Potato cinnamon rolls

This is my current favorite cinnamon roll recipe, adapted from "Jailhouse potato-cinnamon rolls" in Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather.  I've added an overnight rise inspired by Alton Brown, cut the recipe in half so it fits in a mixer, and found I need more flour (and more baking time) than Rather claims.  The recipe still feeds an army (16 good-sized rolls), but it can be doubled with big enough bowls.  (Use 3 whole eggs instead of 2 eggs and 2 yolks.)

Start by peeling, cubing,  and boiling one medium russet potato for ~15 minutes in unsalted water.  Save the water and let it cool to ~110 F (or add a little ice to speed it on its way).  Mash 8 oz of potato in the stand mixer using the beater or whisk.  Now, you can combine the other ingredients directly in the mixer using the whisk:

1. 8 oz (1 c) mashed russet potato
2. 1.5 c potato water, cooled to <110 f="" li="">
3. 4 t (0.5 oz) rapid-rise or bread-machine yeast
4. 2 5/8 oz (3/8 c) sugar
5. 1 stick (1/2 c) butter, melted
6. 1 egg plus 1 yolk
7. 1 t salt

Whisk well to combine, then use the dough hook to mix in flour just until the dough comes together:

1. 30 oz (~6 c) unbleached all-purpose flour

Let dough rise, covered, until doubled, about 1 hour.  (It will fill the mixer bowl to the top.)
For the filling, use either

1. 2 c brown sugar
2. 1 T cinnamon
3. 2 c toasted pecans (optional)

or

1. 2 c granulated sugar
2. 1 T orange zest (from one orange)

Divide the dough in half, and roll each half out into a large rectangle.  Brush each half with

1. 2-3 T melted butter

Top each dough half with half the filling, roll it up, and slice into 8 rolls (16 total).  We typically arrange these as a Christmas tree shape on a half sheet pan (rows of 1, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1).  You could also put them in a 9x13 pan (5 rows of 3, cut one less roll) or two smaller pans.  Refrigerate overnight;  rolls will rise slowly.  Alternately, freeze rolls and wrap well;  thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove rolls from refrigerator and preheat oven to 375 F.  (Set rolls over a pan of hot water if they need to rise more, although they will expand significantly in the oven.)  Bake rolls until dough is set in the centermost rolls, about 35-40 minutes in the Christmas tree configuration.  I think the dough in the middle needs to reach 175-180 F or so to set -- in the Christmas tree configuration, the rolls on the edges are deeply browned by this point.  Next time I might try a somewhat lower temperature for a longer time, or tenting the top with foil.  Baking time in a high-sided pan is likely to be quite different, but might result in more uniform rolls.

Cinnamon rolls should be frosted with

1. 4 3/4 oz (1 1/4 c) powdered sugar
2. 2 T buttermilk (or milk)
3. 1/4 t vanilla extract

Orange rolls should be frosted with

1. 4 3/4 oz (1 1/4 c) powdered sugar
2. 2 T fresh-squeezed orange juice (from one orange)
3. 1 T orange zest (from one orange)

I've tried using orange extract to amp up the orange flavor of these rolls, but the alcohol gave it an unpleasant taste.  I'm considering a mixed citrus version (lime?  grapefruit?) next year.

Beautiful Burger Buns

This is straight out of the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, a fantastic cookbook.  Despite the name, they also make killer hotdog buns.  Originally appearing on the Internet courtesy of "Moomie" (Ellen Dill), many of the versions turned up by Google are just too dry, and hence too dense.  Here's my take on the recipe:

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together:

1. 14 oz (about 3 c) all-purpose flour
2. 1.75 oz (1/4 c) sugar
3. 1 t salt
4. 1 T instant / rapid-rise yeast (yes, really:  1 full tablespoon)

Whisking at this step avoids clumping when the liquid is added.  For onion rolls, add 1 t onion powder and 1/2 t dried minced onion.  Instead of King Arthur flour, I actually prefer a generic, slightly softer all-purpose flour in this recipe, strangely enough.  Now add:

1. 8 oz (1 c) warm water
2. 1 large egg
3. 1 oz (2 T) butter, melted

Mix with the dough hook until smooth, soft, and well-mixed, about 5 minutes.  It will be too wet to kneed easily by hand, so the mixer is really helpful here.  Scrape down the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour.

Flour the dough generously and scrape onto the counter.  Divide into 8 equal pieces for burger buns, 12 for hotdog buns.  Shape into balls and flatten (or stretch out) and place on a baking sheet fitted with a Silpat or parchment.  (Use flour to keep them from sticking to you, but only as much as necessary.)  Let rise 30-40 minutes.  They'll stick to any kind of covering, so I use some tall cooling racks and kitchen towels to make a no-touch "tent" over the rolls.  Bake at 375 F for ~14 minutes, until golden.  Optionally, brush with 1T melted butter when they come out.  For sesame or poppy seed rolls, brush with egg wash prior to baking and then sprinkle on the seeds.  Like all breads, these are best the same day, but they do freeze well.

No-knead Dutch oven bread

Despite the name -- and the technique -- this recipe makes far and away the best loaf I've ever made home. The crust is deep golden brown, and so crisp that it crackles and sings as it cools on the counter. The interior has large air pockets, an open structure, and a nice chewiness. The recipe appeared in the Jan/Feb 2008 Cook's Illustrated.

So far, I've only tried it with water in place of the beer, but it's still quite good that way. Supposedly the beer enhances the flavor further, but only very mild lager beers -- anything else adds weird spicy notes. And although I usually use King Arthur flours, Cook's develops their recipes with Gold Medal (if I remember correctly). So I can use basically any old unbleached all-purpose flour, which is nice since my local grocery charges double for the King Arthur stuff :(

As for timing, I start the dough in the late evening, shape it in the early afternoon of the next day, and then eat it with dinner. You pretty much have to be home the day of the baking, although there's very little active time.

In a large bowl, combine into a shaggy dough

1. 15 oz unbleached all-purpose flour (such as Gold Medal), a bit more than 3 cups
2. 1/4 t instant or bread-machine yeast
3. 1.5 t salt
4. 7 oz water
5. 3 oz mild lager (such as Budweiser), or 3 oz water
6. 1 T white or apple cider vinegar

Stir just until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours. (Yes, really. The long rise is essential for autolysis and gluten development.)

Grease a sheet of parchment paper and greased side up in a 10" skillet. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and kneed 10 - 15 times, then shape into a ball and place on the parchment. (So little kneeding is necessary due to the extra long autolysis.) Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise 2 hours, until doubled in size.

30 minutes before baking, place a 6 - 8 qt Dutch oven or heavy stockpot in the oven and preheat to 500 F. Make a 6" long, 1/2" deep cut in the top of the bread, then gently transfer to the hot pot by lifting the edges of the parchment. Replace the lid, return to the oven, and decrease heat to 425 F. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove lid. Bake another 20 - 30 minutes, until dark golden brown or interior temperature hits 210 F. Transfer to wire rack and cool 2 hours. Best the day it's made, but keeps up to 2 days wrapped in foil.

36-hour Ciabatta

This is my second bread recipe for weeknight baking, adapted from the original in the King Arthur Baker's Companion. It does require a fair bit of advance planning, and it doesn't hold super well in the fridge for extra days -- all the bubbles rise to the top and create a giant pocket.

The bread is probably not much like "real" ciabatta, but it makes a large flat loaf with a soft and almost sponge-like crumb -- large but even holes. It's wonderful for sandwiches because it soaks up any juices / dressings / sauces -- try grilled beef and chimichurri. With the crust peeled off and the bread battered, it also makes a killer fried sandwich (can't find the recipe right now).

When you wake up, the day prior to baking:
Mix together in a medium-small bowl to form a dry, firm, shaggy dough

1. 1/4 t instant (bread machine) yeast
2. 4 oz (1/2 c) water
3. 6.25 oz (1 1/2 c) King Arthur all-purpose flour

Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for about 12 hours, give or take a few.

As soon as you get home from work, the day prior to baking:
Pull the starter into walnut-sized pieces and place in mixer bowl. Add

1. 1 t instant yeast
2. 2 t nonfat dry milk powder
3. 1 1/2 t salt
4. 7.75 oz (1 c minus 1 T) water
5. 1 T olive oil
6. 8.5 oz (2 c) flour

Mix for ~3 min with paddle, then up to 10 more minutes with dough hook. Dough will be too wet, sticky, and slack to work by hand. Transfer to oiled bowl and cover. Every 40 minutes for 2 hours (3 times total), fold the dough over on itself a couple times. This is the key to developing enough gluten for the bread to hold its shape later. Turn it out onto a half sheet pan covered with a Silpat, forming a large flat oval blob. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise 1.5 - 2 hours at room temperature. Transfer to refrigerator until the next night (about 20 hours).

Total time for this step is approximately 4 - 4.5 hours, or from 6pm until 10 - 10:30pm. It's tight for a workday, but doable. If you've changed the schedule so you'll bake without refrigerating, total rising time should be 2 - 3 hours at room temperature. (With refrigeration, the room temperature rising time is shorter because the dough will continue to rise somewhat in the refrigerator, especially before it gets chilled all the way through.)

As you start making dinner, the day of baking:
Preheat oven and stone to 425 F. Move second rack to top of oven. Heat 8oz of water to a rolling boil in a covered cast-iron skillet over high heat. Three minutes before baking bread, uncover skillet and transfer to top rack of oven. Place sheet pan with bread directly on baking stone and bake about 25 minutes total. Remove skillet with water after the first 10 - 15 minutes.

I use cast iron because it holds heat so well, so the water continues to boil in the oven and create steam. Also, you don't have to worry about the pan warping from the heat if it runs dry. To me, this is the best and easiest way to get steam in the oven of all the ones I've tried.

Italian Bread with Sesame Seeds

This recipe makes a light, soft, slightly salty loaf that I just love. It comes from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. It's amazingly similar to my Refrigerator Flatbread: both recipes use 19 oz flour and 12 oz water to make 2 lbs of dough, and both use some of the ingredients to make a pre-ferment. However, this one is slightly saltier and contains no oil, and its pre-ferment is not as wet and goes much longer. The result is a fairly different -- but equally delicious -- bread.

Make the starter (biga) the night before at about dinner time. It needs to sit at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours before you start the bread. In a medium bowl, mix

1. 8 oz water (at room temp.)
2. 8.5 oz (2 cups*) hard flour, such as King Arthur AP
3. 1/4 t instant or "bread machine" yeast

Mix just until a dough comes together. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

The next morning, add to the starter

1. 4 oz water (room temp.)

and mix until fairly smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in

1. 10.5 oz (2 cups*) hard flour (19 oz / 4 c total)
2. 2 t instant yeast
3. 1 1/2 t salt

Mix until smooth but not necessarily elastic, about 3 minutes by machine or 5 by hand. (The gluten will be further developed as the dough rises, so you don't want to over-develop it initially.) Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Every half hour, gently fold the dough in half and turn it over, to develop the gluten.

Divide the dough into thirds, shape into balls (see below), cover, and let rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until puffy. Brush and sprinkle with

1. 1 egg white lightly beaten with 1 T water
2. sesame seeds

Bake 25 - 35 minutes at 425 F, until the internal temperature reaches 190 F. Cool on a rack.

There are several options for shaping. The easiest is balls, which come out a nice size to use as (large) bread bowls for soup. Grab the piece of dough by opposite edges, and tuck them underneath. Turn 90 degrees and repeat. Continue until you get a good tight skin -- near the end you may form a ring near the bottom of the ball with one thumb and forefinger draw it closed as you push the dough up inside. Set the ball on the counter. Gently cup one hand on either side and roll in small circles to tighten the skin further -- a good tight skin is the key to having the dough hold its shape as it rises.

If you're feeling more ambitious, roll the three pieces into ropes and braid them into a single loaf, as described in the original recipe. Again, pay attention to getting a tight skin on the individual ropes, or you end up with a fairly flat loaf. This is harder.

* 2 cups flour actually weighs 9.5 oz, so it evens out in the end if you use cup measures instead of weight.