Raisin Nut Buns Recipe

This is my all time favorite sweet roll. They are basically just cinnamon buns with raisins and nuts in them. Don't eat too many if you can resist it.

The Dough:

1 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil or 1/2 stick melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
4- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Filling:

1/2 stick softened butter
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Frosting:

4 oz softened cream cheese
4 tbsp softened butter
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla or lemon juice (optional)

For the dough mix the water, milk, oil, yeast, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla together. Add the flour and knead for 5 min to form a soft but not sticky dough. Let the dough rise until fully doubled in bulk (about 1/ 1/2 to 2 hrs). Punch the dough down and place on the work surface (there should be no need for extra flour, but if it feels sticky by all means use some (but not to much)). Shape the dough into a rectangle no thicker than 1/2 inches. The dimensions are not important to me, just know that the wider it is the more swirls the finished rolls will have.

For the filling begin spreading the butter on the rectangle leaving a one inch border butterless along one of the long sides. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and spread this over the butter. Then eveny spread the raisins and nuts over that. Pres firmly with a rolling pin. Now roll the rectangle up starting on the side opposite the butterless border. When you get to the border press it tightly to seal. Cut the roll into 1 in thick rounds and place in a well greased baking pan. You will probably need 2 (a large one and a small one). Let them rise one hour, then bake for 25 min at 350 degrees. Remove from the pan while hot or the will stick. The easiest way to geth them out is too quickly turn the pan upside down and let them fall out.

For the frosting beat all the ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over the buns. If it wont drizzle add more milk or if you prefer a spreadable frosting add less milk.

Serve warm and enjoy. They reheat well 20 sec in the microwave.

Pumpernickel Bread Recipe

Pumpernickel is a dense, dark, rye bread, great for sandwiches or toasted with cream cheese and smoked salmon or gravlax. Here is my recipe. Enjoy.

1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp vital wheat gluten
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 cup warm water
2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup dough starter( optional, adds more depth of flavor)
1 tbsp browning sauce (optional, just makes it darker)
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp caraway seed
2 tsp cider vinegar

This is probably the longest list of ingredients I've had so far, but pumpernickel has a complex flavor that comes from the sum total of all these ingredients.

Mix the flours, wheat gluten, the caraway seed, and cocoa together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix all the other ingredients together. Add the flour mixture, and using the dough hook attachment knead to form a smooth elastic dough. It should not be sticky so add extra flour as needed. Let rise in a greased bowl until fully doubled (2 or more hours). Shape into a round free-form loaf, and let rise again on a baking sheet until doubled. Score the top with a knife in any pattern you choose, and bake at 375 degrees about 40 min. Let cool and enjoy.

Naan Recipe

Indian food is great, and what Indian meal would be complete without naan- the premier flat bread of India. It is very simple to make so if you like it, you should try.

1 1/2 cups flour, plus more as needed
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp yogurt

Mix the 1st two ingredients together, and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the last six ingredients together. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix to form a soft, but not sticky dough. Knead just until smooth and place in a greased bowl to let rise until doubled.

Once the dough has risen divide it into 1 1/2in diameter balls (or bigger if you want bigger naan). Heat a cast iron skillet until very hot. Roll the balls out to an 1/8 of an inch in thickness and then place them in to the pan (irregular shapes are fine). Working with one or two at a time cook them 1 1/2 min per side or until covered in bubbles and spotty brown. Serve warm.