Multigrain Baking Mix and how to use it   Although my mother had pancake mix and instant potatoes in the cupboard when I was growing up, I don’t recall her keeping Bisquick or Jiffy baking mix around. I must confess I have never used a baking mix until I was finishing up Baking Secrets from the Bread Monk and decided to include a recipe for a homemade version of a homemade “Bisquick-like-baking-mix”. Since then I’ve used it for pancakes and shortcake with excellent results.

You can use this dough for a number of coffeecakes and breakfast treats, including cinnamon rolls and donuts. Ingredients 2 packages active dry yeast ¼ cup warm (110° F) water 1 cup milk (skim, 2%, or whole milk all OK) ¼ cup of butter ¼ cup sugar 1½ teaspoons salt 1 cup mashed potatoes (yes, actual mashed potatoes, not dry flakes) 1 large egg, beaten 4½ to 4¾ cups all-purpose flour Directions   Proof the yeast by mixing it in a small bowl with the warm water and allowing it

Ingredients 1½ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup cocoa powder 1 Tbs. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt 1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted 28 crème de menthe thins, chopped Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.  In a medium size bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the milk and the melted butter.  Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and

Photo by Craftsy.com from my online class on Challah   Ingredients 3¼ to 3½ cups of all-purpose flour, divided ¼ cup of granulated sugar 1½ teaspoons of salt 1 pkg. instant yeast ¾ cup warm water 2 eggs, room temp 1 egg yolk (save egg white for the glaze) ¼ cup neutrally flavored oil (canola or a very light olive oil)  Directions Place 3 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a medium size bowl and whisk them together. Place water, eggs and egg yolk into the bowl of a sta

Ingredients ¼ cup (1/2 stick) softened butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg (room temperature) 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract ¾ cup of mashed potatoes (fresh, leftover or made from instant) ¼ cup milk 2¼ cups all purpose flour plus more for the work surface 2½  teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon table salt 1 teaspoon nutmeg (½ teaspoon if grated fresh) Vegetable shortening or oil for frying Cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, icing et cetera as desired.   Directions In a medium si

English Muffin Bread with an open crumb to capture butter and jam! Ingredients 1 pkg. fast-rising yeast  3 cups all-purpose flour   2 Tbs. brown sugar  1 tsp. salt  ¼ tsp. baking soda 1 cup milk   ¾  cup water  cornmeal  In a medium size bowl, combine yeast, flour, sugar, salt, and soda. Combine milk and water and heat to 120 to 130 degrees F.   Pour into dry mixture and beat well for about 5 minutes by hand, 2 or 3 by mixer on medium speed---it will make a slightly stiff bat

Ingredients 1 batch of Danish Pastry Dough Preserves, pie filling, chutney, etc. Prepare a 9” x 13” baking sheet with parchment or vegetable cooking spray. Divide dough in half. Leave half, wrapped, in the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll portion of dough into a 9” x 9” rectangle. When you roll out the dough it’s almost impossible to get the edges perfectly straight, so roll it out 10” x 10” and trim it as needed.  Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, divi

Ingredients ¾ cup butter 1½ cups of sugar 3 eggs 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1½ cups sour cream Filling ¾ cup brown sugar ½ cup chopped nuts 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon Cream butter and sugar in mixer on high until light and fluffy.  Blend in eggs and vanilla until smooth.  Sift dry ingredients together.  With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the sour cream and the dry ingredients until

I explored Danish pastry dough for the first time in Season Three of Breaking Bread with Father Dominic ( 20+ years ago!). My original recipe made a HUGE amount of dough, enough for dozens of almond bear claws, so I decided to re-work the recipe into a half batch. This change has the added benefit of making the technique more manageable, so you don't need to roll the dough out two feet wide. I have a commercial kitchen, but never everyone has that kind of counter space!     I

Ingredients 2 c. all-purpose flour 3 tsp. baking powder ¼ c. granulated sugar ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼. tsp. nutmeg 1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces 1 cup cinnamon baking chips (Hershey's makes them) ½ cup cream (plus more for brushing tops) 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 2 Tbs. demerara or turbinado sugar   Directions Pre-heat the oven to 375° F. and place the cut-up butter in the freezer while you assemble the other ingredients. Having cold cream and eggs is essential

2 c. all-purpose flour 1 Tbs. baking powder 1 Tbs. granulated sugar, plus more for topping ½ tsp. salt 1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces 1 cup chopped chocolate mint candies ½ cup heavy cream (plus more for brushing tops) 2 eggs  Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. and place the cut-up butter in the freezer while you assemble the other ingredients. Having cold cream and eggs is essential the success of this recipe as well. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, suga

2 ¼ cups flour ¾ cup sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp grated nutmeg 2 eggs ¾ cup milk 1 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla extract   Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a medium size bowl and stir until well blended.  In a separate container, whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and beat until smooth.  Use a donut batter dispenser (see note below) and fry in 2 inches of oil 365° to 375° F., about 2 min

Fastnachts 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/3 sugar ¾ tsp. ground mace or nutmeg 1 cup sour cream (room temperature) 2 eggs (room temperature) 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder Vegetable oil for frying Cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar for topping  In a medium size bowl, combine oil, sugar, sour cream, and eggs and beat with a whisk for two minutes.  In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder and stir until thoroughly combined.  Add egg mixture and

Strawberry Cream Scones--use the good china! If I were going to choose a recipe to teach to a newbie baker an I had less than an hour, I would definitely choose scones as my ideal recipe: easy to make, infinitely versatile, using simple ingredients and prepared with ordinary equipment. AND you get to eat them, warm with butter, within forty-five minutes or less. What's not to love? Vintage pastry blenders Some people might take exception to the "ordinary equipment" part, sin

Need a quick sweet treat to spoil your spouse or thank a co-worker? These puff pastry Chocolate Bites are just what you need! You can use frozen pastry sheets, but why not make Homemade Puff Pastry to show you really care? Makes 24 bites, so you can give away the good looking ones and keep a few "seconds" to sample yourself! 1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry 24 small squares of chocolate Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray 24 mini muffin-pan cups with veget

Bouchée comes from the French for "mouth" and  these tiny pastries will disappear in just a couple of bites! Ingredients 1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry Large and small cookie cutters of the same shape Egg wash (one whole egg beaten with a tablespoon of water) Filling of choice (pudding, pie filling, etc.) Whipped cream Preheat oven to 400° F. and line a baking sheet with parchment or cooking spray. Roll pastry sheet out to about 9” x 9”. Use the larger of your two cookie cutter

These breakfast treats are a  great addition to a special breakfast or brunch. You can use my Quick Puff Pastry or the frozen sheets in the grocery store (but my pastry is better, and yours will be, too!)  1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry  ¼ cup shredded cheese 4 large eggs Salt, pepper, garnish (parsley, chives, etc.) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. You can also use cooking spray or a silicone baking mat.  On a lightly floured surfac

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup (one stick) cold butter 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup minced fresh chives 8 oz. bacon, cooked crisp and chopped (about 1 cup) 1 cup sour cream  Preheat the oven to 425° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet and set aside. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl whisk together until blended. Work the butter into th

Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt¼ cup (½ stick) cold butter cut into slices 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (2 tsp. dried) 2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (1 tablespoon dried) ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (¼ teaspoon dried and ground) ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil) ¾ cup crushed tomatoes  Preheat oven to 425° F. and lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch cake pan.  In a medium

Sweet puff pastry treats to share with family and friends.