Cooking for Seven

These last few days of being single (yay!), I have been reflecting a bit on my life at home. Until now, it hasn’t really hit me that I’m leaving - entering a wonderful, new life with my husband-to-be. Apparently it hit my mom as well…we had a crying-and-hugging-fest today.

Cooking for Seven has been such a great creative outlet for me over the years (Did I really start this blog almost three years ago? How time flies…), and a bit of a challenge. Thank you all for your encouragement, tips, praise, and corrections (thank you for being honest!). It is my intention to continue sharing recipes with you after I’m married…my future mother-in-law instructs me to continue “cooking for seven” — my fiance eats a lot!

But I must say goodbye for a little while as I am getting married this weekend! Until we meet again, here is a scrumptious recipe for Maple Pecan Sticky Buns.
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Maple Pecan Sticky Buns

Adapted from Bon Appétit and the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion

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Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons maple sugar, granulated sugar, or sweetener of choice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons soft butter

For the filling:

• 3/4 cups pecans, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• soft butter for spreading on dough

For the syrup:

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 4 1/2 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Direction:

For the dough:

1) Mix and knead together all the dough ingredients in a stand mixer, bread machine, or by hand to form a smooth, soft dough. Add more milk or water if the dough seems too stiff.

2) Place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel. Set in a warm place and let raise until almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

For the filling:

Mix together all the filling ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.

For the syrup:

Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine maple syrup and butter in heavy medium skillet. Stir over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Mix in brown sugar. Pour syrup into prepared dish; tilt to coat of bottom of dish evenly. Sprinkle the pecans; cool

To assemble and bake:

1) Roll out dough on a lightly greased counter to an 11 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the soft butter all over the dough, leaving a narrow strip free of butter along one long edge. Sprinkle with filling ingredients.

2) Starting with the buttered long edge, roll up the dough and pinch the edges to secure. Cut dough with a sharp, serrated knife into 1-inch rolls. Place in prepared baking dish. It’s okay to crown the buns a bit.

3) Cover and let raise until quite puffy, about 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours. Preheat oven to 375° F.

4) Bake buns uncovered until tops are golden brown and syrup bubbles thickly, reversing dishes halfway through baking, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a baking sheet. Cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with lots of butter. (Can be made ahead. Cool buns completely. Wrap buns tightly with foil on baking sheet. Freeze up to 2 weeks. Bake frozen buns covered 375°F until heated through, about 15 minutes.)

Makes approximately 14 buns

Until after the honeymoon!

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{Grandma’s Cooking School is my chronicles of the informal cooking lessons that my Grandma graciously decided to give us girls. I have compiled a list of all the lessons so far. Enjoy!}

I am at a loss for words to describe these delicious creations, so I’ll let the photos do (most of) the talking.

Grandma’s homemade bread. Light, flavorful, delicious.

I love Grandma’s flour/baking drawer.

And her cupboards.

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Are you looking for a light, airy bread recipe? This one is not for you. Are you looking for a hearty, whole-grain bread filled with complex flavors? Keep reading.

I must admit that I had my doubts about this recipe. I threw all of the ingredients into the bread machine, set it to the dough cycle, and left it for hours. When I returned, it hadn’t risen very far and the dough smelled strongly of yeast. Being an optimist at heart, I scraped it out of the pan, formed it into a ball, and set the oven.

Continue Reading for the recipe » »

Allow me to share a few things with you:

This week I had the honor of writing a guest post over at the Tasty Kitchen blog. {link}

Joy the Baker commented on my blog. *squeals with delight*

I made Hannah’s (honey & jam) recipe for Roasted Broccoli the other night. Delicious beyond words.

Continue Reading for the recipe » »

Last year, my sister Janna gave me Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads for Christmas. I haven’t baked very many loaves yet, but the ones I have tried have been very tasty.

Hearth Breads are baked directly on the hearth (without a pan) to create a nice, crispy crust. I baked mine in a very hot oven on a stone.

As with most of Peter Reinhart’s breads, the dough was soaked overnight to produce superior flavor. There are only a few tablespoons of non soaked grains in this bread.

I must confess that this bread was nearly a disaster. When I scored the risen dough, it deflated pitifully. Then, when I attempted to transfer the loaf from the pizza peel to the oven, it slipped onto the floor. Not to be daunted, I simply picked up the lump of dough, placed it back on the pizza peel, transferred it to the stone, and shut the door, hoping it would regain it’s height in the oven.

Thankfully, the dough rose very nicely in the oven. I am quite pleased with this recipe and hope that next time I bake something from Whole Grain Breads I will not have quite so many mishaps.

This is my entry for World Bread Day.

Here is the roundup