Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto
This Pancetta Risotto is a fantastic meal for two people, or a delicious side for a group. It’s time-consuming but very straightforward to make.
I confess, I spent years being intimidated by the very idea of a risotto. I would see it done on cooking shows. So much stirring! When I finally got up the gumption to give it a try, I found risotto wasn’t hard at all. It really is about lots of stirring.
This recipe here is my fancy occasion recipe, especially when I have some good pancetta on hand, such as the kind carried by Smoking Goose Meatery out of Indianapolis.
As for the wine, I’ve tried this with fancier Sauvignon Blanc from Total Wine (Cloudy Bay from New Zealand) as well as a $6 Trader Joe’s Coastal Sauvignon Blanc. Both versions turned out great! You don’t need to go all-out, but get something that is (hopefully) drinkable with the finished meal.
Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto
Equipment
- large stock pot
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 8 oz pancetta diced
- 1 Tablespoon dried shallots or fresh shallot, finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine Sauvignon Blanc works well
- 4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock, equal to a 32 oz box or 2 cans
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano, plus more to top rice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, cook the pancetta for 10 to 12 minutes, until it starts to turn brown and crispy. At the same time, on another stove burner, use a medium sauce pan to bring the chicken broth to a very low simmer.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Add dry shallots and garlic to the fat in the big pot. Sauté for two minutes. Add the Arborio rice and a pinch of salt. Sauté another 2 minutes, until the rice looks glossy with translucent edges.
- Add the white wine and stir until it is absorbed. Add chicken broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring well after each addition until it is absorbed. After about 12 to 15 minutes, when most of the broth has been added, begin to taste the rice. The goal is a chewy, al dente consistency. Add more broth as needed, and remember to turn off the burner for the broth pot when it is empty.
- When the rice is creamy and al dente, stir in the pancetta and cheese. Taste the risotto again, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with the remaining white wine.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Cheddar Beer Bread Rolls
These Cheddar Beer Bread Rolls taste as good as they look. Seriously.
When the pandemic sent everything topsy-turvy in spring 2020, my husband ended up working from home more often. That meant I needed to feed him more often.
So, like so many people, I started baking more bread. These rolls were among the first of my experiments, and they were a major hit.
The original recipe from New York Times Cooking made a huge batch of rolls. I needed enough rolls to feed one guy, with a extras frozen for later.
I rewrote the recipe to delicious results. I used a Guilt Lifter beer to make these, which lent a refreshing hoppy flavor. A heavier and darker beer will create heavier and darker flavor. Try different beers to suit your tastes and match your meal.
Bready or Not: Cheddar Beer Bread Rolls
Equipment
- 2 8-or 9-inch cake pans
- 2.5-inch round cutter
- plastic wrap
- basting brush
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1/2 Tablespoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 cup beer room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheese 120 grams
Instructions
- Divide the two tablespoons of butter in half, separating them to soften at room temperature.
- In a stand mixer with a bread hook attachment, stir together the flour, yeast, and salt. Follow up with 1 tablespoon of softened butter, honey, and beer. Mix on low speed for 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium for another 2 minutes, pulling the dough from the hook a few times. Add about half the cheese, reserving the rest to go on top later. Mix the cheese until it's distributed through the dough.
- Lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough there and cover with plastic wrap or a towel to let it rise until it's about doubled in size, about an hour.
- Grease the two cake pans. Prepare a lightly floured surface and tip the dough onto it. Pat the dough out into a thick, even layer. Use the cutter to slice out rolls. Place them not quite touching in the pans. Reform scraps as much as possible to shape into more rolls. The rolls likely won't quite fill both pans.
- Cover pans with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise again for 35 to 45 minutes. They may not increase a lot in size, but they should look puffy.
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees.
- Pull out remaining pat of butter and cheese. Brush the soft butter over the rolls, and follow up with a sprinkling of cheese. Try to keep the cheese from touching the edge of the pan, where it could burn.
- Place both pans in the oven and bake until the rolls are browned and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. A digital thermometer in a center roll should read 190-degrees at minimum.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes before (carefully) pulling apart and serving.
- Rolls can keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. They can also be frozen and thawed for later enjoyment. They taste best hot. For best results, wrap them in foil and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes to warm them through.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust
This is a pie like none I have made before: like a gigantic chewy oatmeal cookie with a spiced crust, embodied with a refreshing zing of whiskey.
This Honey Oat Pie in a Cinnamon Pie Crust will blow your mind in the best of ways. Texture wise, it is moist and chewy without being soggy (be sure to use old-fashioned/rolled oats!).
Flavor-wise, you taste the toasted oats, a wonderful mix of warm spices, and the freshness of the whiskey. There’s only a tablespoon and a half in there but the flavor of the whiskey still comes through.
I used Jameson Irish Whiskey, in keeping with the origins of the original version of the recipe: the July/August issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine, my favorite food magazine these days.
I imagine you can omit the whiskey from the recipe without it being detrimental to the taste or texture, but I haven’t tried that myself.
This is a great pie to have for breakfast (the alcohol’s effect burns off in baking), or snack, or dessert.
Bready or Not: Cinnamon Pie Crust
Equipment
- food processor
- pie plate
- plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, cold, cut into chunks
- 3 Tablespoons ice water plus more if needed
Instructions
- In a large food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces. Pulse until they are almond-sized, then add the ice water. Pulse until mixture can form a ball, adding a touch more water if needed to make it cohesive.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead to shape into a disk. Tightly encase in plastic wrap and let chill in fridge for at least an hour, or up to a few days. Dough can also be frozen for up to two months.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie
Equipment
- pie plate
- parchment paper
- pie weights
Ingredients
- single-layer pie crust
- 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats also called rolled oats
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Irish whiskey such as Jameson
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees
Prepare pie crust
- Let pie dough soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Lightly flour a surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch circle and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Press into plate to shape, crimping edges as desired. Freeze crust until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Drape a large piece of parchment paper over pie crust. Fill to the top with pie weights.
- Bake crust until edges are turning golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove weights and parchment paper.
- Bake crust an additional 10 minutes to set. Cover the edges with foil if it is getting brown too quickly. Set aside on rack to cool while the filling is assembled.
Prepare filling
- Reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Place oats in pan.
- Bake them until they are lightly toasted, about 10 minutes, giving them a stir or two during. Set them aside to cool.
- Lower oven temperature again, this time to 325-degrees. Move the oven rack to the lower third of the oven.
- In a big bowl, mix together the brown sugar, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the corn syrup, melted butter, honey, whiskey and vanilla, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition, and end by incorporating the oats until they are coated. Pour everything into the parbaked crust.
- Bake until the filling is set and slightly puffed, about 40 minutes. Check on the pie about halfway and cover the edges the foil if they are getting too brown. The done pie will register at 200-degrees if checked with an instant thermometer.
- Let pie cool completely on rack before slicing in. Store covered by foil in the fridge or at room temperature. Keeps for several days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: 5 Minute Artisan Pizza Dough and Cast Iron Pan Pizzas
Today’s Bready or Not is a 2-for-1 deal: a recipe for fast and easy pizza dough, followed by the process I use for divvying up that dough to make small but thick cast iron pan pizzas.
The basic dough recipe is modified from the great book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. [Affiliate link] Yes, this dough really comes together in 5 minutes. It also keeps for up to 2 weeks AND can be frozen.
The method for making mini pizzas in a skillet is one I practiced a few times several years ago, then made a LOT during 2020 as my husband was working from home more often. I perfected it to the point where I had to write it down–and share here.
The pan pizza recipe is pretty much an outline to show the timing on the shaping, rise, and crust-cooking, but the ingredients are all up to you!
Bready or Not: 5 Minute Artisan Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon white sugar
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning, optional
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast or one packet store-bought active yeast
Instructions
- Place the water, olive oil, and sugar in a big mixing bowl, stand mixer, or food processor. Add the flour, salt, and seasoning, if using. Start mixing together, then sprinkle in the yeast. Mix until just combined.
- Keep in same bowl, if desired, or transfer to another bowl that is greased. Loosely cover top with plastic wrap or towel and let dough rise at room temperature until it flattens out on top, about two hours.
- Dough can be used now but is much easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a non-airtight container and use within two weeks. Dough can also be frozen in freezer bags, for up to a month, and defrosted later in the fridge.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Cast Iron Pan Pizzas
Equipment
- 10-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- handful pizza dough
- olive oil
- desired toppings and seasonings
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 450-degrees. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron skillet and place the pan in the oven to heat up.
- Grab a good handful of pizza dough, or as much as desired to bake today. Oil a small space of counter or table as well as hands, and gently stretch and press out the dough to a rough circle. If it tears, patch with other pieces of dough as best possible. Let dough rest for about 20 minutes.
- By this time, the oven should have preheated. Use a potholder to pull out the skillet. Carefully swirl the hot oil in the pan to coat the bottom and set pan down on a safe surface. Carefully, again, place the dough in the pan.
- Bake crust for 6 to 10 minutes, until it is set. Pull out of oven and add desired toppings.
- Put pizza in oven for another 6 to 10 minutes, until crust is golden and toppings are cooked to desired level. Let pizza cool for about 10 minutes, then slide onto a plate or other surface to slice and eat.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Cheese and Chives Yorkshire Puddings (Small Batch)
Yorkshire puddings are what many Americans also know of as popovers–light, airy, crisp sponges perfect to eat with a roast and gravy!
This recipe is for a small batch of puds. Since they are so airy (if they rise right), the six puddings of this recipe are perfect for two or three people.
Cheese makes everything better, of course. I used Dubliner Irish Cheddar, as it is available at my nearest Costcos for a good price.
Use a good quality cheddar here to really take these puddings to the next level.
Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine.
Bready or Not: Cheese and Chives Yorkshire Puddings (Small Batch)
Equipment
- metal muffin pan
- blender
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk or half & half
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted, divided
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup quality cheddar cheese (25 grams), freshly grated
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh chives chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 425-degrees.
- In the container of a blender, place milk, eggs, 1 tablespoon melted butter, flour, and salt; process just until smooth. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, toss together grated cheese and chives.
- Place a 12-cup muffin pan in oven for 5 minutes to preheat.
- Remove muffin pan from oven, and quickly spoon the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter into the 6 muffin cups that are being used. Return pan to oven for 2 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven. Working fast, spoon or pour batter into buttered muffin cups, dividing as evenly as possible. Top each with a spoonful of cheese mixture.
- Bake until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Garnish with more chives, if desired. Serve immediately. Yorkshires are best fresh as they deflate after baking.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Pumpkin pairs with cream cheese in this delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes.
No need for extra sugar or frosting on top. These are delicious all on their own!
It seems that my pumpkin theme most years needs at least one cream cheese and pumpkin pairing. This one fulfills that requirement this year, and in a delicious way.
These cupcakes are light and airy with a bright flavor of pumpkin and spice, with the cream cheese adding wonderful sweetness.
This recipe makes two dozen. It’s certainly faster to bake up if you have two pans, but that is by no means required. One pan will do the job.
One warning about these things: they are so light and airy, it is easy to eat several at once. But because they are pumpkin, that makes them healthy, right? Just, uh, ignore that sugar and oil…
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 or 2 cupcake/muffin pans
- paper cupcake liners
Ingredients
Pumpkin batter
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- nonstick spray
Cream cheese filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
- In a big bowl, beat together pumpkin puree, sugar, and oil. Beat in eggs one at a time.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Gradually blend into the pumpkin mix.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, carefully warm the cream cheese a touch, just to make it soft enough to mash. Stir in the white sugar and egg until it is cohesive; it's okay if there are still some small chunks of cream cheese.
- Place paper liners in the muffin pan (or two pans, if available). Apply nonstick spray in each liner. Add pumpkin to fill each liner about 1/3; a teaspoon scoop is useful for this. Add some dollops of cream cheese into each. Add layers of pumpkin batter to cover.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a middle cupcake passes the toothpick test. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then gingerly use two forks to pry out each cupcake to set on a rack to cool more. Place in sealed container in fridge to store.
