hungry, I can finish one off on my own, but 1/2 - 2/3 makes a nice meal size.



BASIC GRILLED PIZZA DOUGH (adapted from CHOW)

2 cups warm water
1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbls olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl

Place water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, sprinkle yeast on top, and let rest until mixture is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Oil a second large bowl and set aside.

When yeast mixture is ready, add flour mixture and olive oil and mix on low until flour is moistened and dough starts to come together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium low and mix until dough starts to get smooth, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and stretches 3 to 4 inches without breaking, about 6 to 10 minutes more.

Transfer dough to the oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.

Once dough has risen, punch down, shape, and grill as desired.

Helpful Hints:

While I make the dough, and the hubby is in charge of the grilling, it is really a 2 person job. We actually grill the dough on one half of the grill, usually on a medium-low setting. We keep the other half of the grill on high to keep the grill nice & hot, otherwise the crust burns and the cheese isn't melted.

We usually only cook one at a time, but each only takes about 5 minutes total. Make sure all toppings are very easily accessible (all in bowls) to be able move quickly. My hubby oils the grill with olive oil & a silicone brush, and I quickly place the dough on. He quickly oils the top of the crust & we shut the lid to the grill. It cooks for 1-2 minutes (will start to bubble).

The hubs quickly flips, while I have the sauce in hand ready to pour in spread. Just as I'm finishing the sauce, hubs is putting the cheese down, and I grab the toppings. Remember, work quickly!

Close the lid, and let it cook for an additional 3-4 minutes (check to be sure the crust isn't burning & the cheese is melting). Try to keep the lid down as much as possible to keep the heat enclosed.

While this may seem complicated, it's actually quite fun and easy! (And, very affordable!) We rarely order or buy pizza anymore!

Enjoy!