Fritter Bread

My husband recently ate at a little truck stop with some co-workers and they offered a french toast made out of fritter bread.  He ordered the berry one and hasn't stopped talking about it since. 

He said it was the best thing he has ever had! 

(ok, I am thinking he exaggerated a bit)  

So, I looked up fritter bread because I had never heard of it and I gave it a try.  I made this recipe just as is, then I made a batch with blackberries and halved the filling part.  

Both were delicious and I will be making them again soon.

posted by: Lisa

source: www.flourmewithlove.com

Ingredients are as follows:

Dough:

3 C flour

1 package yeast

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C water

1 egg, beaten

3/4 C milk

1/4 C butter

Filling:

6 small apples, peeled & diced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 C brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Glaze:

1 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 C powdered sugar

3 tsp. half & half (or milk)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 bread pan. 

In a skillet, cook apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon & cornstarch until mixture is thickened.  Set aside to cool.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; set aside.


Put flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt in a bowl, mix well.

Add the water, egg and milk/butter mixture.

Mix until dough forms into a ball; knead for an additional five minutes.

On a well floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle. 

Evenly spread apple mixture over dough.

Cut dough into even squares (I got 20 from my dough).

Carefully stack pieces of dough onto each other forming four piles.                                      (use a spatula, it makes stacking much easier!)

Place piles of dough into prepared pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes; until golden brown.  Immediately remove from pan.

Mix butter, vanilla and powdered sugar into a bowl.  Add half & half; stir until you get a creamy consistency. 

Pour on glaze and allow to setup for a few minutes.

I also did it with blackberries.  I followed all the same ingredients, just subbing the blackberries for apples.

HONEY PEACH CRICKLES COOKIES

Submitted By: Lisa

Source:  adapted from recipe on www.cooks.com 

I ordered some honey today for our food storage.  I ordered it because it lasts forever, and it was suggested as a good sweetener for storage.  Then I sat down and, knowing that I don't necessarily like honey, I thought I better start finding recipes that include it, or it will sit in storage un-used forever!

I found this recipe and thought it would be a good start since it included both honey and sugar. (baby steps you know)

I added a fresh peach and some cinnamon to it and before I finished scooping up the 2nd pan to put into the oven, the kids had eaten the 1st pan full!  

They are really good, and delicate cookies.

2 c. sifted all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. cooking oil
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg, unbeaten
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Extra granulated sugar to drop cookies into

**My additions:  1 fresh peach, 1 tsp cinnamon 

1. Combine flour and soda thoroughly; set aside. Beat oil with sugar; add egg and beat well. 

2.Peel peach and cut into small pieces, place in frying pan with 1 tsp butter, and slowly saute for just a few minutes until softened.  Sprinkle the cinnamon over them and stir.

3. Stir in honey and vanilla, then add dry ingredients;  add in the peaches, blend. 

4. Drop with teaspoon into sugar. (my dough was very soft, I used 2 forks to sort of flip over the glop of dough and then lift onto the cookie sheet) ** I also put the dough in the fridge in between each pan so it would stiffen up a little.
Shape into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet three inches apart. 

5. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen.

Baked Chicken

Tonight we were going to grill.  Well, constant rain 

changed our plan!  

With all the fresh tomatoes and peppers from 

the garden, I decided

to make a chicken bake with them.  

It was really good and very

"comforting" on this cold rainy evening.

Submitted by Lisa
Source: Lisa

6 Chicken Breasts with skin and bone
3 tomatoes (or canned chopped tomatoes)
1 pepper
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp thyme
salt/pepper to taste


* In a large baking pan, place the chicken breasts, and top with chopped, seeded tomatoes, chopped peppers, and rough chopped onion and garlic.
* Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken breasts
* salt and pepper the whole pan
* Sprinkle the Thyme onto the chicken breasts

*cover with foil and place in a 425 degree oven for about 1hr and 15 min.  Take the foil off, remove the vegie mixture with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl, set aside.
* Remove the liquid and place in small pot, turned onto medium.
*Return the chicken to the oven with no foil and let it brown up.

*If desired, take an immersion blender and lightly blend the vegies. (my kids won't eat them in chunks)

* With the juices, make a gravy.  (take about 1 cup cold water and 2 heaping teaspoons of flour,  whisk that together, then whisk into the juices.  Cook and stir until thickened, remove from heat)

*When the chicken is browned, spread the vegie mixture onto a platter and place the chicken on top.

Serve with either mashed or baked potatoes.

Danish Pastry Quick Method

I cut one of these in half and packaged in a clear cello bag tied with a ribbon

and gave as a gift...looked really nice.  The rest I cut down the middle lengthwise, then into smaller

pieces for easy eating.   

This is a great recipe.  If you have ever tried to make danishes before, you know it isn't always quick or easy.  This was very simple and the results were terrific. 

 **You do need to make the dough the day before and let it chill**

I did it that way like it suggested, you could try it right away if you want

but don't be disappointed if it doesn't turn out!

Posted by: Lisa

Source: http://beatrice-ojakangas.com

Much Requested Danish Pastry Recipe

Beatrice Ojka

BASIC DANISH PASTRY (Quick Method)

1/4 cup warm water, 105*F. to 115*F.

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

1 egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter

Pour water into bowl; add yeast and let stand for 2-3 minutes until yeast foams. Add milk, egg, sugar and salt and whisk to mix; set aside.

Measure flour into food processor with metal blade in place. Cut butter into 1/4 inch thick slices and drop into flour. Pulse 8 to 10 times, until butter is cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Empty flour mixture into bowl with yeast and with rubber spatula, gently fold the two mixtures together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don’t be too energetic! The butter must remain in pieces so that you will produce a flaky pastry, not a bread dough or cookie. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or up to 4 days to suit your schedule).

Lightly flour a work surface; turn dough out onto it, and dust dough with flour. Using the palms of your hands, pat dough into a rough square. Roll out to 16 inches on a side. Fold dough into thirds, like a business letter and turn it so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Roll out again, into a long narrow rectangle, about 10 inches wide by 24 inches long. Fold into thirds again. Roll out to make a 20-inch square. Fold square into thirds again to make a long, narrow rectangle. Then again, fold into thirds to make a square. (If at any point in this procedure the dough gets very soft, cover and chill it for 30 minutes or so.) Cover and chill the dough before final shaping. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for 4 days or wrap it air tight and keep it frozen for 1 month; thaw overnight, still wrapped, in the refrigerator.

USING THE PASTRY:

You can shape the pastry into either large coffeecakes and breads or into individual pastries. Here are a couple of my favorites:

DANISH PASTRY BRAID:

1 recipe Basic Danish Pastry (Quick Method)

Butter Cream Filling

1/4 cup soft butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup finely pulverized almonds

1 (3-ounce) package almond paste  ( I didn't have this, so I made my own...sooo good! recipe at end)

1 egg white

Glaze:

1 slightly beaten

2 tablespoons milk or water

Pearl sugar or crushed sugar cubes for topping

Sliced or chopped almonds

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons warm water

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide chilled dough into 2 parts. Roll out each part to make a rectangle 12 x 6-inches. Place strips on prepared baking sheets.

I filled with a fresh peach, cut up and dusted with cinnamon, and some frozen raspberries.

Blend all of the filling ingredients together and spread filling down the length of the center of the strip. Cut slanting strips at 3/4 inch intervals along both sides up toward the center using a fluted pastry wheel. Fold strips over filling in a crisscross manner.

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Let pastry rise for 30 minutes, just until puffy. Beat the egg with the milk or water and brush pastry.sprinkle with sugar and/or chopped almonds. Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Mix icing ingredients and drizzle over the braids. Makes 2 braids

**as you can see from my finished picture, mine didn't stay together.  I really pinched them too.  Next time I will not cut strips up the sides.  I am going to try rolling the filling in, put the roll seam side down, and cut slits along to top side and see how that works out**

Almond Paste Recipe

source:  www.food.com 

8 ounces almonds, blanched and very finely ground (grind them twice)
8 ounces icing sugar
1 egg white
Directions:

1
Grind your almonds.
2
In the second grinding add the sugar.
3
Gradually add your egg white working the mixture vigorously.
4
Use dough hook in mixer or knead on a pastry board.
5
The mixture should be firm& smooth when ready

German Twists

These were good, but the kids liked them better when I added the jam, even though they didn't hold together like I had hoped. (see the bottom of the post)  They ate all of them though, jam or no jam, so I consider it a hit!

Posted by Lisa

Source: www.allrecipes.com

German Twists Submitted By: Kaadee Prep Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 3 Hours 45 Minutes Servings: 24 "A rich and tender sour cream cookie, raised with yeast, reveals delicate sugary layers as it bakes. Serve the traditional German treat for Oktoberfest or just have some with coffee anytime. The dough can be baked after 2 hours of chilling but it's better if chilled overnight." Ingredients: 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 3 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, sliced 3/4 cup sour cream 1 large egg 2 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup white sugar, or as needed Directions: 1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl and let activate while you complete remaining steps. 2. Place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse once or twice to combine. Scatter butter slices over flour and process until butter is thoroughly mixed into the flour, about 1 minute. 3. Whisk yeast mixture, sour cream, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla extract together in a bowl; pour mixture into food processor. Pulse several times, just until the dough starts to hold together and clean the sides of the bowl (do not overmix). Remove dough from food processor and divide in half; form each half into a thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. For best texture, refrigerate overnight. 4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. 5. Sprinkle a work surface generously with sugar and roll out one of the dough disks into an 8x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle dough with a generous amount of sugar. Fold the dough over in thirds, letter-style, and roll out again; fold as before and roll out and fold a third time, sprinkling dough with sugar each time. Finally, roll dough into a 4x14-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat process with second dough disk. 6. Cut strips from the short side of the dough rectangles, making them 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. Place strips onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, twisting and slightly stretching them. If preferred, form into horseshoe shapes. 7. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cookies will puff up a bit to reveal delicate layers. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on sheets before transferring to wire cooling racks. ***I took the 2nd 1/2 of the dough and made little danishes out of it with raspberry jam.  They were sooo delicious, but you would want to seal them better than I did.*** When they cooked, all the tops that I pinched together, separated and no longer looked so cute...but they were still tasty!

Mayan Macaroon Cupcakes

I made these for a church event and they were well received.  It was nice to have something more "adult".  Although, I did see kids eating them.  We had a few left over and froze them, frosting and all, and they have thawed out very nicely!

submitted by Lisa

Mayan Macaroon Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy Don Hein, Cupcake Wars, 2011

Prep Time:

1 hr 15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

15 min

Cook Time:

35 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups canola oil
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• Vanilla Italian Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
• Toasted Coconut, recipe follows
• Chocolate syrup, store-bought or homemade, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set the bowl aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, cream the sugar and eggs until light yellow in color, about 3 minutes. Add the oil and mix until incorporated. Add the sifted ingredients and mix until incorporated. Then, add the yogurt and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the coffee, cinnamon, vanilla extract and ancho chile powder. Mix until incorporated.

Fill 24 cupcake liners three-quarters full of batter. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, for 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool 15 minutes, then pull them from the pan and place on a cooling rack or a flat sheet pan.

To assemble: Scoop 1/4 cup Vanilla Italian Buttercream Frosting onto the middle of the cupcake. Roll the cupcake, upside down, in bowl of Toasted Coconut until top is rounded and coated in coconut. Drizzle chocolate syrup on top.

This recipe was created by a contestant during a cooking competition. The Food Network Kitchens have not tested it for home use, therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

( I didn't use the frosting...I just made a cream cheese frosting and added a bit of cinnamon and chili powder to carry the flavor over a bit)

Italian Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup egg whites (7 large)
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 pounds unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a large standing mixer, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip with whisk attachment at medium speed until frothy. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form.

In a saucepan on medium-high heat, stir the remaining 1/2 cup sugar into 1/2 cup water. Place a candy thermometer in the pan. When the simple syrup reaches soft ball stage (235 to 245 degrees F), immediately pour into the egg white mixture while the mixer is on low speed. Once the syrup is added, turn the mixer to high speed for 15 minutes or until the bottom of the mixing bowl is cool. Add the butter and whip until smooth and silky. Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.

Toasted Coconut:

• 4 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Spread the coconut out evenly on a cookie sheet, forming a single layer. Bake until golden brown but not scorched, 12 minutes (stirring halfway through). Let cool for 15 minutes. Put the toasted coconut in a bowl.