French Bread (loaves or rolls)

Since discovering this french bread on epicurious I've made it quite a bit. French bread is so versatile, it goes with dinner, can be used for any type of sanwich and I also like to make quick pizzas on it. My boys and I like to eat this French bread just with some butter and jam. This bread also freezes well so French bread rolls are pretty ideal for my family, who had about a million sandwiches a month. The French bread rolls also work well as just a side with dinner. I'd say the crust on these is pretty in he middle as chewiness goes. Not too hard for my little ones to chew but still enough for me, even though I love a crusty chewy crust. This French bread will not disappoint. 

French bread rolls on their second rise. 

French Bread (loaves or rolls)

Adapted from epicurious (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/french-bread-235423)

2 loaves or 12 rolls

Ingredients 

4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp distilled vinegar

2 tsp yeast

1 2/3 cup lukewarm water 

1 Tbs olive oil 

Directions

In a stand mixer mix flour, salt and vinegar well. Scraping down sides once or twice. 

Mix yeast with water in small bowl for a few minutes allowing it to bubble and foam. 

Add olive oil and yeast water to the flour and mix well until a smooth dough ball has formed. About 5 minutes. 

Cover with plastic wrap and raise unt doubled in size 1-2 hours depending on the room temp. 

Line one large baking sheet with parchment.

Pour dough out on a well floured surface and cut into two even pieces. 

If you are making loaves: roll one section of dough into about 5"x15". 

Fold into thirds length wise making a long loaf and gently pinch to seal it closed.

Place on a baking sheet sealed side down. 

Repeat with second piece of dough. 

Brush with olive oil and allow to raise 1 hr or until doubled in size. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Place a baking dish with 1" of water in it on the bottom rack. 

Slice shallow slashes across top of loaves with sharp knife and bake for 25-30 minutes. 

Remove from oven and rub the smallest amount of olive oil on the tops while they are warm. 

Cool on a cooling rack completely before slicing. 

To make rolls: shape both dough pieces into about 12" long loaves and cut to divide each into 6 even sections. 

Shape all 12 into evenly shaped balls. 

Place on baking sheet. 

Brush with olive oil and allow to raise for 1 hour or until double in size.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place a baking dish with 1 inch of water in it on the bottom rack of the oven. 

Make one shallow slash across tops of rolls with sharp knife. 

Bake 20-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush with a very small amount of olive oil while they are still warm. 

Allow to cool on a cooling rack completely before slicing. 

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are the key to any mans heart, I'd say. Make these for someone you're dating and he'll want to marry you.  These cinnamon rolls are just slightly more dense than my original cinnamon rolls I posted (grew up with those and will always be a favorite). But this new version is right up there and the denser dough, I think, actually thaws better than the fluffier kind. I like to freeze cinnamon rolls since the recipes usually make so many and they taste just as fabulous thawed. I just slide them into a freezer bag or put them in a pan that my freezer has room for and cover them with press and seal then foil. Cinnamon rolls are great for when you have to bring something to a large party or holiday dinner or even to hand out to the neighbors. A bit of simple work feeds a large crowd. And you WILL get loads of compliments for these, promise. 

This dough is actually the same dough I like to make dinner rolls out of as well. I'll have to post the directions for those soon as well. 

Before its risen 

Buttered dough

Buttered, sugared and cinnamoned 

Rolled up ready to slice

On the pan, half pressed gently down with my fingers almost ready to rise. 

Cinnamon Rolls 

4 dozen

Ingredients 

4 1/2 tsp yeast

2 cups hot water 

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

6 eggs

1 1/2 tsp salt

8 1/2 cups flour

Filling:

1/2 - 1 cup salted butter

~4+ cups brown sugar

~2+ Tbs ground cinnamon

Directions 

Heat water in the microwave about 2 minutes. 

In a stand mixer add the granulated sugar and unsalted butter. 

Pour hot water over the sugar and butter. Allow butter and sugar to melt (doesn't have to melt completely) and cool to just luke warm (If it's too warm you will kill the yeast you're about to add)

Stir in yeast and allow to sit a few minutes until it's bubbles/foams. 

Add eggs and salt and mix well. 

Slowly add flour. 

Cover with plastic wrap and raise in a warm, draft free spot until double in size. Varies from 1-2 hours depending on the temperature. 

Line two large baking sheets with parchment. 

Pour dough out on a floured surface and divide dough into 4 equal balls.

Take one ball and roll it out to about a 14" by 10" rectangle. 

Use a spatula or the back of a large spoon and spread about 1/8 cup of the salted butter onto the dough keeping about an inch away from the edge. Just evenly coat the dough. 

Sprinkle about 1/8-1/4 inch of brown sugar evenly onto the buttered dough and gently press it down.  Again leaving about and inch around the edge. 

Sprinkle cinnamon evenly on the brown sugar. 

Roll up carefully length wise (hotdog style) and gently pinch to seal  so it doesn't unroll. 

Turn the seal toward the counter. 

Cut the rolled up dough into 12 evenly sized slices and lay them on half of a baking sheet (two dozen on one pan). 

Do this with the remaining 3 dough balls.

A trick I learned from my mom- gently press each cinnamon roll slice down otherwise when you bake them the middles will rise to make huge cinnamon roll mountains. 

Cover for about an hour until doubled in size. 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees after 30 minutes of rising. 

Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until they are golden brown and the middles look done. My oven is about 13 minutes.

Allow to cool then frost. 

These are great with cream cheese frosting- but not too overly sweet. 

I have yet to write down the exact measurements for the frosting but it's 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese, a splash of milk, dash of salt, squeeze of lemon juice- cream those then begin adding the powdered sugar by the cup full until it tastes right haha 😁

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My Dad's favorite kind of cookie is oatmeal raisin and they have been steadily rising to the top of my list over the years. I think it has something to do with age. You never wanted them as a kid but now, all the overly sweet desserts and cookies seem too much for your aging palate. America's Test Kitchen has come up with my favorite variety of oatmeal raisin cookies, their Big and Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies. They don't, however, put any cinnamon in the dough and depending on my mood I will follow the recipe or add just 1/4 of a teaspoon. Lately I've been leaving it out like they suggest.  I also don't make them as big as they suggest either. Mine are probably half the size, using about 1 Tbs of dough per cookie. 

I should add that these oatmeal cookies get crispy real quick if you over cook them. That's why my cook time is weird like 16-17 minutes. Keep an eye on them toward the end so you know how your oven cooks them. Remember that the recipe says to keep them on the pan for two minutes so maybe error on the slightly under done side for your first time cooking them. 

Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen medium size cookies 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

16 Tbs unsalted butter, softened 

1 c packed light brown sugar

1 c granulated sugar

2 lg eggs

 3 c old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 c raisins

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and both sugars.

While they are creaming whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. 

Add eggs to the butter mixture just until combined.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Stir in the oats and raisins just until combined. 

Scoop out about a Tbs of dough per cookie and keep it pretty rounded, roll with your hands if you'd like. 

Place 2 inches apart on pan. 

Bake about 16-17 minutes, until edges are just golden brown and the middles still look a bit wet.  Allow to sit on pan for two minutes after removing them from oven. 

Transfer to a cooling rack.