Our Favorite Waffle Recipe

Our favorite impulse wedding giftcard purchase was a Calphalon waffle iron.   Our fav time to use it is a lazy Saturday morning.  I make the waffles while Hunter cooks the bacon.  We've made several recipes but to this date, this is our favorite.

*Our favorite requires a little more work (of course) but a good backup recipe with pantry ingredients can be found here.

The name of the recipe:

Waffles of Insane Greatness
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/waffle-of-insane-greatness-recipe.html
333 reviews and 5 stars...I knew it must be good!

Ingredients:

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil  (I will try less!)
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

I use my mixer...

Mix the dry ingredients - flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix. 

Add the egg, milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix again. 

*Important: Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.  (Some say beat the egg white first but I couldn't tell a difference for the effort.)

Preheat the waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. (This is part of why I love this recipe!) 

Notice the steam - I keep the setting one notch past the medium setting.

The recipe makes the two large waffles above.  It is perfect for the two of us but you can easily double it!

Banana Muffins

Let me explain the difference between banana bread and banana muffins.  There is a difference.  First off, this recipe is best in muffin form while the bread recipe is better as a loaf.  Banana muffins are sticky sweet.  They have more banana flavor (because of more actual banana and less flour).  This recipe was SO very popular with my childhood friends.  In fact, one friend would request them every time she came over.

I didn't freeze bananas until this year and now I wonder how I went without.  It's so much more convenient.  They don't look beautiful when they thaw (they turn black on the outside and become all juicy on the inside).  I may even say it makes the baked goods more moist. 

Maw's Banana Bread

Maw's Banana Bread

I had to triple check to be sure I had not posted this recipe before.  This was THE first recipe I knew by heart and I remember making it long before college.  I still have not found a better banana bread.  According to the rate it disappeared this morning at work, I am not the only fan!

I've decided for many of these recipes I am going to skip boring pictures.  I can only take shots of the mixer and batter so many times before they all start looking the same, even for me!

I love this recipe card.  Mom must have covered it in contact paper to preserve it.  It's had a lot of use!

This is my secret.  I now only use frozen bananas.  The thought used to give me the heebie jeebies.  But after I tried it a couple years ago, it works out well.  They mash so much easier, provide more liquid, and are so very convenient!  (On a side note, I freeze the bread often once its baked and it is also wonderful.  I have 3 small baking pans that I used last time to try to limit myself!)

It took me 2 years to go through the huge tub of crisco you see in this picture.  It was embarrassingly large.  I ran into this the other day and figured it is worth a try.  So far, it is a wonderful substitute.  If anything, it makes me feel better!

The batter still ranks in my top 5 batters of all-time.  Nuts are optional but with Hunter gone, they are a necessity in my book. I love them.

I used bread flour this time and it never seems to rise enough but I wanted to finish the bag.  Basic all-purpose is my first choice!

And here we have a photo of my favorite way to enjoy the bread.  Ok, second favorite way.  My favorite is the toaster!

Krispy Kreme - a year in the making

We (Julie, Lance and I) have been talking "doughnuts" since before Julie and Lance moved. This weekend we finally got the chance to make some (or rather a few dozen).  Of course we could not pass up the opportunity to try a Krispy Kreme copycat recipe.  With 4.5 stars and 58 reviews, we thought the recipe below was a solid choice and agreed it is a keeper!

http://deep-fried.food.com/recipe/krispy-kreme-doughnuts-copycat-51199

Krispy Kreme Copycat Doughnut Recipe
2 (1/4 ounce) packages yeast
1/4 cup water (105-115)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk (scalded, then cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all-purpose flour
canola oil (we used vegetable and it was just fine)

Clear Glaze
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup tablespoons hot water

Chocolate frosting
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 -6 tablespoons hot water
4 ounces milk chocolate chips or 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

We started out with the dough much like any dough you have made before.  Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a 2.5 qt bowl.  Then add the milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 2 cups of flour.  Beat on med speed for 2 minutes stopping to scrape the bowl.  Then mix in the remaining 3 cups of flour and beat until well mixed.  Cover and let rise for about an hour.  This is how ours looked.  Their oven has a bread setting.  I find at my house i turn on the warm setting for a couple minute and place the dough inside covered with a dish towel.  Even better, if the oven is pretty warm for cooking, I have luck just placing it on the stove covered with a dish towel.  They tell you dough is done when you make an indention and it does not disappear (see Lance's thumb print below).

Roll it out to approximately 1/2 inch thick. We could have possibly gone thicker than you see in pictures.

We used a biscuit cutter in the largest and smallest size to make the shapes.  I have to say, the actual doughnut holes were our favorite (and the most of what I devoured).  They rise so easily.

The below picture is us waiting for them to double in size the second time.  It took about 45 minutes (or possibly more).  It takes some time and makes waiting for breakfast a little bit challenging.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees!

Here are the first couple holes we made.  Using a slotted spoon helps them drain before they are placed on the grate.

I also liked to document how Lance used skewers to flip the doughnuts.  I liked this idea.

Of course we had a fan cub nearby....

This is the glaze (very simple).  Dunk the fried doughnuts.

Then allow them to set (if you can wait that long) or eat them as fast as you can make them, which is what we did.

According to this picture, they are keepers.

Julie tested with some maple syrup, nutella and sprinkles.  It is easy to add lib.

Last but not least I have to show you a picture of our breakfast plate.  These mugs are made in Alabama and quite appropriate considering there is a dentist in the house!

We agree the recipe is a keeper (we will be rating it a 5 star) and one we will make again!

Happy 4th from the ATL - this and that

Happy 4th from the ATL.  I finally made it to the outlets....and broke my first item in a store. Welcome to the Williams Sonoma outlet, Shelley.  Hopefully they will allow me back and hopefully Catherine will go back with me.  (It was a cake plate and I about died.)  I did leave there with a few items to make it up to them.

I have been wanting some of this vanilla since cooking with Lance and Julie.  I finally got some!  (Note: They get the paste and not the extract so they can get the vanilla specs.)

This is a cake tester.  How did I not know about this?  And how have I gone so long without one?  Catherine uses one and swears by it.  I figured with the amount of cakes I bake...

(cookies in the background to come in a later post...)

I have this next item in Catherine's bread machine as I type.  A woman who is a HUGE Williams Sonoma fan swears by their bread mixes.  She stopped us in the isle and gave us an "all-you-need-to-know-about-the-outlet" speech.  (Did I look overwhelmed?)

All you do is add a little oil and water to the bread mix.  Homemade bread in a few hours.  And it was only a few dollars (on super sale).  To me, worth a try.

More posts/recipe documentations to follow.  I am getting behind.  But wanted to say...

HAPPY 4th!

PW's Cinnamon Bread

I owe my loyal blog followers an apology (IF there are any of you left). Julie and I have wonderful intentions of baking through Southern Living's list of top 10 cakes. But until then, I highly suggest Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Bread.

I failed to document the whole process because it lasted, on a "school night," till 12:30 pm. Even so, it was highly worth it and my 3rd (successful) attempt at bread baking. I was able to make this with a hand mixer and some elbow grease.

We eventually used it for french toast. David claimed it made the "best french toast he had ever eaten." That is a bold claim. I will leave you with a a few pictures...

Cinnamon Rolls with Julie and Shelley - Two blondes make a right :)

Julie and I baked again this Saturday night.  This time...cinnamon rolls!  Cinnamon roles are something I've wanted to try to bake for awhile.  Julie had the brilliant idea of trying out two recipes.  We did one in the bread machine and one by hand.  They both turned out well, which you will find out below.  Forewarning...I might've been a little trigger happy.  We had too many great pictures.  For every 1 you see, there are 3 you are missing!  It's been the first time cooking with Julie that I've had my Canon Rebel.  I had a problem with it for the past week or so Lance helped me solve.  Let's just chalk it up to user error (mine).  The theme of the night...two blondes make a right!

Here are the ingredients (minus the cinnamon and optional pecans) needed to make cinnamon roles.  The flour is bread flour.   Cinnamon roles really are inexpensive and in these alumninum tins, make great gifts.

Here you will find my dough when mixed.  You will see how small it is before rising.  I felt as if the bread machine dough rose more than mine.  Sure enough, they both rose in the end. 

This is the dough out of the bread machine.  Please note Julie's happiness in this picture.  She was saying over and over, "This dough makes me soooo happy."  And she was right.  After all, who else would do this on a Saturday night?

The first recipe said to spread the melted butter on the dough and then top with this cinnamon toping.  We thought this was too much toping.  Instead, we found out you can really could use more.  This cinnamon mixture method ended up being the method of choice.  Read on to find out the other and why...

This was the fun part.  It is all taking shape.  Julie is a pro...

We only fit 7 in a pan.  We ended up having 2 left so you want to probably aim for 8 rolls per pan.  Both recipes make 2 pans.  One for you and one for a friend.  Or in my case, one for my coworkers (who will be happy on a Monday morning)!

Here you can see me rolling out the second batch of dough.  The first dough we referred to as the 'bread machine pudding dough' since it included a pack of jello pudding (interesing...I know).  The one I am working with in this picture rose on its own and, even though didn't rise as much as the pudding bread machine dough, was just as yummy.  

The second recipe called for the softened butter to be mixed in with the topping mix... Above I mentioned we like the melted butter spread on first, and the topping layered on top.  We think this keeps the cinnamon overflow from happening (and unfortuantely spilling in the oven).  You want to keep the cinnamon goodness in the roll and it worked better layering.

I am including this picture to demonstrate the cutting technique Julie taught me.  I wanted to start slicing from one side.  But by doing that, I would have lost count and likely had uneven pieces.  Instead, she had me cut once in the center.  And then split the two halves.  That way you have a better gauge on how big your slices need to be.  Make sense?   The pieces end up perfectly uniform.

Here we are trying to be patient...all 3 of us!

The results were well worth the wait!

Of course we sampled...

And there were others that REALLY wanted to!

Here we are with our finished product!  Like I said, each recipe makes two circular tins.  The recipe below is a combined version which brings out the best in both recipes.  We practically took the icing portion of one recipe and the roll part of the other!

Julie and Shelley's Cinnamon Rolls:

Dough:

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup warm milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

Cinnamon swirl:
1/4 cup butter, softened (for spreading separate)
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Icing:
1/2 (1.5 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/8 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In the pan of your bread machine, combine water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle; press Start. When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough. Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9x13 buttered pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting.

*Editor's note 6/16/2013:  I never use a bread machine (since I don't have one on my own and really don't need one in my kitchen!) so don't let that stop or intimidate you.  You want to be sure they double in size when they rise each time.  The attic works well in the summer.  I actually freeze them often after I let them cool completely and ice them.  When I freeze, I wrap in saran wrap and put each in a gallon ziplock bag.

*Editor's note again 12/29/16:  Here I am years later, in Idaho, still making these jewels (and without a bread machine) for my neighbors for the holidays.  I honestly let them rise sometimes 2 hours at a time - maybe it is the dry, cool air here.  The recipe makes 2 of the round tins you can often find at the dollar tree.  I find you want to make sure you get a good first rise before you roll them and let them rise again.  But no fear, when you bake them they always rise even more.   I cook them 20 minutes but cover then part of the time to keep from browning with this oven.  Also, the recipe makes PLENTY of icing.  You won't want to use it all - it is too much.  I ofen put it in a ziplock bag and cut the tip to ice in zig zags.  You can always make the cut larger but you can't make it smaller - remember that!