Baking breads...
The weathers getting colder day by day here in Germany and with these shorter days and freezing temperatures outside, one automatically feels like spending more time at home, baking breads and conjuring up hot soups. And now that I have more or less adjusted to Nael´s kindergarten schedule as well, I think its time to get back to baking again.
When thinking about bread or rolls, the first thing that usually springs to my mind is my all time favourite basic dinner rolls recipe. Its just so convinient and simple yet so tasty that you just dont feel like thinking further and decide for it right away. However, when it comes to the fine Italian flavours, I have often found myself falling back on the flawless, flavourful Focaccia. Its tantalising aroma while baking is just heavenly, making the entire house smell divine. And the rich herby taste as well as the filling character are further convincing points why I feel like coming back to the recipe every now and then.
Another great recipe that I like to pull out of my box for special ocassions is the Olive Bread - another no-fail recipe from the reliable collection "The Cooks Bible" . Its also very tasty, and most people in my circle of friends seem to enjoy it.
The best part about all three breads is the fact that you can always modify the ingredients as well as the shapes and, therefore, never get bored of them
The recipes for the first two types are already on the blog, and here comes the third one. Happy bread making friends and do let me know how it goes!
Olive and Tomato Muffins
(The original recipe "olive-tomato-bread" makes two bread loaves. My variation yields 6 normal-sized muffins).
Ingredients:
400 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried rosemary/thyme
1/2 tsp pizza spices
4 tbs olive oil
200 ml luke warm water
50 g sliced black olives
50 g sliced green olives
100 g sun dried tomatoes (cut in strips)
1 beaten egg yolk
Take flour and salt in a bowl.
Add in the sugar, dry yeast as well as the herbs.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the olive oil and water. Mix it quickly with a wooden spoon.
Keep mixing with the wooden spoon until it forms like a dough. Knead with your hands until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
Make a ball out of it. Dust the kitchen counter with some plain flour and transfer the dough onto it. Knead for about 2 minutes.
Add the olives and tomatoes. Knead until mixed in the dough.
Now tranfer the dough into a big bowl. With a knife, make a cut in the centre, cover and put aside in a warm place until double in size (approx. 2 hours).
Transfer the dough once again onto a floured surface and punch it down using your fist. This will help removing the air bubbles. Knead for about a minute and then divide into six portions. Make balls.
Grease a muffin tray and put the dough balls in it. Cover with a wet kitchen towel and allow to rise again (approx. 1 hr).
Brush with the beaten egg yolk and bake in the preheated oven at 200 C for about 30 minutes. Tip: The bread is usually ready once the top gets a nice golden brown colour and if you knock on the base, it sounds hollow. You might, however, wont be able to notice it much incase of muffins.
Allow to cool on a kitchen wire for 5 min and serve.
When thinking about bread or rolls, the first thing that usually springs to my mind is my all time favourite basic dinner rolls recipe. Its just so convinient and simple yet so tasty that you just dont feel like thinking further and decide for it right away. However, when it comes to the fine Italian flavours, I have often found myself falling back on the flawless, flavourful Focaccia. Its tantalising aroma while baking is just heavenly, making the entire house smell divine. And the rich herby taste as well as the filling character are further convincing points why I feel like coming back to the recipe every now and then.
Another great recipe that I like to pull out of my box for special ocassions is the Olive Bread - another no-fail recipe from the reliable collection "The Cooks Bible" . Its also very tasty, and most people in my circle of friends seem to enjoy it.
The best part about all three breads is the fact that you can always modify the ingredients as well as the shapes and, therefore, never get bored of them
The recipes for the first two types are already on the blog, and here comes the third one. Happy bread making friends and do let me know how it goes!
Olive and Tomato Muffins
(The original recipe "olive-tomato-bread" makes two bread loaves. My variation yields 6 normal-sized muffins).
Ingredients:
400 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried rosemary/thyme
1/2 tsp pizza spices
4 tbs olive oil
200 ml luke warm water
50 g sliced black olives
50 g sliced green olives
100 g sun dried tomatoes (cut in strips)
1 beaten egg yolk
Take flour and salt in a bowl.
Add in the sugar, dry yeast as well as the herbs.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the olive oil and water. Mix it quickly with a wooden spoon.
Keep mixing with the wooden spoon until it forms like a dough. Knead with your hands until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
Make a ball out of it. Dust the kitchen counter with some plain flour and transfer the dough onto it. Knead for about 2 minutes.
Add the olives and tomatoes. Knead until mixed in the dough.
Now tranfer the dough into a big bowl. With a knife, make a cut in the centre, cover and put aside in a warm place until double in size (approx. 2 hours).
Transfer the dough once again onto a floured surface and punch it down using your fist. This will help removing the air bubbles. Knead for about a minute and then divide into six portions. Make balls.
Grease a muffin tray and put the dough balls in it. Cover with a wet kitchen towel and allow to rise again (approx. 1 hr).
Brush with the beaten egg yolk and bake in the preheated oven at 200 C for about 30 minutes. Tip: The bread is usually ready once the top gets a nice golden brown colour and if you knock on the base, it sounds hollow. You might, however, wont be able to notice it much incase of muffins.
Allow to cool on a kitchen wire for 5 min and serve.
This is delicious! I love the flavors you have in here…and it gets the highest compliments!
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