Chocolate Chip Bread Rolls

Chocolate Chip Bread Rolls

I recently received a small  recipe booklet from a local yeast company. I must say, most of the recipes look really good and it was just a matter of which one to start with. Bread is one of my favorite foods and I'm a chocolate freak so the combination of the two of them together sounded like a winner. Hard to decide if they are a roll or a glorified muffin, but whatever, they're darn good!

Easy to make, delicious ( and addicting!) to eat; I highly recommend giving them a try.

Chocolate Chip Bread Rolls

makes 20 rolls

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups self- raising flour ( 500 g.) ( I didn't have any so I made my own)

8 grams active dry yeast

50 grams butter

1 cup milk ( 250 ml)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup brown sugar ( 50 g.)

1/2 package chocolate chips ( 150 g.)

How to:

Place all ingredients except the milk and butter in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix together thoroughly using the kneading hook, and slowly add in the milk. Add butter and knead for 4 minutes on high speed until the dough is soft and flexible.

On slow speed, add the chocolate chips  until blended in thoroughly. Form a  large ball of dough and place in a bowl. ( I just used the same one.) Sprinkle lightly with flour and cover. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Form small balls of dough ( about 50 g. each). Place on two parchment covered baking sheets. Make two diagonal slices on top of each ball with a sharp knife or blade. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes.

Brush with a beaten egg and bake 15 - 20 minutes in  a 200C ( 190 F) preheated oven.

Bialys

I have been dying to try these for some time now. Growing up, I remember Sunday mornings with fresh bagels and bialys from "Snowflake Bakery" in Syracuse , N.Y. Bialys, for those who hae never heard of them, are similar to bagels , but different( that makes sense, huh?). Bialys originated in Bialystok, Poland, and when the European Jews emmigrated to the U.S., they brought their recipes along, one being for bialys. From what I have read, there used to be dozens of bialy bakeries in New York- today, only a few remain. They can still be found in selected bakeries in Florida as well ( I'm sure in other parts of the country too, but that's what I'm familiar with). The bialys I remember were crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, not too thick and of course had the yummy center filling of onions, poppyseeds and garlic.

The recipe I used is from smittenkitchen who always has the best recipes and stories to go with them! The original recipe is from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum ( which I have yet to acquire, but that will come too!)

I followed the recipe exactly and although the process is time consuming (more waiting than anything), they turned out really great. The recipe makes only 6 bialys, so next time I will try doubling the recipe. ( 6 bialys in my house is like a drop in the bucket) Now, slice in half, add a bit of Philadelphia cream cheese or just let some fresh butter melt all over the bialy- heaven!!

Bagels #1

I love bread. I could eat it for every meal and every course of every meal. Even instead of dessert- and that's something! Doesn't do much for my waistline, but that's a whole other issue.

Not only do I love eating bread but I love making it. It's relaxing, satisfying and the smell that fills the house while it's baking is indescribable. I've baked lots of different breads before but have never tried bagels. Bagels, as far as I 'm concerned, need to have a crispish type crust and a chewy, flavorful bread on the inside. After reading Pioneer Woman's post of the bagel-making experience she had with Smitten Kitchen ( wish I had been there), I decided it was time to give it a try. This is attempt # 1 using Peter Reinhardt's recipe recommended by Smitten Kitchen.

The Sponge

The dough

the bagels go into the fridge to rest overnight

Boiling the bagels

Covered in sesame seeds ( yum!)

Final Product

Verdict: Not difficult to make. I'm not sure my sponge rose to the extent it was supposed to. They didn't come out smooth and shiny like a bakery bagel ( or the one's in Smitten Kitchen's pictures!), but I am determined to keep trying and will re-do this recipe again as well as try some others. In any case they were delicious and the crust was crunchy while the inside was chewy. I had fun going through the process ( not a difficult one at all, just takes time- mostly waiting time) and that's important too. By the way, all the bagels were "inhaled" within a very short period of time and the general reaction was "more!"

No pudding , no cheesecake

Puddings are not my thing- and besides, I have no one at home to even taste it ( the butterscotch pudding for Tuesdays with Dorie), and hence, my skipping a week's entry. As far as this week's recipe for cheesecake, we shall see. In our house, cheesecake is more of a warm weather dessert, especially around the Jewish holiday of Shavuot where cheese is the main ingredient in all dishes. That holiday doesn't happen until the beginning of summer, so I might just wait with that and substitute something else.

All said, that doesn't mean I haven't been busy cooking and baking! I attended a wonderful class this past week on breads and soups- how fun!! We made five different kinds of bread and 4 soups. I , of course, came home and had to try things out right away so I decided to go for two breads- one an antipasti bread and the other- lemon rolls( very interesting taste). I also made tomato soup with rice and nana( mint leaves)- yum yum!!

Unfortunately, everyone dove into the food before I had a chance to take a photo of it all- sorry about that- next time! But the recipes are here if you care to try- definitely worth it!



Antipasti Bread(makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients



1/2 kilo bread flour

15 grams dry yeast

360 ml. body temperature water( not too warm not too cold)

handful of fresh basil leaves chopped

30 grams sugar

10 grams salt

50 grams parmesean cheese, grated ( can be fresh or Kraft)

1 zucchini, 1 eggplant, 1 red pepper, lightly grilled



1. Put all ingredients except veggies into mixing bowl . Mix thoroughly and knead into a smooth dough, at least 10 minutes in a stand mixer using the dough hook

2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.

3. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. ( about 190 F.)

4. Divide the dough into 2 and roll each half out into a rectangle. Don 't knead the dough too uch or it will become elastic and difficult to work with.

5. Lay pieces of the grilled veggies on the rectangle and tightly roll in to an oval shape. Place on parchment covered baking sheet, cover with palstic wrap and let rise again until doubled.

6. For a crispy crust, roll in a bit of cornmeal before the second rise.

7. Dust the surfae with flour and make diagonal cuts with a sharp knife or blade. Bake at 230 C. for 15 min. then lower temperature to 200 C.

8. Cool on a rack before cutting.



Back with more later!!