Tender and Moist Wheat Pan de sal

Denise, an fb friend, once asked me if I have a good recipe for wheat pandesal, and I made a suggestion using my pandelimon recipe with wheat flour replacing half of the bread flour. When she had a good outcome that her friends and family all enjoyed and since then made every week, I felt the need to try it myself, although I used only one cup of whole wheat. The result was not the typical dry choking-hazard wheat breads, but one that was moist and tender. As always, the "secret" ingredient to make it softer and moister was the mashed potatoes (or sweet potatoes, whichever you prefer).

Ingredients:
1 / 2 cup milk
1 / 4 cup water
1 / 2 cup boiled and mashed regular or sweet potato
1 / 4 cup butter or margarine
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour + 2-3 tbsp while kneading
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp Fleischmann's bread machine yeast

Instructions:

Mix the milk, potato water and mashed potatoes and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Add the butter and egg, beat to mix then check temperature. It should be between 70-80 deg F (room temp). Pour into the bread machine pan. Add the dry ingredients. Set at dough cycle. after about 10 minutes, start adding flour gradually so that the dough is not too sticky (try to poke from time to time with fingers). It should appear relatively smooth and moist, not wet and flaky. The kneading ends on the 30th minute, then it rises for 1 hr.

Transfer the dough on a lightly greased and floured surface. Stretch and form into a log. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Slice every 1-1.5 inches intervals. Coat with breadcrumbs. Lay on sliced side on baking pan, 1 to 2 fingers apart. Let rise in warm oven for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 deg F for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, then bake for additional 2-3 minutes or until browned to your liking. Enjoy with butter, or your favorite "palaman" (I used dulce de leche and butter on the photo above) and cool the rest on wire rack for at least 30 minutes before storing in ziploc bag.

No-Knead Bran Bread

From breadworld.com

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup instant non-fat dry milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups water
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 cups all-bran or bran buds cereal*
1 egg, large
1 tablespoon melted butter (optional)


Directions
In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, dry milk, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water and butter until very warm (120 to 130oF). Stir in all-bran cereal; let stand about 2 minutes or until cereal is softened. Stir into dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour. Beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour to make stiff batter. Place into 2 (8 -1 / 2 x 4 -1 / 2-inch) greased loaf pans. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375oF for 25 minutes or until done. Remove from pans. Brush tops of loaves with melted butter, if desired. Cool on wire racks.

* 4 cups 40% bran flakes may be substituted

Maple Oatmeal Bread

This is one of the recipes that I sought to make because of available ingredients. My in-laws just made another batch of maple syrup for this year (they do around March) and gave us some. I still had some from last year's, so I thought I'd look for a recipe to use up the opened jar sitting int he fridge. I found one at KAF, but I modified the recipe. Reading their blog about this recipe, I learned that they originally made use of 1/2 cup maple syrup. and while they made use of water, maple syrup and maple flavoring to brush the top to save on the expensive ingredient, I did not have to do that.

I had about 1/2 cup from a pint jar of maple syrup, and after pouring that off into a measuring cup, I had maple sugar sediment at the bottom, which I crushed with fork. This was what I used to brush the top of the loaf prior to baking. The blog author was right, the maple flavor was like creeping on you slowly...and toasting it (I do for 5 minutes) brings out the full flavor. Perfect for breakfast with my coffee, even plain or with jam.

And since I was using my bread machine, I changes the flours to bread flour and traditional whole wheat, both KAF brands, and the yeast to BM yeast. Of course, once these ingredients are changed, the method changes as well.

Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup warm water (80-100 deg F)
* 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
* 1/2 cup real maple syrup
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 3/4 cup King Arthur 100% Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
* 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast


Instructions:

Combine all wet ingredients and warm up to 80 to 100 deg F. Place in BM pan. (Don't forget the paddle!)

Combine all dry ingredients and place on top of dry. Start the dough cycle. Run a timer for 30 minutes (this will be the total time of kneading by the machine before it rests to rise for one hour), after which, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and flatten with your floured palm to a disk. Generously grease your loaf pan.

Roll the dough to a log and place seam side down in an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 loaf pan (if you use a bigger one, your loaf will not have an overhang and will seem to small for the pan). Cover with cling wrap smeared with shortening on the side that will eventually touch the dough so that dough will not stick when you remove the plastic later. Let rise for 1-1/2 to 2 hours in a warm, draft-free, moist place or until the dough has doubled in size and has about 1 inch overhang.

Heat the oven to 350 deg F. Place rack at the middle.

Remove plastic and brush the top with maple sugar-syrup all over. (I placed the loaf pan on another shallow pan to catch syrup drippings.). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when top is tapped with finger.

Let cool down for about 5 minutes before turning onto a cooling wire rack. KAF advises to let it cool fully before slicing. I don't. I think the reason they advise that is that it is easy to compress and deform the loaf with the pressure of slicer. I have, in the past, even as a child, learned to angle the loaf in such a way that my slicer hits the bottom corner first. When done this way, versus hitting the loaf from the top or flat sides, the bread maintains its shape, especially if you are not hastening the slicing.

Now this is very artisanal, all-natural, and heart-healthy. I loved the flavor and my kids did as well. Too bad, I did not expect it to take a long time to rise to a level I wanted it to, so that we ate supper first before I baked this, so hubby did not have a taste of it as soon as it was baked (he prefers his breads and rolls eaten at meal times). When freshhly baked, it had a wonderful crunchy crust with that maple sugar on top. This top would not be there after placing in ziploc bag, even upon reheating in a toaster. However, like I said above, toasting it brings out the maple flavor of the bread itself.

This would be a wonderful holiday bread to share with relatives.

Lemon-Pepper Grilled Salmon

Salmon has become my older son's favorite fish because "it's got real flavor unlike the haddock which does not taste anything at all to me."

I myself like salmon, especially when grilled. Actually, I almost always cook salmon this way, with only the basic of ingredients, then enjoyed with rice and some slices of ripe tomatoes sprinkled with salt.




I usually cook just half of the fillet (with intact skin), which will be all I and
my two sons can eat during a meal time (husband does not like salmon; too strong a flavor for him). Whereas before I cooked salmon on a iron griddle placed atop the stovetop, now I use the George Foreman grilling machine (small one, probably costs <$20 nowaadays). The cooking time is less since it cooks both sides at the same time (max 6 minutes depending on how thick the fillet is) and tends to close in the heat; clean up is easier; and I don't have to worry about flipping the fish over. To clean, I just let the machine cool down a bit, wipe it with non-abrasive slightly soapy dish sponge while still warm, then rinse with a bit of water, careful not to get water inside the machine (I hold it sideways).

Ingredients:
1/2 salmon fillet (actually amount depends on you)

Spices -- see slideshow so you know what I mean
garlic-salt
lemon-pepper

Instructions:

Sprinkle fillet with garlic salt, approximating how much you need for the amount of fish you have.

Generously sprinkle with lemon-pepper to really cover the whole surface. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, plug in the grilling machine.

When hot, spray or brush the grilling surface with oil.

Place the fillet on the grill and let cook for 4 to 6 minutes. (Fish is done when flaky all the way. Do not overcook!) For this piece, I had to turn around the fish after the first 4 minutes to cook the thin part further, as it was not touched by the upper grill. The closed-in heat further cooked that when turned around.

Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Wheat Bread

This is another entry for the NC Sweet Potato contest that I referred to earlier when I made the sweet potato pandesal and pandelimon. I would like to thank sweetbytes for this contest and giving us a boost to explore the possibilities of sweet potatoes.

This bread is inspired by the common Filipino bakery item "pan de pula" with the bread enveloping a red filling. Although the original recipe for pan de pula makes use of stale bread for the filling that is made like a pudding, to which a few drops of red coloring is added for interesting contrast against the bread that wraps around it, I used cream cheese for this recipe to make it special. I also made use of some whole wheat flour for the bread. The sweet potatoes help create a very tender wheat bread. Upon baking, this bread is then sliced into individual servings. The leftover is kept in the fridge. Reheating takes about 15 seconds for each slice. I love it as snack or to accompany my evening/morning coffee. My husband said it was quite good. My sons liked it as well, especially upon coming home from school.

I experimented with two types of "presentation" of the bread, one with slashes and one with fork tine piercings for vent. I like the slashed one better as far as appearance goes.

FILLING:
Ingredients:
8-oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1-2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup sweet potato
1 egg

Instructions:
Beat together all ingredients until well-blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

DOUGH:
Ingredients:

Makes 2 loaves

3 to 3-1 / 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 / 4 cup sugar
2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1-1 / 2 cups water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 / 4 cup mashed boiled sweet potato

egg wash made of 1 egg and 1 tbsp milk

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, butter and mashed potato until very warm (120o to 130oF). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 8 x 12-inch oval. Divide filling into two and spread on the dough, either in the form of a log or spread flat, sparing the edges for the dough to seal (filling is quite runny, so do not put too much and allow about 3-4 inches for dough edge sealing. Turn seam side down onto greased baking sheet and let rise for about 40 minutes to an hour in a warm, draft-free place. Using a sharp blade, make slashes (or use fork tines) to create vents. Let rise for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat up the oven to 400 deg F. Brush dough with eggwash. Bake 15-20 minutes or until done. Remove from sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Honey Whole Wheat Loaf

My husband loves wheat loaves. He loves the texture and the chewiness. It also happens that my BIL/SIL have honeybees, so every year we get a good supply of homemade honey. One of the few loaves that hubby loves so much is honey whole wheawt loaf, which I found in breadworld.com in my search for loaves with honey and wheat. Everyone in the family loves this. If I can't get my stepdaughter to eat supper, she will gobble up any rolls or loaves I put on the table that are tender and warm.

Recipe courtesy of breadworld.
Ingredients:

Makes 1 Loaf

1-1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 envelope FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 large egg
1 egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water, honey, and butter until very warm (120o to 130oF). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly oiled surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces; form each into a smooth ball. Place, side by side, in greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Brush top with beaten egg and water. Bake at 375oF for 35 to 40 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool wire rack.

Nutritional Information:
Per Serving :
Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of recipe)
Serving Weight: 2.2 ounces (62 g)
Calories 160; Total fat 3 g; Saturated fat 1.5 g;
Cholesterol 25 mg; Sodium 230 mg; Carbohydrates 30 g;
Dietary fiber 2 g (0.9 g / oz); Sugars 5 g; Protein 5 g