HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

So, time has come for all you ghouls to worship the Pumpkin God, play spooky tricks on the living, roam the streets like zombies and threaten the good people with your incantation-like "trick or treat" spine-chilling sentence...

The 31st of October marks Samhain (or All Hallow's Eve), the end of the harvest as well as that of the "lighter half" and the beginning of the "darker half". According to Gaelic tradition it is a time during which the borders between the world of the living and realm (otherworld) of the dead, the home of deities and the stronghold of supernatural spirits similar to elves or fairies become thin.

If you are hiding home behind boarded windows and trying to stay away from the monsters that are amongst us, you might want to make a few recipes to uplift your soul and keep you sane, so don't forget to check my "Halloween Food Ideas" Page.

CINNAMON SUGAR DOUGHNUTS - THE DARING BAKERS

October represent the beginning of fall (my favorite time of the year) and is the month of pumpkins, Halloween and doughnuts! Why doughnuts, you'll ask me. Well, because all Daring Bakers around the world have been asked to bake that irresistible old-fashioned goody whicht has made the reputation of chains like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Doughnuts.

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of "Butter Me Up" who chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

It might sound very odd to you, but unlike many Americans or children around the world, when I was a kid I was not a big fan of doughnuts ("Berlin Balls" more exactly). I can't really say why that treat did not particularly appeal to me, but although the flavor of doughnuts didn't repulse me it never made me drool. I tolerated doughnuts...

Thankfully, with age my tastes changed and I grew very fond of that fluffy, "oily" (good ones should not be soaked with fat, they should just be brushed be the delicate fingers of oil that is brought at the right temperature) and sugar coated snack. Thankfully I was able to join the ranks of doughnuts lovers and finally got to understand what all the buzz is about when it comes to eating those tender regressive pastries to surfeited collapse. A guilty pleasure that is so worth the calotrie intake.

Making "Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts" for this month's challenge was a first for me. Strangely enough I had not tackled the art of doughnut-making until now even if I bake a lot and make breads on a weekly basis. I never got around to baking that speciality from the past as I am a little apprehensive when it comes to using boiling oil because I tend to be afraid of the mess it'll leave in my kitchen (you know, the oil spurting all over your floor, walls and fourniture) and the thick greasy as well as smelly cloud that might enshroud the apartment.

Anyway, considering the fact that I prepared that recipe while cleaning the apartment, blogging and being in a totally rotten/quarrelly mood, I must say that my "Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts" turned out pretty well. The whole process was quite straight forward, fast, easy and clean. At 10am I started mixing all the ingredients together with my beloved retro red Kitchen Aid and by 1.30am we were already frantically gobbling my freshly fried, warm and divinely smooth doughnuts.

This time I decided not to make many changes to the original recipe. I prepared "Berlin Balls" filled with homemade blackcurrant jam and plain "Cinnamon Sugar Ring Doughnuts" . The Alton Brown recipe produced pillowy doughnuts that melted in the mouth and were just impeccable. The cinnamon sugar (with a hint of cardamom) sublimated both fried cakes in a marvelous manner and the gorgeous tartness of the jam contrasted perfectly with the roundness of the dough.

I wish to thank Lori for having chosen that awesome challenge. Thanks to her I have discovered that it is possible to make the most scrumptious doughnuts at home, effortlessly. I'm definitely going to make more of them babies in the future.

This bread is getting yeastspotted by Susan’s Yeastspotting!

~ Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts ~
Recipe from Alton Brown.

Yields 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size.

Equipment required:
A Dutch oven or deep skillet (I prefer using a Dutch oven to reduce splatter).
Deep fry thermometer, candy thermometer or any thermometer that will withstand and measure temperatures of up to 190° C (380° F).
Metal slotted spoon, metal slotted spatula or tongs (do NOT use plastic - it will melt!).
Cookie sheets or a wire rack lined with paper towels to allow doughnuts to drain.
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer, or a bowl and a spoon if you are able to utilize a lot of elbow grease.
Doughnut or biscuit cutters or you can use a glass and a piping tip for the center.
Pastry bag (filled doughnut) or a squeeze bottle with a good tip that will poke a hole in your doughnuts.

Preparation time:
Hands on prep time - 25 minutes
Rising time - 1.5 hours total
Cooking time - 12 minutes

Ingredients for the "Dough":
1 1/2 Cup (360ml) Milk
1/3 Cup (70g/2.5oz) Unsalted butter
4 1/2 Tsps (2Pkgs./14g/0.5oz) Active Dry Yeast
1/3 Cup (80ml) Warm Water (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41° C)
2 Large eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup (60g/20z) White Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp (9g/1/3oz) Sea salt
1 Tsp (86g/1/4oz) Grated nutmeg
4 2/3 Cups (650g/230z) All Purpose Flour + extra if the dou gh is to wet & for dusting surface Peanut oil, you need 3 inches of oil in the pan (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying) Ingredients for the "Cinnamon Sugar":
450g (1 pound) White granulated sugar
2 Tbs Ground cinnamon
1 Tbs Ground cardamom

Method:
1. Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. (It should not be warmer than 50° C/120° F otherwise you'll kill the yeast! Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.).
2. Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes (it should get foamy).
4. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
5. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour.
6. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one), combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined.
7. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
8. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth (not sticky), approximately 3 to 4 minutes (if you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky).
9. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
10. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 9mm (3/8-inch) thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
11. Cut out dough using a 65mm (2 1/2-inch) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 22mm (7/8-inch) ring for the center whole.
12. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
13. Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 185° C (365 °F).
14. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (my doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).
15. Drain on paper towels and toss in cinnamon sugar. Let cool.

Filling Directions (only for doughnut balls):
Once you have coated your doughnut balls with cinnamon sugar and let them cool, fit a pastry bag with a plain doughnut tip (or a 1/4-inch (6 mm) tip) and fill with the preserves (you can also use a squeeze bottle). Poke the tip three-fourths of the way into the "Berlin Balls" and squeeze in the preserves, pulling the tip out slightly as you squeeze to fill them as much as possible.

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Etant donné que je suis en vacance et que je n'ai pas beaucoup de temps pour bloguer, je n'ai malheureusement pas pu faire une traduction française de ce billet et je m'en excuse auprès de tous mes amis lecteurs et blogueurs francophones!

C'est pourquoi je vous suggère de vous rendre sur le blog mentionné ci-desso us. Vous y trouverez cette recette en version française.

Chez Isa de "Les Gourmandises d'Isa" (Canada)
Chez Vibi de "La Casserole Carrée" (Canada)

STAR OF A DAY

Well, unlike every other Friday this post will not contain a recipe. As I am on holiday I have decided to takes things easy and relax a little (I hope you'll understand my need for a little break. I'm still there though.)...

Today I just want to share my happiness with you all. You see, a few days ago the famous Swiss food journalist Véronique Zbinden (who works for the Geneva newspaper Le Temps) contacted me in order to interview me for an article she was going to write about the culinary blogosphere, foodies and foodbloggers.

Wow, it was going to be the first time that my humble name was going to appear in a newspaper. Her proposition was so exciting that I answered all her questions in a matter of minutes. There was no way I was going to miss the opportunity of being a "star" for one day (Call me "My Highness" now. LOL.)!

So the article was published on Thursday the 21st of October. Véronique Zbinden talked about me in a very glorifying way *blush blush*.
Here's the translation:

Among the first to start - in 2005 - the Anglo-Swiss Rosa Mayland who resides in Geneva created her blog in order to "share her passion for cooking/baking and challenge herself". This fan of rock music and photography is the author of a blog that is mainly in English and where everything is presented in a poetical way, an "experimental journey through the vast foodlands". Her last recipe? A rich brioche made with apples. Her favorite recipe? Oaxacan mole that takes about two days to make.

Please note that the "Oaxacan Mole" is my favorite recipe of the moment. I have so many favorite recipes that it is impossible to name only one...

For those who understand French I recommend you to read the article entirely. Maybe you'll discover a blog(ger) you've never heard of (Sandrine & Aurélie at "Dans La Cuisine Des Frangines", Marcia at "Sooishi", Béa at "Le Coin De Béa", VérO at "DelimOOn" & Marie-Laure at "Blanc Coco")...

I'll publish my next recipe on the 27th of October (Daring Bakers).

♥ OH, FALL THOU ART SO WONDERFUL! ♥

Nothing is more beautiful than to take a walk in the countryside when the mist is thick, the air is crisp, the only birds you hear are crows that cannot stop complaining and the trees have the most mesmerizing hues of red and gold. Autumn makes everything look so pure and mystical...

Fall being a season I particularly cherish for the unique way it makes me feel and see life, it is impossible for me not to be euphoric during this formidable time of the year. Everything that surrounds me uplifts my soul and boosts my creativity.

HARVEST APPLE CHALLAH - WORLD BREAD DAY 2010

This week I was once again facing another of my famous recipe crisises. I felt inspired, but could not find the bread I wanted to make for Zorra's "World Bread Day" annual event and roundup....

I knew that I wanted to bake something sweet, with apples and with some originality. I didn't want to propose a bread I had already blogged about so that limited my choice. You have to know that, as strange as it might seem, there aren't that many different recipes that combine brioche-type dough and apples. Apart from "Apple Cinnamon Rolls" (not enough apple in them), "Apple Danish Braids" (I had already made that speciality once - with apricots), "Apple Buns" (delicious, but not delicate enough and too rustic, in my opinion) and "Apple Pizzas/Focaccias" (I've already written a lot about fruit-based pizzas or focaccias) there isn't much choice when it comes to associating that fall fruit with bread dough (yes, I know, I am a terribly finicky person).

It is only after a good hour of roaming through the net and getting slighty overheated (My anger was boiling. I felt like a pressure cooker ready to explode!) by my unsuccessful quest that I finally stumbled upon what I was looking for. I was going to bake a "Harvest Apple Challah". A not overly rich brioche bread that contains enough apples to satisfy my fruit cravings and which has a load of personaliy.

What is ironic about that recipe is that I found it nowhere else than on one of my favorite and most regularly visited pages on the net: the King Arthur Flour website. I had to google and surf crazily like a spastic (no harm meant to people suffering fom cerebral palsy) in a frenzy in order to end up finding my recipe on a site I know more than well. I could have saved a lot of time if I knew that at the end I was going to choose a recipe from them!!!

This "Harvest Apple Challah" is very different from the traditional Challahs we all know (plain, braided or coiled and with sesame or poppy seeds). This non-orthodox Challah is prepared like "Monkey Bread", spiced with cardamom, vanilla as well as orange peel puree and stuffed with sweetened cinnamon and rum scented apple chunks. In fact, it is called Challah just because the dough is made exactly like that of this wonderful festive Jewish bread.

The dough is rather painless and straightforward to prepare; nothing very difficult here (Unless you've never made bread that is...). The filling is also easy peasy. The only messy part in this recipe is when you have to cut the big apple-filled dough pillow in 16 pieces and place each of them in the round cake pan. Then, it gets kind of dirty, chaotic and extremely untidy. You'll have apples falling out, slippery wet dough refusing to get tamed, syrup juice oozing out of every opening and you'll think that it all went terribly wrong. But don't stick to that impression. You are actually doing the right thing. Don't panic, breathe deep and forget about the disastrous appearance of your unbaked Challah and your post-atomic bomb looks of your work surface. It will indeed look picture perfect once it comes out of the oven!

The smooth Challah dough contains fragrant honey, spices (my addition), some eggs and sunflower oil (no butter is ever used in this briochy treat). This particular combination confers an incredibly tender, fluffy and delicate texture as well as a divinely aromatic flavor to this bread. For the apple filling (to which I added a little rum), I chose not to use apples that are commonly employed when making desserts or cooking (Golden, Granny Smith, Gala, Jonagold, etc...) as in my opinion they either lack oomph, sharpness or fragrance. I decided upon choosing one of my favorite apples, the Dutch Belle de Boskoop. This large, lumpy, dull reddish green-brown apple might not be as pretty as it's other apple counterparts (I find it beautiful, though) and might look a little rustic as well as not prone to be presented on stalls, but believe me it has one of the most mouthwatering aromas I have ever come upon. And is the best ally when baking as it stands up well to cooking (As you have gathered now, I am a BIG fan of this apple!). Needless to say that the sharp filling was just perfect and contrasted wonderfully with the light sweetness of the bread.

This KAF "Harvest Apple Challah" is just simply to die for so do yourself a favor and BAKE IT without delay!!!!

This bread is getting yeastspotted by Susan’s Yeastspotting!

~Harvest Apple Challah ~
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Ingredients for the "Dough":
1/2 Cup (4oz) Water, lukewarm
6 Tbs Vegetable oil (sunflower or peanut oil preferred)
1/4 Cup Runny honey
2 Large eggs
4 Cups (17oz) Unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tsp Sea salt
1/2 Tsp Ground cardamom
1 1/2 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 Tsp Orange peel puree zest
1 Tbs (7g) Dried/instant yeast
Ingredients for the "Apple Filling":
2 Medium-to-large Apples (not peeled), cored and diced in 3/4" chunks
1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/4 Cup (2oz) Light brown sugar
1 Tbs Dark rum (optional)
Ingredients for the "Glaze":
1 Large egg
1 Tbs Water
Pearl sugar (optional)

Method for the "Dough":
1. Combine all of the dough ingredients. Mix and then knead them, using a mixer or by hand (or bread machine), until you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough (about 8-10 minutes).
2. Put the dough in a oiled/buttered bowl and let it rise, covered, for 2 hours or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in size (If you've made the dough in a bread machine, allow it to rise in the machine for an extra hour after the dough cycle is completed.).
3. Lightly grease/butter a 9inch round cake pan that's at least 2inch deep (or grease a 9inch or 10inch springform pan).
Method for the "Apple Filling":
4. Toss the apple chunks with the sugar, cinnamon and rum.
5. Gently deflate the dough, transfer it to a lightly greased work surface, and flatte n it into a rough rectangle, about 8 x 10 inches.
6. Spread half the apple chunks in the center of the dough (see remarks for details).
7. Fold a short edge of the dough over the apple in order to cover it, patting firmly to seal the apples and spread the dough a bit.
8. Spread the remaining apple atop the folded-over dough.
9. Cover the apples with the other side of the dough, again patting firmly (Basically, you've folded the dough like a letter, enclosing the apples inside.).
10. Take a long knife and cut the apple-filled dough into 16 pieces. Cut in half, then each half in halves, etc ... (This will be very, VERY messy; the dough is slippery, apples will fall out, sugar syrup will ooze... it's not pretty. Don't worry, and don't stress about making all the pieces the same size).
11. Lay the dough chunks into the pan (Crowd them so that they all fit in a single tight layer - barely. Lots of apple chunks will fall out during this process; just tuck them in among the dough pieces, or simply spread them on top.).
12. Cover the challah gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a humid towel and let it rise for about 1 hour, until it's a generous 2inches high (It should just crest the rim of a 9inch round cake pan). Twenty minutes before the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 325° F (170° C).

Method for the "Glaze":
13. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the dough with the egg mixture, and sprinkle heavily with the pearl sugar, if desired.
14. Place the bread in the lower third of the oven. Bake it for 55 minutes, or until the top is at least light golden brown all over and has no white spots (Some of the higher-rising pieces will actually char; that's OK.).
15. Remove the challah from the oven, and after 5 minutes loosen the edges and carefully transfer it to a rack.
16. Let cool or serve warm.

Remarks:
I made my challah with Boskoop apples.
Be sure to use good-quality honey and oil in this recipe. Since they play such a major part, they have to taste good.
Use neutral-flavored oil. Canola oil can produce off flavors in baking, so best not to use it here.
If you want to see a picture tutorial of that recipe go over to the KAF site.

Serving suggestions:
Serve the bread warm or at room temperature.
Drizzle with honey just before serving, if desired or serve with honey for dipping.

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~ Challah Aux Pommes ~
Recette adaptée de King Arthur Flour.

Ingrédients pour la "Pâte":
120ml d'Eau à température ambiante
6 CS (90ml/g) d'Huile végétale (tournesol ou arachide)
90ml/g de Miel liquide
2 Gros oeufs (63g)
510g de Farine blanche/fleur
1 1/2 CC de Sel de mer

1/2 CC de Cardamome en poudre
1 1/2 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure
1 CC de Zeste d'orange en purrée

1 CS (7g/1 sachet) de Levure sèche (en granulés)
Ingrédients pour la garniture aux "Pommes":
2 Moyennes à larges pommes (non pelées), nettoyées et coupées en morceaux de 1cm
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre

60g de Sucre brun clair
1 CS de Rhum foncé (en option)
Ingrédients pour le "Glaçage":
1 Gros oeuf
1 CS d'eau
Sucre perlé (en option)

Méthode pour la "Pâte"
1. Mettre tous les ingrédients pour la pâte dans un bol. Mélanger et pétrir (pendant environ 8-10 minutes) à la main ou avec un robot (ou bien avec votre MAP), jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte douce et élastique.
2. Mettre la pâte dans un bol huilé, la couvrir avec un linge ou du film plastique et laisser lever pendant 2 heures ou jusqu'à ce qu'elle ait presque doublé de volume (Si vous avez préparé cette pâte dans votre MAP, alors laissez-la lever une heure supplémentaire après que le cycle se soit terminé.).
3. Légèrement beurrer/huiler un moule à cake de 23cm et de 6cm de haut (ou un moule à charnière de 23cm).
Méthode pour la garniture aux "Pommes":
4. Mélanger les pommes avec le sucre, la cannelle et le rhum.
5. Faire dégonfler la pâte, la transférer sur un plan de travail légèrement huilé et l'applatir afin d'obtenir un rectangle approximatif de 20 x 25cm.
6. Mettre la moitié des pommes au centre de la pâte (sur la largeur - voir remarques pour la méthode illustrée).

7. Replier le côté plus étroit sur le pommes pour les recouvrir et bien applatir afin de bien répartir les pommes.
8. Répartir les pommes sur le partie repliée.
9. Couvrir les pommes avec l'autre bord et applatir à nouveau (En fait, vous aurez replié la pâte telle une lettre, en renfermant les pommes à l'intérieur).
10. A l'aide d'un couteau, couper ce "chausson" en 16 morceaux. Couper en deux, puis encore en deux, etc... (Cette étape est très salissante; la pâte est glissante, les pommes s'échappent de leur enveloppe et du jus coule... C'est pas beau, mais pas de panique, c'est normal. Il n'y a pas besoin non plus que les morceaux soient égaux.).

11. Placer les morceaux dans le moule (Faire une seule couche et bien les coller ensemble/serrer. Certains morceaux de pomme tomberont durant cette étape; il suffira juste de les coller/presser sur le dessous du pain.).
12. Couvrir votre challah avec du film plastique huilé ou un linge humide et la faire lever pendant environ 1 heure, jusqu'à ce qu'elle ait atteint une hauteur de 5-6cm (La pâte devrait juste dépasser le bord du moule.). Vingt minutes avant la fin du temps de levée, préchauffer le four à 170° C.

Méthode pour le "Glaçage":
13. Battre ensemble l'oeuf et la cuillère à soupe d'eau. Badigeonner la pâte avec ce mélange et saupoudrer généreusement avec le sucre perlé.
14. Mettre le pain dans le tiers inférieur du four et le cuire pendant 55 minutes, ou jusqu'à ce que le dessus soit doré (Certaines parties plus élevées seront peut être caramélisées; c'est OK.).
15. Sortir la Challah du four. Après 5 minutes dégager les bords et la sortir du moule afin qu'elle refroidisse sur une grille.
6. Laisser la Challah refroidir complètement ou la manger encore chaude.

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé des pommes boskoop.
Choisir un miel et de l'huile de bonne qualité pour cette recette car la saveur en dépend grandement.
Utiliser de l'huile au goût neutre. L'huile de colza peut donner un mauvais petit arrière-goût à votre Challah, alors c'est préférable de ne pas en utiliser pour cette recette.
Sur le site KAF vous trouverez la recette en photos. Cela vous aidera à comprendre comment replier la pâte afin de créer un "chausson" (étapes 6 à 9).

Idées de présentation:
Servir ce pain chaud ou à température ambiante.
Arroser avec du miel liquide ou tremper votre tranche de brioche dans du miel.

AUTUMNAL BLISS

For me there is no worse weekend than a grey weekend. I hate to see our weekend plans shattered by bad weather as it is the only time of the week during which we can do long walks and not care about the time passing while we are outside...

Thanksfully, the last Saturdays have been nice and we could enjoy autumn's beauty. The glorious golden light was caressing each flower, tree, field, hill and mountain with it's magical touch, the crows and magpies were uttering their dissatisfaction in a rather loud way, the trees were showing off their most fiery robes of gold and red and the lush parfume of rotting leaves and growing mushrooms was intoxicating. Paradize on earth.

I love fall and it's dark romantic atmosphere. Although nature is dying, it carries some kind of hope and makes you feel even more alive than ever. Nothing can quite compare to that season!

WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #279

This week, Salome at "Paulchens FoodBlog?!" (Austria) is stepping in for Breadchick and is happy to announce that she is hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #279...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in her blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact her via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

HEALTHY BREAD ROLLS - PAINS COMPLETS

The other Friday I could not find one bread recipe I wanted to make. Although there internet, my files and books offer plenty of them, there was not one which inspired me at that very moment (don't get me wrong, those mediums offer great recipes, but on this day I found nothing to my taste). After going through Tastespotting, Yeastspotting, Foodgawker, my books, magazines and files for the 100th time I was starting to feel highly irritable, extremely frustrated and particularly pissed (I hate not getting what I want LOL - some of you might know that feeling)...

So, after losing a lot of precious time looking for the bread Grail, I decided that I was going to create my own recipe in order to satisfy my craving for rustic and healthy bread. I went through my cupboards and started collecting what interested me (different flours, seeds and dandelion petals). Then, while keeping the correct measurements that are required for making bread, I started improvising like a madwomen (Remember, I'm a freejazzer in the kitchen. I love my little jam sessions!). That's how I ended up making lovely "Chestnut And Whole Wheat Flour, Dandelion Flower, Sesame and Flaxseed Bread Rolls" that ended up being perfect and exactly what I was looking for.

Those bread rolls are not only healthy, but they are also packed with taste. With their crunchy crust, soft as well as chewy inside, nutty aroma, smoky notes and round grainy flavor it is impossible not to fall in love with them.

My "Chestnut And Whole Wheat Flour, Dandelion Flower, Sesame and Flaxseed Bread Rolls" pair perfectly well with all kinds of cheeses (Cantal, Brie de Meaux, Cheddar, Gruyère, Cancaillotte, Chavroux, Fourme d'Ambert, Reblochon, Appenzeller, Mutschli, etc...), Bündner dried meat, dried sausages and pate. They also make the most wonderful sandwiches (ham, roastbeef, cheese, pastrami, Chicken, hummus, fish, etc...). Lipsmackingly good!

This post is submitted to Yeastspotting.

~ Chestnut And Whole Wheat Flour, Dandelion Petals, Sesame & Flax Seed Bread Rolls ~
Recipe by Rosa @Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes 8 rolls.

Ingredients:
300ml Warm water (105°-115° F/40.5°-46° C)
2 Tsps (1 envelope/7g) Active dry yeast
1 Tsp Light brown sugar
300g (10.5oz) Unbleached all-purpose flour
100g (3.5oz) Whole wheat flour
100g (4oz) Chestnut flour
6 Tsps Sesame seeds
2 Tbs Flax seeds (linseeds)
1 1/2 Tbs Dandelion petals
2 Tsps Sea salt
1 1/2 Tsps Malt powder
A little milk for brushing the rolls
Kosher salt for sprinkling

Method:
1. Pour warm water into a small bowl.
2. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the surface of the water.
3. Stir to combine and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
4. In a large bowl (or in the work bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook), mix together the flours, seeds, malt, dandelion petals and salt.
5. Add the yeasted water and mix well until a shaggy dough is formed.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead about 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and springy and passes the windowpane test (you can also knead the dough in your stand mixer).
7. Place dough in a greased bowl. Turn dough once to grease the top and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel.
8. Let rise at room temperature until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
9. Gently deflate dough with your fist. Turn dough out on a lightly floured work surface.
10. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
11. Shape into Kaiser rolls (method by the King Arthur Flour)
12. Place the rolls on a baking tray and cover with a humid towel, let rise for about 40 minutes or until double in size.
13. Twenty minutes before baking thge rolls, preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F).
14. Brush top of loaves with milk and sprinkle with salt.
15. Put the baking tray in the center of the oven and bake about 20-25 minutes, or until rolls loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with your finger.
16. Remove the rolls from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Cool completely before eating.

Remarks:
While kneading the bread, don't forget to dust your work surface with flour (only 1 Tbs at a time) if the dough tends to by sticky.
Once you have brushed the loaves with the milk glaze, you can sprinkle them with the gourmet salt of your choice (I used Hawaiian red salt).

Serving suggestions:
This bread is delicious with almost anything (cheese, jam, pate, etc…) and can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

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~ Petits Pains A La Farine Complète, Farine De Châtaignes, Pétales De Pissenlit Et Aux Graines ~
Recette par Rosa @Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 8 petits pains.

Ingrédients:
300ml d'Eau tiède (à pas plus de 46° C)
2 CC (ou un sachet de 7g) de Levure sèche
1 CC de Sucre brun clair
300g de Farine blanche/fleur
100g de Farine complète
100g de Farine de châtaignes
6 CC de Graines de sésame
2 CS de Graines de lin
1 1/2 CS de Pétales de fleurs de pissenlit
2 CC de Sel de mer
1 1/2 CC de Poudre de malt
Du lait pour badigeonner les petits pains
Du sel en gros grains pour saupoudrer

Méthode:
1. Verser l'eau dans un petit bol.
2. Saupoudrer avec la levure et le sucre.
3. Bien mélanger et laisser reposer pendant 10 minutes, jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit mousseux.
4. Dans un grand bol (ou dans le bol d'un robot électrique avec le crochet pétrisseur), mélanger ensemble les farines, les graines, le sel, le pissenlit et le malt.
5. Ajouter le mélange levure/eau/sucre et mélanger jusqu'à ce qu'une boule de pâte se forme.
6. Mettre la pâte sur un plan de travail légèrement fariné et pétrir pendant 10 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit douce et élastique (vous pouvez aussi pétrir la pâte dans un robot).
7. Mettre la pâte dans un grand bol légèrement huilé/beurré et faites tourner la pâte dans le bol afin de bien l'enduire d'huile/de beurre. Couvrir avec du film alimentaire, puis avec un linge.
8. Faire lever, à température ambiante, jusqu'à ce que la pâte ait doublé de volume, pendant 1 1/2 heures.

9. Dégonfler la pâte et la mettre sur un plan de travail fariné.
10. Diviser la pâte en 8 morceaux égaux.
11. Façonner chaque pâton en petits pains de l'empereur (méthode).
12. Placer les petits pains au fur et à mesure sur la plaque de cuisson en les retournant (face nouée dessous) et couvrir avec un linge humide et laisser lever pendant 40 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les petits pains aient doublé de volume.
13. Vingt minutes avant d'enfourner les petits pains dans le four, préchauffer le four à 190° C (375° F).
14. Au dernier moment, badigeonner les petits pains avec du lait et les saupoudrer avec le sel.
15. Cuire les petits pains pendant 20-25 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés et sonnent creux.
16. Sortir les petits pains du four et les faire refroidir sur une grille avant de les déguster.

Remarques:
Lors du pétrissage, si votre pâte colle, saupoudrer la d'un peu de farine (1 CS à la fois) sur votre plan de travail.
Après avoir badigeonné vos pains, vous pouvez aussi les saupoudrer avec du gros sel (j'ai utilisé du sel rouge de Hawaii).

Idées de présentation:
Ce pain est délicieux avec presque n'importe quoi (fromages, pâtés, confitures...) et peut être mangé à toute heure de la journée.

DUSK AND HER EMBRACE

You might be bored to hear me raving about the region I live in and telling you how much it is beautiful. I could not say the contrary as it would simply not be true. It is an undeniable fact...

I am blessed to live in the countryside, in a little village that is close to one of my favorite mountains and which is situated in a lovely agricultural area that has lots of pastures, woods, rivers, meadows and fields (of course, there are other wonderful places around the world - USA, England, Scandinavia - where I would love to live, but there is not the point).

It is always a pleasure to walk in Geneva's rural district and to enjoy the gorgeous landscapes. My most prefered time to go out is at dusk. I love the magical atmosphere at this moment of the day and the eerie half-light that makes everything look so supernatural.