Bready or Not Original: Bread Machine Cheesy Soft Dinner Rolls
I upgraded my original Soft Dinner Roll recipe in the most Beth Cato way possible: I added loads of cheese!
I don’t simply mix cheese into the dough like with a standard cheesy roll or biscuit recipe. Nah, that’s too mundane. I tried a take on lamination–the French technique wherein butter is layered to create flaky layers in pastry. But with cheese.
It worked out, in a beautiful way. In these pictures, you see a fine Vermont Cheddar. I highly recommend using an orange cheese (Cheddar, or if you are blessed, something like Red Leicester) because the finished rolls look amazing. White Cheddar would be great for flavor, too, though it would blend in more.
I wrote this recipe for bread machines, but it would be easy to modify to make by hand. Just let the dough have an initial rise for about an hour, mix the first portion of cheese in, then let it rise again before the lamination stage.
Bready or Not Original: Bread Machine Cheesy Soft Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- bread machine
- jelly roll pan or baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water about 110 degrees
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast or 1 packet instant yeast
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Add ingredients EXCEPT cheese into the bread machine. That often means the liquids first. Set the machine on dough cycle and start; this should run for about 2 hours. Once the dough starts mixing, sprinkle in about half the cheese. If necessary–and if safely possible, dependent on the machine–use a spatula to press cheese into the dough. Let dough cycle continue until done.
- Prepare a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan by greasing with butter or nonstick spray.
- Pat out dough on an even lightly-greased surface. It’s time to add the rest of the cheese using a process roughly like French butter lamination.
- Sprinkle a handful of cheese over the lower portion of dough. Fold top part over it, then fold dough the other way, creating a fat dough ball. Pat out dough again. Repeat process again one or two more times, until only a handful of cheese is left.
- Pat out dough again. Use a small round cutter to slice out portions of dough. Place them in the prepared pan, spaced so they don’t quite touch. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover pan with plastic wrap or a light towel and let rise again in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until rolls become puffy and double in size.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
- Bake rolls for 15 to 22 minutes. If they begin to brown too much, cover with foil halfway through. Let rolls cool a few minutes before serving.
- Completely cooled rolls can be frozen in gallon freezer bags for several months. Sealed rolls will keep well at room temperature for at least 6 days. They are good eaten at room temperature, but are best briefly warmed in the oven.
*OM NOM NOM!*
Bready or Not Original: Prosciutto-Parmesan Palmiers
The holiday season is nigh, and these Prosciutto-Parmesan Palmiers are the perfect appetizer for a couple or an entire gang!
These really have three ingredients, plus some flour for dusting a counter. They take minutes to assemble. Stash them in the freezer for hours or days. They bake up fast. They make bellies happy.
Plus, I daresay, they are downright pretty. I love the layers in puff pastry! Here, those crisp buttery layers are fantastic along with shredded cheese and thin slices of prosciutto.
Honestly, these are dangerous. It’s hard to eat just one.
However, if you can exercise restraint, the leftovers are delicious. They can be eaten cold (the prosciutto is the prominent flavor then), but are better with a brief warm-up in the oven.
Make these your go-to game day, holiday event, or date night treat!
Bready or Not Original: Prosciutto-Parmesan Palmiers
Equipment
- parchment paper
- knife
Ingredients
- flour to dust surface
- 1 sheet puff pastry (half a box) thawed in fridge
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan packed
- 2 to 3 ounces sliced prosciutto
Instructions
- Hours or days before baking day: Sprinkle flour on a flat, clean surface. Roll out the puff pastry to make a 12-inch square. Cut in half. Sprinkle cheese over both halves. Place prosciutto slices to completely cover cheese; if there is extra meat, layer on the additional pieces. Roll the short sides of each piece of pastry together to meet in the middle–from the end, it will look rather like a number 3. Repeat this with the other half.
- Encase both logs in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least an hour, but as long as several days.
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pull out frozen logs to thaw for just a few minutes. While it is still mostly frozen, slice into 1/4-inch pieces and place spaced out on parchment. (Note that the end pieces may be sparse on filling and not presentable for company, but still worth baking up for private enjoyment.)
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until palmiers are golden brown and puffed. They are best eaten fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated. They are okay cold, but better toasted briefly again in the oven.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
A necessary clarification first thing: these Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles are named thusly because they include pumpkin spice, not pumpkin.
If you do want Snickerdoodles with pumpkin, I can help with that, too. Even in bar form.
These cookies look like normal Snickerdoodles with crackled tops, but the flavor is much more complex thanks to that spice mix. These really taste and smell like autumn.
However, these are so good, they are fantastic year-round. As I’ve said before, the things you enjoy–be it food or music or décor–shouldn’t be confined to one season. If you like it, like it whenever you want!
This recipe makes a decent batch, about 50 cookies using a teaspoon scoop, and will be best if eaten within 3 days. Therefore, make them to share with a crowd, or you may experience a Snickerdoodle overdose.
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- parchment paper
- teaspoon scoop
Ingredients
Topping
- 3 Tablespoons pumpkin spice
- 1 Tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1/3 cup white sugar
Dough
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 cubes) room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat an oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the three topping ingredients. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combined the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually work in the flour mixture until it’s just combined.
- Use a teaspoon scoop to form small bowls of dough. Roll the dough in the topping spices, one at a time, and place spaced out on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops are crackled and just set, but not browning. Let them cool at the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a rack to fully cool.
- Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Sugar-Crusted Pumpkin Cake
This Sugar-Crusted Pumpkin Cake is moist, delicious, and packed with autumnal flavors!
There is a definite pumpkin pie-like vibe to this thing. The white chocolate chips melted along the bottom (hence the direction to grease the foil well) and formed a sort of scrumptious crust, too.
This thing is even pretty. I like using turbinado sugar as a top crust because it’s pretty, texturally delightful, and tastes darn good!
This cake will keep for at least 3 days, covered and chilled, and maybe longer. It also freezes like a champ.
Since this makes a 13×9 pan, it’s probably a good thing it can be portioned out over days and weeks!
Bready or Not Original: Sugar-Crusted Pumpkin Cake
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Topping
- 1/2 cup turbinado or other coarse sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply generous nonstick spray or butter. Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
- Mix together the eggs, white sugar, vegetable oil, and applesauce. Add the cake flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt. Follow up with the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Fold in the white chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the pan and level out. Mix together the two topping ingredients and sprinkle over the cake.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool at room temperature, then store in fridge. Cake will keep for at least 3 days in the fridge, but can also be sliced and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Apple-Frangipane Galette
This Apple-Frangipane Galette is like a leaner apple pie. It’s the way to enjoy a sweet treat without going full overkill.
This recipe has a lot of ingredients and steps, but they can be spread out over a few days, if you want. The actual recipe is pretty straightforward!
I’ve been doing a number of recipes that use frangipane, and I get asked almost every time: “what is frangipane?”
To quote Wikipedia, it’s: “a sweet almond-flavored custard used in a variety of ways including cakes and… pastries. …Today it is normally made of butter, sugar, eggs, and ground almonds.”
In other words, it’s a spreadable, sweet, nutty layer of goodness. It acts as the perfect complement to apples in this recipe.
Do note that this is best enjoyed the day it is made. It’s fine, though, to freeze slices of it right away. When you thaw them later, enjoy the pieces that same day!
Bready or Not Original: Apple-Frangipane Galette
Equipment
- parchment paper
- food processor
- pastry brush
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 4 teaspoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
Frangipane:
- 2/3 cup almond flour sifted to remove lumps
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon apple brandy such as Calvados (optional)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
- pinch salt
Apple filling:
- 2 medium apples such as Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 large egg beaten
- turbinado or other coarse sugar
Glaze:
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons apple brandy such as Calvados
Instructions
Make the crust:
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and chop until it’s pea-sized. Add the egg and pulse until it comes together; if it doesn’t, add tiny drizzles of water until it does–just make sure the dough ends up cohesive, not wet. Turn out the dough onto a big piece of plastic wrap and compress the dough to form a disc. Wrap it up and chill it in fridge for a few hours, minimum, or a few days.
Make the frangipane:
- Use a rubber spatula to combine the almond flour, sugar, flour, butter, egg, apple brandy, vanilla, pie spice and salt, making it smooth. Stash it in the fridge until ready to use.
Assembling the galette:
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Prepare a big cookie sheet with a piece of parchment. Bring out the dough to warm for a few minutes, then lightly flour a surface and roll it out to about a 12-inch round. Move it to the parchment paper.
- Spread the frangipane over the dough, leaving a blank 1 1/2-inch border. Set the baking sheet in the fridge while preparing the apples.
Prepare the apples:
- Peel the apples and slice to 1/4-inch thickness. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, sugar, lemon juice, and pie spice. Add this to the apples, and toss them to coat. Bring out the galette dough. Arrange the apples on the frangipane starting from the middle, spiraling them outward while slightly overlapping them. Fold the blank edge over the apples to form a thin, pleated crust. Brush the beaten egg over the crust, then sprinkle it with coarse sugar.
- Bake galette for 35 to 40 minutes. Apples in middle should be fork-tender when done. Cool for about 30 minutes.
Make the glaze:
- In a small saucepan on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, warm the honey and brandy until it is loose and spreadable. Using a clean pastry brush, brush glaze over the apples.
- Let galette cool another 30 minutes, minimum, before cutting it–a pizza slicer is great for this. The galette is best eaten the day it is made, or promptly frozen in slices to be eaten soon after it thaws.