Best Delicious No-Knead Dill Pickle and Garlic Bread

 

Pickles are all the rage these days. I feel as though everyone is finally catching up to my lifelong obsession with dill pickles. This quick and easy no-knead bread comes together in minutes and is perfect for tuna salad sandwiches.

I serve this bread warm with cheese soup. It’s the perfect companion for fish dishes. It is divine when toasted and served with cream cheese and Swedish cured gravlax (salmon).

I use cottage cheese in the dough to add a rich texture and tenderness to the finished bread. Its subtle tang builds a fantastic flavor profile and complements the dill. You can use fresh dill instead of dried, which brings a bright and robust flavor. If fresh dill is used, use 1/4 cup instead of the dry dill. Adding the pickles is optional, but it lends an almost sourdough note to this quick and easy bread.

No-Knead Dill Pickle Garlic Bread

1 package (1/4 ounce) Red Star active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

1 cup 2% cottage cheese, small curd

½ cup finely chopped dill pickles

2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic

2 Tbsp. dry dill

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp.  salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten

3 cups (360g) Organic Bread Flour

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add cottage cheese, pickles, dill, olive oil, salt, sugar, egg, and 1 cup flour; beat until smooth.
• Stir in the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, for about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; shape into a 6-inch circle.
• Transfer to a greased 9-in. cast-iron skillet or round baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the bread’s internal temperature is over 180°F, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool.

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

The Best Fast and Easy 4-Ingredient Bread Bowls

Looking for a quick and easy recipe for dinner tonight?

These fast and easy Bread Bowls use only flour, yeast, water, and salt. They can be filled with soup or any of your favorite hot or cold dips for entertaining! They come together from start to finish within less than two hours, making them a great choice. We've included the volume and weight measurements for the ease of any home baker. Give them a try.

Fast and Easy 4-Ingredient Bread Bowls

Yield: 8 Bowls 

Ingredients:

8 cups King Arthur Bread Flour (34 oz, 960g)

2 packages Red Star instant or rapid-rise yeast (1 ½ Tbsp, ½ oz, 14g)

1 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt

3 cups warm water (not hot water, about 110°F)

Directions: 

• Wash and sanitize all tools and work surfaces. 
• Whisk the flour, instant yeast, and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Add the warm water to the bowl and stir with a dough hook until kneading 5 minutes on medium speed. 
• Remove from the dough hook and mixing bowl. Form into a ball. Wipe out the mixing bowl and place the dough ball back in the mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Rest for 20 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour. Cut into eight equal pieces. 
• Shape the dough into bowls by rolling it into a ball, then pulling it down on the edges to seal the seam on the bottom. Place the shaped bowls on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic to rise for 1 hour. 
• Wash and sanitize the work surface used to shape the dough. 
• Preheat your oven to 450°F. Lightly dust the top of the bowls with flour and use a sharp knife to slash the top of the bowls with an X pattern. 
• Bake at 450°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crusty, with an internal temperature of 190°F. 
• Let the bread cool slightly before cutting into the tops. Cut a circle from the top with a small serrated or paring knife. Scoop out the extra bread on the inside of the bowl, allowing room for soup or dip, and reserve the removed bread for dipping in soup. 
• Unused bowls can be cooled completely, wrapped in plastic, and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Rewarm in a 350°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes. 

There you go! Make some amazing bread bowls this season!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Best Easy Pumpkin Pie Pecan Sticky Buns

I don't know about your house, but at my place, the Pumpkin pie and pecan pie are always the top picks for dessert at the Thanksgiving table. What if those pies' flavors could be captured in a fantastic swirl of spiced flavor-like frenzy embodied in a fluffy roll for your dining enjoyment? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch, snack options, and a dessert buffet would be fair game for these babies!

Behold, these glory rolls are about to become your family’s most requested “yummy thing” that must always be made for Thanksgiving and every holiday close to it. 

This recipe features a method of yeast bread called Tangzhong.

Tangzhong is a yeast bread technique with origins in Japan and Asia. It involves cooking some of a bread recipe’s flour in liquid before adding it to the remaining dough ingredients. Milk is the most popular liquid used in this method. Bringing the temperature of the flour and liquid temperature to 65°C (149°F) pre-gelatinizes the flour’s starches, making them more able to retain liquid, thus enhancing the resulting bread’s softness and shelf life.

When used for sweet rolls, the result is a soft, pillowy texture and velvety crumb. You need this method in your life. Please don’t skip it. Please don’t change the recipe. Just accept that this is part of the magic.

Best Easy Pumpkin Pie Spice Pecan Sticky Buns

Tangzhong*

• 1/2 cup (113g) whole milk
• 3 Tbsp. (23g) Bread Flour

Dough

• 2/3 cup (151g) organic hazelnut creamer (or whole milk)
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) Bread Flour
• 1 tsp. (6g) salt
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. Red Star instant yeast
• ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup wheat germ

Filling

• ½ cup (107g) dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup (113g) Libby’s solid pack pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp. (8g to 10g) pumpkin pie spice

Caramel Nut Topping

• 1 jar, 11.5 oz. Smucker’s Simple Delight® Salted Caramel Topping OR caramel-flavored Spoon-able ice cream topping. Up to 12.5 oz.
• 1 cup toasted pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions:

To make the tangzhong:

• Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk until no lumps remain.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened, paste-like, and the spoon or spatula leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This step should take 1 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.

To make the dough:

• Weigh your flour or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup and sweeping off any excess. Add the creamer, the flour, and the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl in the order listed; the heat from the tangzhong will help warm the creamer.
• Mix on low speed of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Increase the speed by 8-10 minutes.
• Shape the dough into a ball in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable cover.
• Let the dough rise until about doubled in size, about 60 to 90 minutes in a warm kitchen.

To make the filling:

• Combine all ingredients for the filling in a small bowl until smooth.

To assemble the rolls:

• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and roll the dough into a 10″ x 12″ rectangle about 1/2″ thick.
• Spread the filling over the dough, covering all but a 1/2″ strip along one long side.
• Starting with the filling-covered long side, roll the dough into a log.
• Score the dough lightly into eight equal 1 1/2″ to 2″ pieces, making large, saucer-sized cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough at the score marks. We use unflavored dental floss for the cleanest cut: pull off a long piece of floss, loop it underneath the log at the score mark, and pull the ends in opposite directions to cut the dough. Repeat until you’ve cut all of the rolls. Note a bench knife or sharp knife will work; be sure it is sharp and serrated is preferred.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
• Place the rolls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 2″ apart and 2″ away from the edges of the pan. Tuck the ends of the spiral underneath the rolls to prevent unraveling during the rise and bake.
• Lightly coat the top of the rolls with melted butter or oil, cover them with plastic wrap or a reusable cover, and let them rise for 45-60 minutes (depending on the warmth of your kitchen). They should be very puffy.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F 20 minutes before you bake, and position a rack in the top third of the oven.
• Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown, and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of one roll reads 190°F. Bake for less time for extra-soft rolls and extended time for rolls with a bit more color and slightly firmer texture.
• Remove the rolls from the oven, place the pan on a rack, and brush the hot rolls with 1 ½ Tbsp. (21g) of the melted butter.

To make the caramel topping:

• Combine the sauce with the toasted chopped pecans.
• Scoop several Tbsp. Of the nut mixture over each roll, allow the caramel to drizzle down the sides. Serve warm.

The 2019 International Symposium on Bread with Peter Reinhert

At the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, my dear friend Ajith from Fire Within Mobil Wood Fire Ovens introduced me to my favorite author and bread guru Peter Reinhert. I was honored to be able to spend a quiet evening in a private dinner with him and just a few close friends talking about bread and life and even more surprised to receive an invitation to attend the International Symposium on Bread this week in North Carolina (only 60 people from around the world get to attend)! It was quite unexpected and a huge honor!  This auditorium was soon filled with all the bright beautiful minds of yeast and flour!

When I arrived I was blessed with a private tour of Johnson and Wales from Peter himself!
I can't really put into words what a blessing it was to learn from some of the most brilliant mind in the world of bread!

But I can say it was epic! I followed this guy around like a puppy...

I took the course on sprouted grain breads working with chef Richard Miscovich for 3 days in hands-on workshops. We made rye bread with sprouted grain flours. Chef Richard is on the board of directors for the Bread Baker's Guild, and a seasoned instructor at Jonson and Wales University in North Carolina as well as an Author. His instruction is world class.

 There was a lot of science involved...and he was pretty intense about it!

Not unlike the sprouted grains we've discussed often here on the blog...but a lot more detail!

We even used sprouted chia seed!

I loved seeing other students from around the world asking questions about the sprouting process and hearing the responses as well.

Richard was an incredible instructor.

We also got to have pizza from Fire Within. This is Ajith. He's amazing. I've come to respect him greatly from working closely with him in Denver. He truly has a heart of gold!

We worked on fermentation method using four different dough and it was interesting to see the results.

 We also saw the distinct differences in the dough of the structures.

 The process was cool to participate in as well...

 Dough slashing...

 Artisan dough turning...

 The results...

Overall, this was one of my top baking experiences, bar none! I feel like I learned so much in a short amount of time and I can't put into words what it felt like to be there. I'm so appreciative for the experience. Thank you Peter and to all who made this experience possible!

All My Very Best,

Judging the National Festival of Breads

2 years ago at my first Home Baking Association meeting, the Co-founders and directors of the National Festival of Breads from Manhattan, Kansas asked me to be a judge at the 2019 festival. It seemed like a long time away...but it sure came fast! This was my first trip to Kansas and I have never felt more loved and welcomed into a community!

I arrived a few days early to get ready for my demonstrations and I got a glimpse at all the preparations that happen. I can tell you, it was really remarkable! I worked really hard to be ready, but also had so much fun.

One of the best parts was that my mom and dad were there...way ahead of time. Ha ha!

The co-founders and directors Cindy Faulk and Julene Derouchey are two of the the most outstanding women ever. It was truly an honor to work with them!

Apparently my parents liked it there too...

Part of the trip included a visit to the wheat fields of Kansas and the working farms in the area.

My dad loved looking at all the farm equipment and getting a first hand view of the growing techniques. So did I!

We also got to see the Kansas Wheat Commission's  Innovation Center at Kansas State. The greenhouse was growing heirloom wheat varieties from all over the world and I was in grain geek heaven!

 The labs are state-of-the-art!

 So is the Wheat Genetic Genomic Resources Center Gene Bank!

 The greenhouse tests and grows thousands of varieties and keeps the seeds viable.

 It was phenomenal to see the process in person!

 It was also remarkable to see the actual testing of the genetics!

Look how tall some of these wheat varieties are!

The wheat variety seed vault was awesome!

Then it was back to the festival for more dough prep and getting ready for the big event.

 My view from the stage was pretty epic!

 The winners were great!

I will never forget this experience!

Thank you so much National Festival of Breads for having me as a judge and for allowing me to demonstrate my breads. It was an amazing honor!

Always My Very Best,
Chef Tess