Rosemary Knots

Kirbie Cravings
Yields: 15

3 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup milk

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup of rosemary, chopped into small pieces

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt. Add the olive oil, milk, rosemary and water. Mix until ingredients until it form into a ball.

Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 15 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 10-12 inches long and tie into a knot, Take the ends of the knots and tuck into the middle of the knot.

Place the knot on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and set it aside to rise for about 30 minutes.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm. You can add additional chopped fresh rosemary for garnish and color.

Cinnamon-Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Tarte Pink
Yields: 1 loaf

Dough
2¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used 1¼  whole wheat and 1½ all purpose flour)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsalted butter (I used 2 tablespoons Smart Balance buttery blends)
1/3 cup whole milk
¼ cup water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling
1 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside.
Whisk together eggs and set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted. Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract. Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula. Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter. The eggs will feel soupy and it’ll seem like the dough and the eggs are never going to come together. Keep stirring. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes. The mixture might look sticky but don’t be tempted to add more flour.
Place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (The dough can be risen until doubled in size, then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning. If you’re using this method, just let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.)

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling. Set aside. Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned- until white parts are separated from brown liquid and a nutty smell appears; watch carefully so that it does not burn. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out. The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long. If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long… that’s okay. Just roll it as large as the dough will go.

Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough. Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture. It might seem like a lot of sugar.

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips. Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again. You’ll have six stacks of six squares. Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book. Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown. The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw. A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto a clean board. Place a cake stand or cake plate on top of the upside down loaf, and carefully invert so it’s right side up.

Greek Olive Oil Bread with Olives and Rosemary

Yields: 6-8 slices
Baltic Maid

2 cups
1 cup
2 teaspoon dry yeast
2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup
1/3 cup
1 cup black olives, pitted and halved
2½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, slightly chopped

In a food processor, combine the flour, whole wheat flour, yeast and salt.  Add the warm water and the olive oil.  Process until it forms somewhat of a dough ball.  (If too dry, add some more water and if too wet, add more flour but it should be okay without adding more flour or water)

Transfer the dough into a large bowl.  With floured hands, knead the dough by hand several times.  Then incorporate the olives and the rosemary.  This part is a bit messy but keep kneading.  The olives and the rosemary will be eventually incorporated.

Form the dough into a ball.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise for up to 2 hours  until it doubled in size.

Punch the risen dough down and knead a few times.  Form into a ball with the seam on the bottom.  Place on a well-floured baking sheet.  Sprinkle flour all over the bread loaf.   Slash the top of the bread with a sharp knife or razor blade in whatever pattern you like.  Cover with a towel, and let it rise again until it doubled in size.

In the meantime preheat the oven to 425°F. When the bread has doubled in size, transfer the baking sheet into the preheated oven.  Bake the bread for about 15 minutes at 425°F.  Then turn down the heat to 375°F and bake for 40 to 60 minutes until golden brown.  Let it cool.

Tequila Peach Pie

Yields: 6 slices
Not Without Salt

Galette Dough

1½ cups (7 ounces, 200 grams) all-purpose flour
1 stick + 1 tablespoon (4 ½ ounces, 125 grams) butter, cold
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vinegar (such as champagne or cider)
1 tablespoon water, cold

Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut the cold butter into rough ½” cubes. Scatter on top of the flour and pulse just a couple of times to evenly disperse the butter.

In a small bowl, stir together the egg, vinegar and water. While streaming the liquids in pulse the machine. The dough will appear very crumbly. Once the liquid has been incorporated squeeze the mixture in your hands and if it holds together you are set. If not, sprinkle with a few more drops of water and pulse a couple more times.

Dump out the dough and form into a rough disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Tequila Peaches

1½ tablespoons tequila (I used Jose Cuervo)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon lime zest (I omitted because I didn't have any)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 large peaches, ripe and fragrant
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream (I omitted because I didn' t have any)

Combine the tequila, lime juice and cornstarch in a small bowl. Slice the peaches about ¼” thin. In a medium bowl add the peaches and the juice/cornstarch mixture. Using your hands, toss to combine.

Pre-heat the oven to 385F You want to start with a nice hot oven to make sure your butter in the dough, quickly comes to a boil creating steam that puffs up the dough – this is the magic of flakes. Hot oven plus cold butter equals beautiful flakes.

Once the dough has chilled roll out to your desired size.  Roll out the dough to ¼” thickness. Place the dough on a parchment lined sheet tray so you don’t have to awkwardly transfer the galette once assembled.

Arrange the peaches or simply dump them in the center of your dough. Leave 1½ inches surrounding the peaches and fold this up on top of them pleating as you fold so that it securely encases the fruit. Brush the top of the crust with cream and sprinkle the sugar over the crust and the fruit. Scatter the zest on top of that. Chill the galette in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If the crust starts to color too quickly before the juices have begun to boil then simply turn the oven down to 350F. You will be able to tell your pie is done with the crust is a deep golden color and the juices have bubbled and look thicker than boiling water and more like bubbling jam.

Remove from the oven and let sit for at least two hours before enjoying.

Whole Wheat Bagels

Yields: 12
Tracey's Culinary Adventures

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
2 cups warm water (about 110 F)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder (optional, I omitted)
3 cups (12¾ oz) bread flour
3 cups (12¾ oz) white whole wheat flour (I used regular whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon salt

In a large measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in the water and add both sugars and the malt (if using).  Add 1 cup of the bread flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook then pour the yeast mixture over the flour and let sit for 10 minutes.  Add all of the white whole wheat flour to the mixer bowl and beat to incorporate.  With the mixer on low, add the salt, then the remaining bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (you may not need all of the bread flour, depending on conditions in your kitchen).  Continue kneading on low speed until the dough is really smooth, satiny and springy, about 10 minutes.  Cover the dough with a damp towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces - I used my scale to weigh the dough and then figure out how big each piece should be, but you can definitely eyeball it.  Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape it into a ball and then use your fingers to poke a hole in the middle.  Gently stretch the dough until the hole is about 2 inches big.  Place the bagel on a baking sheet that's been dusted with cornmeal.  Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.  Cover the baking sheet lightly with plastic and let the bagels rise for 30 minutes.  Secure the plastic around the edges of the pan so the bagels won't dry out then put the baking sheet in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

When you're ready to bake, remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.  While the bagels are resting, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and preheat oven to 450 F.

Add two or three bagels at a time to the boiling water (depending on the size of your pot) and cook for about 1 minute, or until they've risen to the top.  Remove and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Once you've boiled all of the bagels, bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they're brown and their internal temperature registers at least 180 F on an instant-read thermometer.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Frozen Lemonade Squares

Yields: 9 
Buy the Book


1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 ¾ cups Splenda granulated sweetener, divided
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/3 cup lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)
Zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup light whipped topping (I used fat free)


Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. (I used parchment paper to line my pan instead).


In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup of the sweetener, and the margarine until crumbly. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. 


In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, the remaining sweetener, the lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Pour into the crust and smooth the top.


Cover the pan and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours (I did not cover mine and it was fine, I froze the pan overnight).


Before serving, allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Cut into 9 portions using a heated sharp knife.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by Jessica Seinfeld

Yields: 2 dozen
Buy the Book


Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup firmly packed or light brown sugar (I used Splenda brown sugar blend)
6 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, chilled (I used applesauce in this batch and Smart Balance in another, both worked well)
½ cup banana puree (about 1 banana)
½ cup zucchini puree
1 large egg white
½ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with cooking parchment.

In a bowl or zipper-lock bag, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and shake or stir to mix.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not over-mix. Add the banana and zucchini purees, and the egg white and stir just to blend. Add the flour mixture, raisins, and walnuts if using and stir to combine.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonful onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch in between. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 4 to 5 minutes, just until they are firm enough to handle, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

*Note: The recipe suggests not using an electric mixer because it will make the cookies tough. I did not use it and they were extremely soft.