Hot Dog Bun Garlic Bread

Whenever we have hot dogs or hamburgers, it seems there are always leftover buns that eventually end up in the trash.  I really don't like wasting food, so I've come up with a way to use them up.  It's easier for us to use up a pack of hamburger buns than hot dog buns, because I usually plan at least 2 meals that will use them a couple days apart.  For example, on Monday we'll have turkey burgers and on Wednesday or Thursday, we'll have BBQ chicken sandwiches.  However, with hot dogs, it's a little more difficult to come up with 2 meals (other than hot dogs) that use them.  I did find another way to use them besides what I'm sharing here today that I'll tell you about another time.  Anyway, leftover hot dog (and hamburger) buns work well for garlic bread!

Hot Dog Bun Garlic Bread
Hot dog buns, split
Butter
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese

Spread desired amount of butter on each bun (cut side up).  Sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan.  Broil until they are golden brown and crispy on top!

Of course, if you don't have any extra buns on hand, you can always use our more traditional garlic bread recipe!

I apologize for my lack of "real" recipes lately.  Life has gotten busy and there are other things that have taken priority over trying/altering/developing new recipes.  Hopefully you'll still find these simple tips and recipes helpful!

Whole Wheat Pitas

Our family loves pitas!  I've never actually purchased pitas; I've always made them from scratch and they are delicious!  A couple years ago, I posted a this recipe for pitas, which uses some whole wheat flour, but since it also calls for all purpose flour, they are not considered whole wheat pitas.  However, in an effort to cut out most processed/refined carbs, I decided to make true whole wheat pitas, using all whole wheat flour.  Since I found my original pita recipe on Tammy's Recipes, I decided to try her whole wheat recipe as well.  I have tweaked her recipe a bit, just to make it a bit cheaper and to use ingredients you most likely already have on hand.  You can find the original whole wheat pita recipe here.

Whole Wheat Pitas
1 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 3/4 - 3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine water, oil, salt, and sugar.  Mix well.  Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and yeast; mix.  Add remaining whole wheat flour until a soft dough is formed.  You could also make the dough in a bread maker or by hand.  If making them by hand, mix ingredients then knead to form a soft dough, adding flour as necessary.

Cover bowl with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.  Punch dough down; turn out onto floured surface.  Roll into a ball, then flatten into a disk and cut into 8 equal parts.  Roll each piece into a 6- or 7-inch circle.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Place pitas on an oven-safe cooling rack and put into preheated oven, two at a time.  Bake for 3-5 minutes, until puffy and slightly browned (don't brown them too much, or they'll be hard).  Remove from oven and wrap them in a damp cloth or paper towel.  Allow to cool completely; store in a zip top bag in the refrigerator.  To reheat, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave or stick in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Irish Soda Bread

Happy early St. Patrick’s Day!!  I love St. Patrick’s Day because there is so much yummy food associated with it!  I absolutely LOVE corned beef and cabbage but only buy it this time of year because that’s when it goes on sale.  You can also get a great price on red potatoes.

Our traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner is corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes, Irish soda bread, and some minty dessert.  (I’m thinking mint is only associated with St. Patrick’s Day because we associate mint with green.)  “Soda bread” is a broad term for a variety of quick breads that are leavened with baking soda rather than yeast.

Mmmmm!!  My mouth is watering already!

The recipe that Kimiko and I have been using for years is from Mrs. Jung (pronounced “Young”), her high school home economics teacher.  It is so delicious and so easy!  The best way to describe it is that it is like a huge, slightly sweet, buttermilk biscuit.  You can mix in dried fruit or nuts, but we prefer it unadulterated.

The key to fabulously flaky soda bread is the incorporation of the butter.  It should be cold and cut in, not creamed or mixed in.  The easiest way to do this is to cut it into little cubes, then cut it in with a pastry blender.  From this point on, you want to work quickly so the butter does not warm up too much.

Right out of the fridge, quickly diced,...

...immediately cut in.

Irish Soda Bread

4 c. sifted all-purpose flour

¼ c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ c. (1 stick) butter, cold

1 c. buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ c. butter, melted

¼ c. buttermilk, store-bought or homemade

Preheat oven to 375°.  Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.  Do not grease if using a stone.  In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in ½ c. butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in 1 c. buttermilk and egg, just until mixed.  If necessary, quickly use hands to incorporate dry bits from bottom of bowl.

Use your hands minimally to prevent softening of the butter.

Dough will be crumbly and have dry spots.  Form dough into a round and place on baking sheet.

In small bowl or measuring cup, combine remaining ¼ c. melted butter and ¼ c. buttermilk.

I'm a dish minimalist so I melt the butter in my Pyrex then
measure the buttermilk into it.

Thoroughly brush top and sides of loaf with mixture.  Using a sharp knife, cut an “X” into top of loaf.

Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden brown, continuing to brush loaf with buttermilk mixture if desired.

Focaccia Bread

Last week I shared my chicken corn chowder recipe and mentioned that I served it with homemade focaccia bread.  To tell you the truth, that was the first time I’d ever made focaccia; but it was so good, that it is going to become a regular.

Focaccia dough is basically modified pizza dough.  You can personalize it by the herbs you choose to use.  I kept it pretty simple, but you can jazz it up by topping it with garlic, tomatoes, onions, mozzarella, feta, olives….be creative!

I like to make it in my mixer so I don’t have to get out my bread board and kneed the dough.  If you don’t have a mixer, however, it can definitely be made by hand.

Because naptime interferes with the time I would need to start the dough rising, I like to make bread doughs in the morning and rise them slowly in the fridge.  This method worked great with this focaccia.

The recipe below makes two loaves of bread.  One loaf is more than enough for my family for one meal (the boys don’t eat it), so I refrigerate or freeze half of the dough for later use.  Just take half out after the first rising.  Store in plastic wrap or a zip-top bag.  If you do this, be sure to halve the amount of olive oil listed for drizzling.

Speaking of the olive oil, it will seem like a lot—it is.  That’s what makes it focaacia bread and why it is so delicious!  I don’t really measure at this point.  I just make sure all the dimples are filled.  Alternatively, you can brush both sides with olive oil.

Focaccia

1⅓ c. warm (105° to 115°F) water

2¼ tsp. yeast

¼ tsp. sugar

3¾ c. flour

2 Tbsp. olive oil

½ Tbsp. salt

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

½ tsp. thyme

¼-½ c. olive oil for drizzling

Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Coarse salt (sea salt or kosher salt) for sprinkling

Marjoram for sprinkling

  

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let sit until foamy, 5-10 minutes.

From this...

to this.

Transfer to mixer bowl.  Add flour, olive oil, salt, parmesan cheese, and thyme.

Mix and kneed with dough hook on low until dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from edges of the bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1-1½ hours in a warm place or 4-6 hours in the refrigerator.

Generously butter 2 baking sheets.  Use a sharp knife to cut dough in half.  Place each piece on a baking sheet and shape into a ½-inch thick round.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 400°.  Remove plastic wrap.  Using finger tips, create dimples over the top of the dough.

Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, salt, and marjoram.

Bake about 25 minutes, until top is golden brown.  Cut with serrated knife; serve warm.

Pizza Crust, Take 2

I know I already posted a pizza crust recipe, but I came across a new recipe that is a million times better than any other homemade pizza crust recipe I have ever come across.  Ok, that may be a bit of a hyperbole, but it is super delicious!  I've been posting a lot of recipes from Tammy's Recipes lately, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I found this recipe on her site as well.  This recipe uses less flour than other recipes I've found, so it's pretty sticky, but you must resist the urge to add too much flour!!!  Also, you don't have to wait for the dough to rise, so you don't have to start making it too far in advance!

Pizza Crust 2

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp yeast

Butter

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine water, sugar, and salt.  Add 2 cups flour and yeast; mixing until a soft dough forms.  It should resemble a dough.  If it's too runny, gradually add more flour until you get a dough (though it will be soft and sticky).  Run the mixer on medium for a couple of minutes.  Alternatively, you may mix the ingredients by hand, then knead on a clean, floured surface for 5-10 minutes.

It's a very sticky dough, so don't add too much flour!

If using a metal pan, butter pan, then roll or stretch dough out over surface.  Since the dough is sticky, you'll want to keep your fingertips well buttered.  Simply melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a bowl and dip your fingers in periodically.  This will not only prevent the dough from sticking to your hands, but will also add some delicious flavor to the crust!  If you're feeling particularly daring, mince a clove or two of garlic and add it to the melted butter.

I made four small pizzas instead of one large.

Add desired sauce, cheese, and toppings; bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

I highly encourage you to read Tammy's tips for making homemade pizza here. 

Homemade Croutons

Remember those bread scraps and heals from the grilled cheese I made last week?  I made croutons out of them!!  Of course, you don't have to wait for scraps--you can make croutons with perfectly good bread.  I love using a loaf of French bread.

Either way, simply cut the bread to whatever size you want.  Because I was using scraps, I went for small croutons.  Spread them out on a jelly roll pan and leave them out to get dry and stale.  This is the key to crunchy croutons.

My croutons never come out the same because I usually don't measure.  Feel free to diverge from the recipe.  Add dried herbs, omit the cheese, use more garlic...it's up to you!

Homemade Croutons
3 c. stale bread cubes
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
a few dashes pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese



Preheat oven to 375.  Place bread in large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil while tossing.  Add remaining ingredients, tossing to thoroughly coat.  Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.  Spread in single layer on shallow pan.

Bake until golden, stirring occasionally.  May take as little as 8 minutes or as many as 15 depending on your oven, bakeware, and size of croutons.  Just keep checking them.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THEM!  I overdid my batch while I was distracted with kids, but they still tasted yummy!

These are great with Caesar salad!

Cinnamon Toast--So Simple, Yet So Good!

Somehow I made it through about the first twenty years of my life without knowing about cinnamon toast.  I don’t know how it happened.  But it did.  One day in the college cafeteria, Robbie told me he was going to make cinnamon toast.  He was astonished when I asked him, “What’s that?”

It’s so simple, yet so good.  I don’t feed it to my family every day, but it does make a nice treat.  Sometimes Robbie and I have some late at night as dessert.  Since I make it with 100% whole grain bread, it’s actually not that unhealthy.  And it’s certainly healthier than most kids’ cereals and desserts.

The whole grain provides fiber as well as all the nutrients associated with grains.  The butter or margarine provides the fat necessary to help the body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins.  And cinnamon has antioxidants.

  

It is possible to buy cinnamon sugar at the store, though I don’t know why there’s even a market out there for it.  I don’t know how much it costs, but I’m sure it’s at least 15-20 times more than it costs me to make my own.  Plus, I can adjust the sugar/cinnamon ratio to fit my family’s preference.  I make a big batch and store it in an air-tight container in the pantry.  You can also keep it in a shaker.

Cinnamon Sugar

½ c. sugar

½ Tbsp. cinnamon (more or less, to taste)

Mix sugar and cinnamon thoroughly.

We’ve experimented with different ways to make cinnamon toast and come up with three basic methods.

Cinnamon Toast

Bread

Butter, softened, or margarine

Cinnamon sugar

Follow directions for desired method below.

Simple and Quick Cinnamon Toast

Toast bread as desired.  Spread hot toast with butter or margarine.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

We like ours lightly toasted, but darker is fine too.

Melty Cinnamon Toast

Toast bread as desired.  Spread toast with butter or margarine.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Place under broiler until sugar is bubbly, being careful not to burn it.  In my toaster oven, it takes 3-4 minutes on high.

I use my toaster oven for this in order to save energy, but
a normal oven broiler will work too.

Grilled Cinnamon Toast

Heat skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Butter both sides of bread.  Place in heated skillet.  Flip when first side is toasted.  When second side is done, remove to plate.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

There's no clean way to butter both sides--just go for it.