Orange Cinnamon Roll Pretzel Bites

 While walking through a crowded Houston airport anticipating a 3-hour layover between flights, I felt a hunger pain. I realized it had been over eleven hours since my last meal and I had a long way to go before I could make it home. Right about the time of the growl, I walked past a very popular soft pretzel restaurant chain that had married its pretzels with a very popular cinnamon roll franchise.  I found this to be a brilliant move on the part of the pretzel company, as they had many savoury bread offerings and the cinnamon bun company had a national following of avid bun grabbers...err...roll eaters. "Bun grabbers" sounds inappropriate. Looking at the menu I found some cinnamon pretzel bites that sounded promising.  Though they were pretty delicious served warm, as soon as they cooled down a bit, they became really chewy. I thought to myself, as I often do...,"I bet I can make these better and cheaper at home....and give them a heck-of-a-lot more awesomeness in the flavour universe!"

A few months ago, I ordered this Wild Groves Blood Orange Olive Oil and instantly fell in love with the rich buttery flavour with remarkable orange notes. It was and is the perfect pairing for sweet pastries. Full disclosure, I loved it so much that I wrote an email to the owner of the company.  He generously sent me several more bottles of some of the finest olive oils on his website, including the Wild Groves Robust Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil (that recently won one of the most prestigious rewards in the country at the LA International EVOO Competition). It won Best in Show Northern Hemisphere in the domestics category! Woot! Way to go!

Anyway, I used the orange olive oil on my pretzel bites. It was a huge, sinful, blessed mistake. If something sinful can be blessed? Can it? Not sure.  I just know that the mistake is that they are freakishly addictive! Evil. Evil. Evil. Gooooooooood.

Enters...the Orange Cinnamon Roll Pretzel Bits of glory and honour. 

These little nuggets of love have all the flavour of an orange infused cinnamon roll without having to zest any oranges or make any cream cheese frosting. The dough is soft and slightly chewy, like a pretzel and made in the same way that most deli-style pretzels are made.  For an authentic pretzel flavour, I use an alkaline solution of baking soda and water. To save on the mess...I don't dip the dough into the solution. Instead, I lightly brush the pretzel ropes in the solution. To save time, instead of rolling the pretzel dough into a knot, they are cut into 1-inch bites. They're perfect for snacking, travelling, and enjoying warm or cool.

Orange Cinnamon Roll Pretzel Bites

1 1/2 cup Milk

1 Tbsp. Active Dry Yeast

1/4  cup Sugar

1/4 cup Wild Groves Blood Orange Olive Oil

4 Cups Organic Grains Bread Flour

2 tsp salt, fine 

1/3 cup baking soda

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon or Chef Tess Wise Woman of the East Blend

1/4 cup Wild Groves Blood Orange Olive Oil

Directions: Combine the milk, yeast, sugar, Olive oil, bread flour and salt. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic on a lightly floured surface, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into an 18-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a long snake on a parchment lined baking pan one inch apart. 

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip a pastry brush in the baking soda solution and paint each pretzel. Allow to dry slightly and "paint" again.  Cut the ropes into 1/2 inch segments using a pizza cutter/roller. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. 

Combine the cinnamon sugar mixture in a small bowl. 

Lightly brush the pretzel bites with the Wild Groves Blood Orange Olive Oil. 

Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Roll the parchment paper up and turn over the pretzels into a pile. 

Drizzle with additional orange infused oil and cinnamon sugar if desired.

 Serve warm. Serve them anywhere anytime. You'll be freakin' happy! 

There you go.

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

5 ingredient No-Knead 6-Grain Bread Anyone Can Make

I have been taking a bit of a break from blogging the last few months, as I was working long exhausting hours in the restaurant and tied up completely with that part of my life. Catering large events during the Holiday season was brutal.   I was spending my day with what I call, "froofie food"...You know...tiny fancy nibbles of heaven. Elegant, but not satisfying in the whole soul kind of way. 

 Don't get me wrong, the fabulous stuff definitely has a place. 

This week, that changed.  
I left the Bistro and Catering Kitchen. 
I'm looking for something more balanced.  I'm nervous about that.  Simply because I've given so much of my heart and time to that dream, that I haven't thought of anything else.

In the last six months, I had completely stopped cooking dinner at home and baking bread was something I did at work.  Usually I'd get home and simply collapse into bed, only to get up and repeat that scenario the following day.  Physical exhaustion had stripped me of passion, and emotional distress had numbed me. I was giving so much to build someone else's business, that I felt like I was suffocating. I needed to spend more time with my family, and find some much needed rest. Everything hurt.   I was so tired that part of me wanted to leave the food industry forever and never look back.  

That being said, the part of me that will forever be passionate about food has won out.  I'm just getting back to the basics of my life and simple truths are finding their way back to my everyday existence.  This week has been remarkable.  

So this week, I pulled out the flour. I opened up the 6 grain rolled cereal. I took off my chef coat and my meat thermometer and I just took time to remember what I loved about baking. In doing that, I've found the reason why I started baking in the first place. The simple, grounding, almost meditative reason why I started baking.  It is the gentle rhythm that a fast paced stress-filled kitchen had taken away from me. This wad of fermenting dough has been sitting on my kitchen table in a bowl all week. I've baked 12 loaves of bread for my family.  The smell has grounded me. The calm pace has lifted me. 

 The gasps of love and awe from my kids and husband when I pulled the bread from the oven was far more gratifying than all the pomp and circumstance that clamoring guests and customers could ever offer. 

I'm not sure what is ahead for me as far as my career goes.  I still need a job.  That's for sure.  I'm taking it one day at a time and I'm okay with that.  I've sent out my resume to everyone I can think of over the last couple of days. Mostly however, I've just been satisfied to be home for a little while and bask in the warmth of my family.  I am trusting that the Lord will hold us in His hands.  

So...here's the recipe for the bread.  Enjoy.  It's a classic.  It is one that I used countless times in the restaurant and that has now found it's way home...Just like me.  I'm so glad.  

My No Knead 5 Ingredient 6-Grain Bread 

yield: 2 loaves

• 6 cups bread flour (measure exactly with a knife)
• 1 cup 6 Grain Rolled cereal OR Rolled Oats
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp instant yeast (or 1/2 tsp active dry yeast)
• 3 1/4 cup water (under 110 degrees)

Directions:   Combine the ingredients in a 1 gallon food-grade bucket or a large 1 gallon bowl with a lid, just until everything is mixed and smooth. It takes about 20-30 turns by hand to get it all combined. Literally less than 2 minutes.  Cover with a lid and keep covered 10-12 hours at room temperature until you're ready to bake bread. 

Once it has raised overnight you have two options:

Option 1:Form into bread (or rolls, cinnamon rolls, whatever), raise and bake (see below).

Option 2: Dough can be kept in the fridge up to 7 days and warmed to room temperature to use for bread or pizza etc. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get it up to room temperature (70 degrees). 

When ready to bake: 

• Form into 2 loaves (see detailed tutorial here) and place on a lightly oiled baking stone or in an 8 inch loaf pan that has been greased. 
• Allow to raise in a warm room until doubled, about 2 hours. 
• Bake at 375 degrees 35-40 minutes (meat thermometer will register 165 degrees or more).  
• Enjoy!

There you go! Enjoy a simple way to make bread! For  my gluten free bread that is quick and whole grain delicious...go here. It is just as quick and gets rave reviews! My other favorite no knead bread is Lisa's No Knead White Chocolate Pecan Bread. It is to die for. 

End Notes: 

A few factors on the overnight no-knead bread that can have an effect on the lightness of the bread would be:

Temperature: raising the bread during the winter months will take up to an hour longer for the second raise in the pan because our houses are cooler now. If you're like me, we keep it around 70 during the winter and a good ten degrees colder inside will make a difference in how fast it raises....exponentially. Solution would be to turn on the oven to "warm". Place the dough that is in the loaf (ready to bake) in the oven, covering it with a mist of water. TURN OFF THE OVEN. It should raise in an oven around 100 degrees or less so don't leave it on! Once it has risen, pull the loaf out of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 and then proceed to bake. 

Loaf formation: The molding technique Chef Tess Bakeresse: Sandwhich Loaf Molding and baking is a factor in how well the loaf will raise because it is optimal in trapping the air produced by the yeast. The more air that is trapped inside the loaf, the lighter the final loaf will be.

Freshness of the yeast and type of yeast: It is always a good idea to check the freshness of the yeast as well. If you are using the regular active dry yeast, 1/2 tsp is the correct measure but if it is older, it will take more (up to 1 tsp). One may add up to 1/4 cup of sugar or honey to the recipe to help get the yeast active if there is still a problem (especially during the winter months). 

Type and mill of Flour: Finer milled Higher protein white wheat bread flour, Kamut flour or Hard Red wheat flours are the best for this recipe. If you use whole wheat flour, you must increase the water to 4 cups, especially with the rolled oats or 6 grains.   These flours have a stronger amount of protein and will always yield a higher loaf. The finer ground the flour, the better the gluten development will be. Large pieces of fiber in the flour will cut the strands of gluten, and shorter strands of gluten will not connect well enough to hold air in the loaf. 

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

My NEW Homemade Bread in a Jar! 52 Method 7 Day 9 Grain Bread Mix

 
Today for Mix Monday and cooking with food storage I thought I'd share with you the newly perfected recipe I've developed for bread mix! I know...don't pass out. However, this is one that has been a long time coming and well...very convenient to have around! I really love being able to put 4 cups of this mix in a quart-size mason jar and know that it is perfect for one gorgeous 10-inch loaf of bread, or a dozen homemade hamburger buns, or hot dog buns. It's great for pizza, breadsticks, pretzels and anywhere I need dough!

 Chef Tess Original  9 Grain Bread Dough Mix

Yield 20 cups mix (5 loaves of bread)

1 c instant potato flakes

1 c granulated honey or sugar

1 c instant non-fat dry milk

1T Salt

1 c   Powdered Butter

3 c 9-grain flour (fine milled 9 Grain Cereal) or Oat flour

13 c  high gluten flour or Whole Wheat Flour*

4 cups of mix in a quart size mason jar with an oxygen absorber is shelf-stable 3-5 years and will make 1 loaf of bread or a dozen rolls.

*This wheat flour is fine milled hard red wheat flour. You can make the mill your own if desired by milling whole white wheat in your finest mill setting.

Baking Directions:

To prepare one loaf, combine 4 cups mix with 1 tsp  instant yeast and 1 1/3 cup cool water*. Knead 3-5 minutes by hand. Mix according to directions. Put in an ungreased gallon size bowl and allow to rise (covered) 1 1/2-2 hours. hours. Form into a loaf and place in a greased 8-inch loaf pan. Allow rising 1 hour or until doubled in size. Bake 425 degrees 15 minutes. Reduce heat and bake 350 degrees 20 minutes.

OR...Chill dough in the fridge in a  gallon size covered container until ready to use after your first knead. Up to 7 days.

* 2 cups water if whole wheat flour is used.

Overnight no knead bread: Combine 4 cups mix with ¼ tsp instant yeast and 1 1/3 cups cool water*. Mix well, about 3 minutes. Allow raising 8-10 hours in a covered container. Form into a loaf and allow to raise 2 hours or until doubled in size. Bake 425 degrees 15 minutes. Reduce heat and bake 350 degrees 20 minutes. If this sounds like your cup of tea, you will love the 4 Ingredient No Knead Bread as well.

*2 cups water if whole wheat flour is used.

For 5 loaves: Combine full mix with 6 2/3 cup
s cool water and 2T yeast. Knead 5-7 minutes. Form into a ball and put in a food-grade bucket in the fridge up to 7 days. Punch down dough daily. Use anywhere I call for 5 day bread dough throughout this blog.

There you go. Make some great bread my darlings!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess