Breads – The Pajama Chef

Hearty and savory pumpkin bread... this is a recipe you don't want to miss!

SRC: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

September 18, 2016September 19, 2016 Sarah

Hearty and savory pumpkin bread… this is a recipe you don’t want to miss!

Hey everyone! Welcome to another SRC post! This month I was assigned to Smruti’s blog, Herbivore Cucina. As with most food bloggers, Smruti loves to cook–and the more unconventional the recipe, the better! Though she lives in the US now, she is originally from India so she has a wide variety of Indian and international recipes on her blog. Everything sounded SO good that I had a tough time deciding between Indian dishes like Layered Vegetable Biryani, Cilantro Coconut Chutney, and Oats and Dry Fruit Chikki… or Pizza Buns… or finally, Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread. I had to go with the seasonal favorite, ya know? 🙂

This bread is so simple to make, and so delicious. Though there are a lot of steps involved with making a yeast bread, every time I make one I wonder why I don’t do this very often. It’s just mix, knead, rise, shape, rise, and bake. And then enjoy! If you have a stand mixer, it’s even easier because the mixer does the kneading for you. 🙂 This bread is way different from your average sweet pumpkin bread… but yummy in its own unique way. Of course, there is pumpkin pie spice to liven things up, yay! I served this hearty pumpkin bread with one of my favorite soups that has yet to make the blog [SOON! I promise]–Curried Lentil Soup. And if you’re waffling between adding the seed topping or not–DO it! It’s well worth the extra effort, even if you have a baby you’re trying to entertain in the meantime. Enjoy! Thanks, Smruti for the great recipe. 🙂

two years ago: Sausage and Ranch Potato Skillet with Fried Eggs
four years ago: Peach Ginger Pie
five years ago: Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
six years ago: Chili Burgers

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Servings: 8
Time: 3 hours
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from Herbivore Cucina

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast [2 1/4 teaspoon]
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 cup water, heated to 110-115 degrees F
3 cups whole wheat flour [I used 1.5 cups whole wheat and 1.5 cups white whole wheat]
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup pumpkin
3 tablespoons olive oil
toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds, optional

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and water. Stir together and then let rest for 5 minutes or so until yeast is frothy. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together flour, vital wheat gluten, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin and olive oil.

When yeast is frothy, add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately, stirring with paddle attachment until combined. Then, use the dough hook to knead bread dough for 7-8 minutes, until a soft dough forms. Remove dough and place in a greased bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour until, doubled in size.

Punch dough down and let rest for 5 minutes. Grease a 9×5 inch bread pan with cooking spray, then shape dough into a log and place in bread pan. Sprinkle seeds on top, if desired, gently pressing in. Flip dough and sprinkle the other side with seeds too. Cover bread pan and place in a warm spot to rise for another hour.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes, until top is golden brown. Place pan on cooling rack to cool completely before cutting, about 3 hours.

Be sure to check out all the other SRC recipes today at the link below:

30 Before 30, Breads, Recipes

St. Lucia Buns

December 11, 2015February 19, 2016 Sarah

Soft, buttery yeast rolls made with saffron and golden raisins. St. Lucia Buns are a Christmas treat you do not want to miss!

Soft, buttery yeast rolls made with saffron and golden raisins. St. Lucia Buns are a Christmas treat you do not want to miss!

I have wanted to celebrate St. Lucia’s Day for nearly 22 years, and last December, I finally did it. When I was eight years old, I received a Kirsten doll for my birthday. If you were a girl in the 80s and 90s [or have a little girl today!] you know how much of a Big Deal that was. I read every single one of Kirsten’s stories again and again, and all the other doll’s stories again.

With Kirsten

This photo isn’t from Christmas, but it was the best digital photo I could find with Kirsten, except for some embarrassing college photos of my friend and I with our Kirsten dolls. 😉 Yes, we were the kind who brought our dolls to college for a birthday party… wild and crazy, huh? Ha! Since Kirsten is from Sweden, her family always celebrated the Christmas season with a visit from St. Lucia… only their first Christmas in America, according to the wonderful book, Kirsten’s Surprise, all the necessary supplies for the day were stuck in town! You can imagine the drama, if you haven’t already read the book. 🙂 And you can probably predict the outcome too–Kirsten saves the day [along with some help from dear ‘ole Dad] and the family celebrates St. Lucia Day as usual. It was glorious!

Soft, buttery yeast rolls made with saffron and golden raisins. St. Lucia Buns are a Christmas treat you do not want to miss!

Traditionally, St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated on December 13th–this coming Sunday! Lucia, who died as a martyr for her faith, is the saint of light and as such, an important symbol throughout Scandinavia as a promise of light through the dark and wintry months. Typically, the eldest daughter in the family wakes the family with singing and the treat of these delicious buns. She wears a white gown with a red sash and a crown of berries, twigs, and candles. It always seemed like such a lovely tradition to me, but for some reason I never woke up earlier than my parents with a freshly baked batch of sweet, golden yeast buns! Funny! Ha.

Soft, buttery yeast rolls made with saffron and golden raisins. St. Lucia Buns are a Christmas treat you do not want to miss!

These rolls, though a bit labor-intensive, are worth every bit of the time and effort. They’re absolutely SO soft and buttery, and a beautiful shade of golden yellow from the saffron. Saffron can be expensive [ugh] but it’s pretty reasonably priced at Trader Joe’s. I’ve also seen it at World Market in the past, and found mine in the Latin section of my local Publix… a tiny amount for a few dollars. I’m sure it’s not the best quality, but c’est la vie… These buns taste amazing straight from the oven with some fresh butter, but they’re also enjoyable for breakfasts with coffee and fruit over the next few days. #perfection Hope you can try these this weekend to celebrate St. Lucia!

Soft, buttery yeast rolls made with saffron and golden raisins. St. Lucia Buns are a Christmas treat you do not want to miss!

one year ago: Art Smith’s Macaroni and Cheese
two years ago: Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies
three years ago: Streuseled Cran-Apple Sweet Potato Casserole
four years ago: Cranberry Pineapple Sauce
five years ago: Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

St. Lucia Buns

Servings: 12
Time: about 3 hours
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from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, lightly crushed
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/4 cup potato flour or 1/2 cup instant potato flakes [I used the flakes]
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs – 1 egg will be divided [see below]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white, reserved from dough + 1 tablespoon cold water – for topping
coarse pearl sugar, optional – for topping
golden raisins, optional – for topping

Directions:

Place milk and saffron in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Heat to just a simmer [so not long at all!] and remove from heat. Stir in butter, then set aside for the butter to melt and the mixture to cool to lukewarm. This will take about 35 minutes, but you can speed it up about 10 minutes by placing the entire saucepan in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, potato flour, salt, and sugar. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, reserving the white for the topping later.

When the milk mixture has cooled sufficiently, pour over the dry ingredients. Add the eggs [2 whole eggs and 1 yolk] and vanilla. Mix to combine, then knead until the dough is smooth. In the mixer this should take about 7 minutes; by hand, 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, then cover and let rise for an hour. The dough doesn’t have to be quite doubled, but should be puffy.

Gently tap to deflate the dough, then divide into 12 equal pieces. King Arthur Flour recommended a scale–each piece should weigh about 92 grams or 3.25 ounces. You can also do the ‘ole divide in half and half and half trick too.

Roll each piece into a short log, then cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Then roll into a thin 15-18 inch rope. It’ll shrink when you stop rolling, but that’s okay. Shape each roll into an “S,” then place a golden raisin in each of the coils if you would like.

Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat, or grease lightly. Place buns about an inch apart on the baking sheets, then cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until puffy. They shouldn’t double in size. At this time, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add 1 tablespoon cold water to reserved egg white, then brush mixture on each bun. Sprinkle with coarse pearl sugar if desired.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Check on the rolls after 15 minutes for doneness–especially if your oven runs hot or if you used raisins, as you’ll want to tent with foil for the last few minutes to prevent burning.

Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Breads, Recipes

Pumpkin Cornbread

December 8, 2015September 16, 2017 Sarah

Light, airy cornbread with a hint of pumpkin and spice! Perfect for all your soup-dipping needs. 🙂

I always forget about making cornbread or any bread for dinner until it’s too late. The soup is already done, or we’re starving. I don’t know what it is–I always plan ahead for a salad or other veggie side, but when it comes to bread I just forget about it. Makes no sense because I love it! So whenever there’s a soup-based meal planned at work or with our friends, I love to volunteer to make the bread or cornbread for dipping. I made this pumpkin cornbread earlier this fall and it was absolutely FABULOUS! It didn’t have that dense texture that some cornbreads get, so it was light and airy, just like I like it. Plus it was a little sweet but not overly so… delicious with or without extra butter and honey. 🙂

Isa the kitten was very interested in it too, btw! Don’t worry–these photos were taken AFTER I served this cornbread to others. 🙂 My favorite part of this cornbread was how crispy the edges got. I’m not really an edge brownie girl [give me the fudgy middle piece any day!] but crisp edges of bread or cake are my jam. There’s just something about how everything caramelizes as it bakes that’s delightful. I know pumpkin season is nearly complete, but soup season is still a-happening so this pumpkin cornbread should happen in your kitchen too! Enjoy!

one year ago: Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream
two years ago: Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares
three years ago: Caramel Apple Dip
four years ago: Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls
five years ago: Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Cornbread

Servings: 16
Time: 40 minutes
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from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup cornmeal
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon molasses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and cornmeal. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, oil, and molasses. Pour wet ingredients into the dry, then gently stir to incorporate. Mixture may be a little lumpy. Transfer to prepared baking dish, then bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm! Cool completely before covering, then keep at room temperature for up to 3 days before freezing any leftovers. Leftovers can be cut into individual pieces and wrapped in plastic or foil to enjoy later.

Breads, Recipes

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

September 28, 2015September 16, 2017 Sarah

Soft, fluffy cinnamon sugar swirl bread made with fall’s favorite flavor–pumpkin! This bread is utterly fabulous!

Happy Monday, guys! I have a treat for you. At least, I hope it’s a treat. Do you love homemade bread? I love homemade bread. Especially in the fall. Is there anything better than that yeasty, sweet smell filling the house as bread bakes on a cold day? I can’t think of much else that I love more, except the result: getting to enjoy slice after slice of that fresh, homemade bread. Mmm!

Cinnamon swirl bread has long been my favorite treat. When I was a little girl, it was a huge treat to buy a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread at the grocery store. As I got older, I experimented with making it myself. A few years ago I went through a phase of making it twice per month–a loaf a week. Those were the good ole days! BTW I can’t believe I haven’t shared my all-time favorite whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread recipe yet. Ooops! These days I don’t seem to make time for that, but this fall I know I’ll be making time to make batch after batch of this PUMPKIN cinnamon swirl bread! It’s soft and fluffy; the perfect project for a lazy weekend afternoon at home.

Ben and I have enjoyed this bread in many different ways–toasted with butter and pumpkin butter for breakfast, with a smear of peanut butter for a snack, and just plain sometimes too. But add butter–any kind–and you are in for a gigantic treat! 🙂 Next time I want to try this for french toast. Now THAT would be fancy. 🙂 I hope you get to try this bread soon. I know you’ll LOVE it as much as we did!

one year ago: Chipotle Mustard Pork Chops
two years ago: Sweet ‘n Spicy Apple BBQ Chicken & Slaw
three years ago: Peach Ginger Pie
four years ago: Honey-Lime Fruit Salad
five years ago: Rebel Banana Bread

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Servings: 2 loaves
Time: 4 hours
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from Cookie Monster Cooking

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water – about 110 degrees F
2 tablespoons instant yeast
2/3 cup warm milk – about 110 degrees F
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
4 cups bread flour – 508 grams
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour – 312.5 grams

for swirl

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add water and yeast. Whisk to combine. Stir in milk, eggs, pumpkin, oil, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. With the dough hook on the mixer, add in half of the bread flour and mix on low to combine, then add remaining bread flour. With mixer running, gradually add the all-purpose flour. Mix on low for 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Shape dough into a ball and place in bowl. Turn to coat, then cover with a tea towel. Let rise for about one hour, until doubled in size.

Punch down dough and transfer to a floured countertop. Divide dough in half, then roll in a 9×11 inch rectangle. Butter each rectangle with softened butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all sides. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over butter. Roll up each rectangle into a log, starting with the short end. Pinch the long seam and the ends to seal the dough.

Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray, then place dough in pans. Cover pans with tea towels, then set aside and let rise for 30-45 minutes, until dough has topped the edge of the pans.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. When dough has risen, bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you insert a thermometer in the middle, temperature should read 190 degrees F. When tapped, dough should sound hollow. Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!

30 Before 30, Breads, Recipes

Easy Whole Wheat Bread

April 24, 2015February 19, 2016 Sarah

Soft, chewy whole wheat bread… a bread lover’s dream come true. Just seven ingredients to perfection! 🙂

Is there anything that smells homier than bread cooking in the oven? I think not. Homemade bread is such a treat, and it has been my quest to find an easy, foolproof, and simple recipe that I can use for toast, sandwiches, and anything in between. Well friends, I think this is IT!

I’m sorry the bread is a little wrinkled on top. When I made this, I couldn’t take pictures that day because it was too dark… and the bread wrinkled a little bit overnight. But it tasted amazing so I had to take pics anyway! Finding a great whole wheat bread recipe was one of my 30 before 30 goals. Spoiler alert: I turn 30 on Monday [yikes] and I am not to those 30 recipes yet. Whoops! This year was just too busy. So I’m extending my challenge into my 30th year. #mychallengemyrules

I found this recipe on one of the first blogs I ever started reading, The Runner’s Plate. Michelle’s mom has made this bread for years. Recipes from moms are always winners so I knew–even before I made it–that this bread would be one too! 🙂 It’s soft and hearty, with a faint honey taste, and it’s made with only 7 ingredients. I bet you have them all in your pantry right now! I know I do. It isn’t 100% whole wheat, but I bet you could experiment with using part white whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose flour. Most homemade bread recipes are too heavy if you use ALL whole wheat flour, so tread lightly with substitutions.

What we loved about this bread was that it was soooo soft, almost like storebought bread. But it is homemade! Win! Though the amount of time it takes to make may be a bit overwhelming, it’s a great recipe to make on the weekend. It requires very little babysitting once the initial prep is completed so you could start it off, do some cleaning, move on to the next step, watch a tv show, move on to the next step, go for a run, move on to the next step, take a shower, then let it bake. Easy easy! That’s why it’s called Easy Whole Wheat Bread. 🙂 It’s the vehicle I used to eat this Curried Chicken Salad, some BLTs, and innumerable pieces of toast. Enjoy!

one year ago: Easy Homemade New York Bagels
two years ago: {Green} Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
three years ago: Royal Berry Coffee Cake
four years ago: Mexican Pizza

Easy Whole Wheat Bread

Servings: 2 loaves
Time: 5-6 hours
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from The Runner’s Plate

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups warm water [about 110-115 degrees]
1 package active dry yeast [2 1/4 teaspoons]
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Add water to a large bowl, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Pour in oil, honey, and salt, then mix to combine. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. At this point, yeast should bubble.

Slowly mix in flour, then knead for 10 minutes by hand or 6-7 with a stand mixer on medium-low speed.

Cover with a dish towel and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in size, about an hour. Punch down and let rise again until doubled in size. This should take less time–check on it after 20 minutes and every 10 thereafter.

Divide dough into two equal parts, then shape into loaves and place in 2 greased bread pans. Let rise until dough reaches top of bread pans, about 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 32-37 minutes, until golden brown on top.