Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook (21 page)

When you love to cook, people are always giving you fabulous bittersweet orange marmalade. Luckily, these rolls became a way to incorporate them into a fancy yeast roll, good for brunch. (Caterers are called upon to work an unimaginable number of brunches, usually corporate events.)

1.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, water, and yeast. Set aside in a warm, draft-free place and allow to proof for 10 minutes, at which point the mixture should be foamy.

2.
In another large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 5 minutes. Blend in the honey and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the zests, extract, salt, and lemon juice. Beat until well combined. (The mixture will look curdled.)

3.
Refrigerate the 3 egg whites, covered, until you are ready to bake the rolls. Add the 3 egg yolks and 3 whole eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, and beat in thoroughly. Add the yeast mixture and the milk and beat on low speed until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

4.
Mix the dough enhancer into 1 cup of the 5 cups of flour. Add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time to the yeast mixture, beating thoroughly after each addition. If the dough is very sticky, add the additional cup flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough is only slightly sticky. Switch to a wooden spoon or dough hook when the dough becomes too stiff to beat. When the dough is pliable and only very slightly sticky, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead vigorously for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can knead using the dough hook for 10 minutes.)

5.
Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, turn to oil the top, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set it in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1½ hours.

6.
Punch the dough down, turn it out onto a board, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Divide it into 24 equal pieces. Butter two 12-cup muffin tins.

7.
Keep the dough you are not working with covered with a kitchen towel. Take each piece of dough, flatten it into a 4-inch round, and spread 1 teaspoon marmalade from the center out, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Carefully roll the dough into a cylinder, pinch the edges of the roll together, and pull the pinched-together edges underneath, to make a round roll. Carefully place each roll into a muffin cup. When you have made all the rolls, cover the muffin tins with a kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

8.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

9.
Remove the egg whites from the refrigerator and whisk them until frothy. Using a pastry brush, paint the top of each roll. (You will have egg white left over.)

10.
Working with one muffin tin at a time, bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are puffed and golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Cool on racks for 10 minutes, then use tongs to remove the rolls from the pans to cool completely on the racks.

Makes 2 dozen rolls

This is another high-protein bread, one you make in a bread machine. It makes a large loaf. Note, though: It does not keep well.

1.
Rinse the chickpeas well and pat them dry. Pour them into a blender along with ½ cup of the molasses. Blend until the mixture is smooth (no chickpeas visible). Measure out 1 cup of this mixture; discard remainder.

2.
Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon molasses into the ¼ cup lukewarm spring water and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let this sit for 3 to 5 minutes, until the yeast is completely moistened. Stir the yeast down into the water and place in a warm, draft-free spot for 10 minutes to proof. The mixture will be foamy.

3.
In a bowl, combine the dough enhancer, whole wheat flour, and bread flour (or all-purpose flour). Place this mixture into a bread machine, followed by the chickpea puree, the salt, oats, ⅔ cup spring water, nonfat dry milk, safflower oil, and egg. Pour the yeast mixture in on top. Program for white bread (about 3 hours and 10 minutes) and press Start.

4.
After the first few minutes of mixing, lift the lid of the machine and check that the dough is neither too sticky and wet nor so dry that it cannot incorporate all the ingredients. Do not touch the blade or the dough. If the mixture looks too wet, add up to 2 more tablespoons bread flour. If the mixture looks dry, add up to 2 more tablespoons spring water. What you are aiming for here is a smooth, supple dough that holds together and that the machine's blade can knead easily. Once a smooth, supple dough is obtained, close the lid of the bread machine and let the bread-making process continue.

5.
Once the bread is done, remove it from the machine and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing.

Makes 1 large loaf

Unlike most yeast breads, this one rises and bakes quickly. Even if you start in the late afternoon, it can be served with dinner.

1.
In a small saucepan, heat the spring water to 110˚ to 115˚F. Pour the water into a warm bowl and stir in the brown sugar and yeast. Place in a warm, draft-free spot to proof, about 15 minutes. The mixture will be foamy.

2.
In a bowl, mix together the dough enhancer, bread flour, soy flour, dry milk, wheat germ, and salt. Place this mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the proofed yeast mixture and stir until well combined. Knead for 10 minutes.

3.
Place the kneaded dough into a buttered bowl, cover with buttered plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.

4.
Remove the plastic wrap, punch the dough down, and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Shape the pieces into 2 round loaves and place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Using a sharp knife, cut a 1-inch deep cross into the tops of the loaves. Brush the loaves with spring water and sprinkle the poppy seeds on top.

Note:
  
Do not preheat the oven.

5.
Place a cake pan filled with hot spring water on the bottom rack of the
cold
oven. Place the baking sheet with the loaves on the middle rack of the oven. Close the oven door and turn the oven to 400˚F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown. (They will open up and look like flowers; this is normal.) Serve warm or cool.

Note:
  
This bread does not keep well. If you are not going to serve both loaves immediately, allow the second loaf to cool completely, then freeze it in a zippered plastic freezer bag.

Makes 2 loaves

Yes, your grocery store and local coffee shop will offer almond poppy seed muffins. But when our middle son (a poppy seed muffin hound) and I were visiting colleges in New York and California, we ordered poppy seed muffins wherever we went. This recipe was the result. Although this recipe calls for almond extract, we also tasted outstanding lemon poppy seed muffins in Greenwich Village and San Francisco. If you want to make lemon poppy seed muffins, omit the almond extract, add ½ teaspoon lemon extract and 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest. To gild that particular lily, you can moisten powdered sugar with fresh lemon juice and drizzle it over the muffins.

1.
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line 30 muffin cups with paper liners.

2.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, milk, and vegetable oil. Sift together the baking powder, salt, and flour. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beating until well combined. Add the extracts and poppy seeds, stirring only until well combined. Using a ⅓-cup measure, measure out the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 30 muffins

Every now and then you will be invited to a St. Patrick's Day party and be asked to bring something. Or maybe you are Irish and will want to remind your relatives of a dish from the home country. Then again, you could just have a hankering to make this for yourself.

1.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

2.
Sift together the dry ingredients. Using a food processor or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture only until it resembles small peas. Place in a large bowl. Blend in the raisins and caraway seeds.

3.
In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, buttermilk, and sour cream until blended.

4.
Stir the egg mixture into the dry mixture
just
until blended.

5.
Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 1 round loaf

Our family loves dried pineapple, so I was duty-bound to come up with a muffin recipe that contained it.

1.
Place all the pineapple in a small saucepan and pour the rum or water over it. Bring to a boil, then allow the pineapple to cool in the liquid for about 30 minutes. Drain the pineapple. (If you are using rum, either discard it or reserve it for another use.) Pat the pineapple dry with paper towels and reserve 12 pieces. Roughly chop the remainder and set aside.

2.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Thoroughly butter the
top
of a 12-cup muffin tin. (This is to ensure easy release of the muffins after baking.) Place paper liners in the 12 muffin cups.

3.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

4.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is very creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar until the mixture turns light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is well combined. On low speed, mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest until completely combined. (The mixture will look curdled.) Gently stir the
flour mixture, pineapple, and coconut into the butter mixture, stirring only until completely combined. (The batter will be thick.)

5.
Using a ½-cup measure, measure a scant ½ cup batter into each paper liner. Top each muffin with a reserved piece of pineapple. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Gently remove the muffins from the pan. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 12 muffins