bread Archives | The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

I used to bake great bread. I have never been a fan of bread machines and I love working with the dough. I have a Julia Child’s Baking Cookbook and I have made most of the bread and they all turned out beautiful. Then we moved to Kansas City and just about every yeast dough I have made has turned into a floppy gluckly mess! I have no idea why. It’s not because of the humidity as I grew up in Memphis. It’s not an elevation problem. I haven’t a clue what has been going on. Have I lost my touch? I was beginning to think so. At least until this loaf of bread. This glorious, beautiful, tasty, wonderful loaf of bread. It was so easy to make that as soon as I finished the first loaf I went ahead and made a second one right away. And it was just as good as the first! I did make one change to the recipe on the second loaf from the original recipe. It was a bit too salty and those were the comments left on the blog. So the recipe I give you here is with less salt. I found this recipe on Just Another Day in Paradise blog and it is a fool proof wonderful recipe. Take a closer look.

This bread was great on it’s own with just a little butter but it was even better when I made Grilled Cheese with and it was out of this world when I made French Toast with it!!! That post will be coming soon. Can you see how dense the bread is and that wonderful perfectly crisp crust? I see no reason that I should ever buy a loaf of artisan bread again. Just imagine all the possibilities with just small adjustments to the recipe. I think the next time I make this I am going to press herbs onto the top of the dough just right before baking. Oh that will be so pretty when it comes out of the oven!

I really really hope that you will make this bread. I am telling you it is SO easy and so wonderful.

Dutch Oven Peasant Bread

Ingredients

3 and 1/2 cups of BREAD flour (this is important not use AP)
2 tbs of yeast (I don't use the packets I buy my yeast in a jar)
2 tbs sugar
2 cups warm water
2 and 1/2 tsp kosher salt {Original recipe called for 1 and 1/2 tbs}

Instructions

Proof yeast: place the sugar and yeast in the bowl you are going to mix it all in {a stand mixer is best}
pour the warm water over and give a quick whisk
let it rest for about 8-10 min until it starts to foam up. {If you don't get any foam by 10-15 min your yeast is dead}
Place the dough hook on and slowly add the flour/salt one cup at a time
the dough will be sticky but let the dough hook do most of the work for you
let it run about 2 min {don't over beat or your dough will be hard}
on a floured surface gently knead the dough about 5 times
grease a bowl and place the ball of dough in
cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 30 min
preheat the oven to 400 with your dutch oven inside
gently rub flour on to the dough on all sides
cut 3 slits in the top
once up to temperature take the dutch oven out and gently place the dough inside
don't punch it down {it may make a small pop sound when transfer it. that is ok}
bake for 30 minutes covered at 400
then remove the lid and let bake for 10 more min to brown the crust up
when you remove your bread from the pot you will have the most beautiful looking loaf you have ever seen

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The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen 2012

You can find me at these wonderful parties each week!

I really have to thank the Keenan Cookbook for this over the top amazing bread! I saw it all over Pinterest and I just knew that this needed to be made in the P and P Kitchen. Oh boy was it good! Like gone in an afternoon good. Both my husband and I had no will power over this bread. That Cheesecake layer…….. *drool* The original recipe just called it cream cheese bread, but that just doesn’t do it any justice. I have made some changes to the original recipe as the filling portion really was too much and it just all spilled out of the baking dish. Not that I am complaining because that really was the best part! It’s just that I couldn’t exactly cut it into slices we had to eat it with a spoon for the most part. I was able to get these 3 slices to look presentable enough to photograph. In my version that I am giving you I cut the filling amounts in half so you won’t have that trouble. Now if you are in the mood for Blueberry Cheesecake SPOON bread then by all means double the filling amounts!

Do you see that ribbon of amazing cheesecake filling? The sweet sweet blueberries just floating in there so pretty and tasty. The bread portion was just so light and airy and that vanilla glaze, oh my! You are going to think that you have died and gone to dessert heaven with this bread. Dessert, oh yes this can be a dessert. It could also be breakfast, this is perfect for a brunch, or like in our case the day I made this it was breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert! Oh if only we could eat desserts for every meal and never pay the consequences! If we could I would have a slice of this everyday. Look at it wouldn’t you?

Here you get a closer look at that vanilla glaze. Oh So Yummy!

Blueberry Cheesecake Bread

This Bread is a must make for any Brunch or Breakfast Gathering!

This recipe was adapted from The Keenan Cookbook's Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread.

Ingredients

Bread:
1/2 cup butter room temp
1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup
pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs YOLKS only keep the whites
1 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp Baking POWDER + 1 tbs
1/3 cup milk
2 cups frozen blueberries thawed and drained VERY WELL on paper towels
the 2 egg WHITES
Filling:
4 oz of cold cream cheese {that's half a package}
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs flour
1 whole egg
1 tbs orange zest {optional}
Glaze:
2 tbs Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 half of a vanilla bean seeds {optional}
1 tsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
whip the egg WHITES with the 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form set aside
in a mixer with the paddle attachment
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy
add the vanilla and salt
add the egg YOLKS
slowly add the 1 and 1/2 cup of flour and the baking POWDER
add the milk
mix until dough forms
coat the blueberries with the 1 tbs flour and add them to the dough
gently fold the whipped egg WHITES into the batter {this was a little hard for my with my bad shoulder so I had Hubby do it}
now to make the filling
in a separate bowl with a hand mixer combine all filling ingredients until smooth
in a greased loaf pan add slightly less than half the bread dough
spread the filling on top
add the remaining bread dough
bake at 350 for 55 min
You won't be able to do the tooth pick test because of the filling layer
remove form oven and let cool about fifteen min
Mix all the glaze ingredients and pour over warm loaf
let cool completely and slice and serve!
Enjoy