Saturday, January 29, 2011

Monkey Bread: Use for Leftover Dough #1


Monkey bread is basically a cross between sticky buns and doughnut holes. I have no idea how it came into existence but it was probably result of someone having leftover dough and not knowing what to do with it. So they said "well, sugar and butter makes everything better so..." and monkey bread was born. If you have left over sweet bread dough, like that which you make cinnamon buns out of you can make monkey bread.

Simply roll the dough into 1in balls. Then dip each ball first into melted butter and then into cinnamon sugar (mix brown and white sugar) and place the balls into a greased loaf pan, bundt pan or ramekin piling then on top of one another. Drizzle honey over the top of the dough balls so it oozes between them and let them rise 40 min. Bake at 350 degrees F until done (25 min for a small pan, 40 min for a large). Serve warm and enjoy. I guarantee if you put a pile of these out on movie night you can forget the popcorn- no one will miss it.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Experimental Loaf 2: Flax Seed Bread


We've all heard of the health benefits of flax seeds. They contain omega-3 fatty acids which lower bad cholesterol (LDL). They also help lower blood triglycerides and to maintain a healthy blood pressure. For these reasons I supplement my diet with flax seed oil. I also like crackers with flax seeds in them. I thought it would be good to make a loaf of flax seed bread. The idea is good but my recipe needs work. While edible, I felt the taste was a little off. I used flax seed meal and whole flax seed on the dough. I believe I added too much flax seed meal thus making the flax seed flavor too strong. Next time I will use much less. I liked the texture of the whole flax seeds so I'm keeping that element the same.