Someday, I’ll feel like I am no longer playing catch-up from the move. Today is not that day.
I’m doing such much-belated updating on my Bibliography page. In particular, the sections for short stories, interviews, guest blogs, and podcasts. The poetry section needs many new entries and will be done soon.
Posted by Beth on Oct 11, 2023 in Blog, Bready or Not, side dish, yeast bread | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Portuguese Sweet Bread Rolls in the Bread Machine
These Portuguese Sweet Rolls come together fast thanks to a bread machine. The resulting bread is sweet, flaky, and perfect to go with any meal–though as a born Central Californian, I have to recommend serving alongside tri-tip!
I grew up surrounded by a vibrant Portuguese community. That meant a lot of awesome food, like linguica on Me-N-Eds pizza, and rounds of sweet bread on the counter at Boston Pizza. We didn’t have a lot of money, so when we could grab that bread loaf, it was a real treat!
As with most any bread, these rolls are great to freeze and eat later. The fresher they are when you freeze them, the fresher they’ll still taste when you warm them up later!
Bready or Not Original: Portuguese Sweet Bread Rolls in the Bread Machine
The convenient sweet rolls are the perfect accompaniment for many meals!
Course: Bread, Side Dish
Keyword: yeast bread
Servings: 23rolls
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
bread machine
2 1/2-inch cutter
rimmed baking sheet
plastic wrap
Ingredients
1cuphalf & half
1/2cupwater
1/3cupmelted butter80 ml
1/2cupwhite sugar
2large eggs
1 1/2teaspoonssea salt
4cupswhite bread flour plus more
2teaspoonsinstant dry yeast or bread machine yeast
Instructions
Place the half & half and water in a liquid measuring cup and gently warm in a microwave-safe cup in microwave to reach 100-110 degrees.
Follow bread machine directions for loading ingredients into the bucket; for most, that means liquids first. Stir together the half & half, water, butter, and sugar. That should lower the temperature enough to make it safe to add the eggs (you don’t want them scrambled!); stir those in to break the yolks. Add the salt, flour, and yeast. Start the machine on the DOUGH cycle.
Check on it once it starts mixing. If the mixture looks runny, add spoonfuls of flour until it comes together; if it’s too thick, add a touch of warm water. Let the cycle finish.
Grease a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray or butter.
Lightly flour a flat surface. Pat out the dough to be about 1/2-inch thick. Use cutter to slice dough into rounds; place rounds spaced out just a touch on the greased pan. Press dough scraps together as much as possible, and bring together into more rounds. Loosely cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes.
Near the end of the second rise, as the rolls begin to look puffy, preheat oven at 350-degrees. Discard plastic wrap.
Bake rolls for 17 to 20 minutes, until they are golden across the top. Let cool a few minutes before pulling apart to enjoy.
Rolls may be eaten fresh, or will keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for a day or two. They can also be frozen right after initially cooling, and thawed later for later enjoyment. They can be eaten at room temperature but are even better warmed up.
Posted by Beth on Oct 4, 2023 in Blog, Bready or Not, cookies, pumpkin | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies! These are simple, delicious classic cookies, with warm spices inside and out.
These were among the last cookies I made in Arizona as I was frantically trying to use up my remaining butter and eggs. I thought I had everything figured out, and then I realized (after I made the dough) that I’d already packed up all of my rolling pins. Whoops. Therefore, I used good ol’ arm muscle to flatten the dough, and I ended up satisfied with how they turned out!
That said, don’t be like me. Make your life easier and use a rolling pin! You’ll get more consistent cookies, for sure.
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
These are classic butter and spice cookies, crisp yet chewy, great for autumn or year-round.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: cookies
Servings: 55cookies
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
plastic wrap
parchment paper
Rolling Pin
2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter
cooling rack
Ingredients
Cookie dough
1cupunsalted butter(2 sticks) room temperature
2cupswhite sugar
2large eggs room temperature
2 3/4cupsall-purpose flour
2Tablespoonspumpkin pie spice
Topping
1/2cupwhite sugar
1/2Tablespoonground cinnamon
Instructions
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Gradually mix in the flour and pie spice. Roughly divide the dough in half, flattening each portion into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Tuck into the fridge overnight.
Let dough sit out about 20 minutes to warm up enough to roll out. Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
On a lightly floured flat surface, roll out one disc of cookie dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Portion out using the cookie cutter. Press the top of each round into the topping mix and then set, spaced out, on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies ae set. Let sit on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat process with remaining dough, reassembling scraps to create more cookies. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.
This Marble Swirl Bundt Cake is not only delicious but pretty, as it contains a light and dark swirl inside!
Spices are the prevalent flavor through the darker portions of the cake, with the pale portions plain and sweet in balance.
There are a lot of ingredients in this cake, though the assembly is straightforward. Save yourself some effort at baking time by combining the spice ingredients a day ahead!
This delicious bundt cake contains swirls of light and dark! The cake is soft and tender, perfect for a breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: bundt cake, cake, maple
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
large bundt cake pan
nonstick spray with flour or regular nonstick spray
Ingredients
2 2/3cupall-purpose flour
4teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
4large eggs room temperature
2cupswhite sugar
1 1/3cupalmond milkor regular milk
1/2cupunsalted butter melted
1/3cupcanola oil
1/4cupmaple syrup
2teaspoonsinstant espresso powder or unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
1teaspoonground allspice
1teaspoonsground cloves
1teaspoonground nutmeg
Instructions
Move rack to lower 1/3 of oven; set to preheat at 350-degrees. Generously coat the interior of a large bundt pan with nonstick spray, preferably a baking spray with flour.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a big mixing bowl, place eggs, sugar, milk, butter, and oil, beating until creamy yellow. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, but reserve the empty bowl to one side. Scrape the bowl of batter as needed, mixing until it is smooth.
Measure out 3 cups of the batter into the reserved bowl. Add the maple syrup, espresso powder or cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg, whisking until smooth.
Pour half the plain batter into the greased pan. Top with half the spiced batter, spreading to the sides. Draw a butter knife through the layers, swirling up and down and around. Pour the remaining batters into the pan, repeating the swirl process with the butter knife.
Bake bundt cake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should feel dry and the middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool in pan for 1 hour, then carefully invert onto a cooling rack; if any chunks stick to the pan, try to nestle them back into place on the cake.
Finish cooling. Slice into wedges. Store under a cake dome or otherwise wrapped; individual slices can also be wrapped in plastic.