Bao Buns | #BreadBakers

I fully planned on shying away from Asian steamed bread for this month's "Steamed Breads" theme. I've tried doing them before, and it has always been a relatively hot mess. I had mentioned what I was doing to a friend, and she immediately vetoed my first choice of steaming bread in a Bundt pan. 

So here I am, outside of my comfort zone, doing something Asian. But you know what? It wasn't a hot mess. Apparently, using an actual steamer makes all the difference. Who would have guessed? 

So step out of your comfort zone with me and try all the steamed breads that the Bread Bakers are making this month. Thanks, Sneha, for hosting!

Bao Buns

Yield: 16 buns

Ingredients 

320g flour 

20g cornstarch 

12g sugar 

3g salt 

3g yeast

110g milk 

80g water 

22g oil plus additional oil for brushing 

Directions 

Whisk flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add milk, water, and oil. Mix together until it starts to form a cohesive dough then knead for approximately 5 minutes. Dough should be soft and smooth but not sticky. 

Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled. 

Cut a piece of parchment that fits into your steamer. 

When the dough is ready, divide it into two equal halves. I have a single-layer steamer and couldn't steam all of my buns at once, so I worked with half of the dough at a time. If you have a single layer, place one half in the fridge while you work. This stops it from overproofing. 

Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Roll each ball into a 5" circle, brush it with dough, and then fold it in half. Place the folded dough on the parchment. Repeat with each ball. 

Cover and let proof for 20 minutes. 

While the dough is proofing, fill your steamer with water to about 2 inches from the top. Bring to a boil. After it starts boiling, reduce to a simmer.

When the dough is ready, cut the parchment into pieces around the bao. This is a great method to ensure you only roll out exactly what will fit in your steamer. 

Remove the lid from the steamer, dry it, and then wrap it with a towel or paper towel. I used a paper towel. Place each bao and its parchment into the steamer and cover. 

Cook for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and let the bao sit for 10 minutes covered. Remove from heat and serve. 

Notes

• Recipe from Breadtopia.

• Bao Buns from Passion Kneaded
• Dessert Bao (Chocolate Steamed Buns) from A Messy Kitchen
• Keto Chinese Steamed Buns from Sneha's Recipe
• Paczki na Parze (Polish Steamed Donuts) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Buns {Sheng Jian Bao) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Steamed Cranberry Pecan Honey Bread from Food Lust People Love

Butter Naan - #BreadBakers

Indian breads. My kitchen nemeses. I don't know what it is about them that I just can't seem to master. My favourite, paratha, is always a hit or miss, with more misses than hits. It could be the rolling. I'm still not very good at rolling out dough, especially when the dough needs to be on the thinner side. I can never get it even, which risks some areas being overcooked and others being undercooked. It could also be the heat of my tawa. Too high or too low - hardly just right. 

It took me a while to one to work on for this month's Bread Bakers. Naan won, because naan didn't look "perfect". I could focus on making it even without worrying if it were a circle. In fact, the blog that I was reading highly recommended hand-stretching over rolling. I could aim for an oval-ish and stress a tad less. A tad. 

It worked. My naan worked. Did I struggle a bit with the best cooking times? Yes. But did I have very delicious, fluffy naan at the end? Yes, yes, yes. I might even try this again.

Thanks for pushing me out of comfort zone, Renu! Scroll down to see how others mastered Indian breads this month!

Butter Naan

Yield:  8 naans

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar 

3/4 teaspoon active yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ml yogurt

6 tablespoons milk 

2 tablespoons melted butter

Melted butter for brushing

Directions

Whisk flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together. Add yogurt, milk, and melted butter. Knead until you have a soft, smooth dough. Add more milk if needed. Dough should be tacky.

Cover and rest until the dough doubles in size. You can also refrigerate overnight. 

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. 

On a floured surface, roll (hand-stretch) each ball into an oval that's about 8 inches by 5 inches. Don't stress too much about getting the perfect size. 

Heat a tawa (or griddle) over medium heat. Place the naan on the heated tawa. After about a minute, it should start bubbling. Flip the naan, and cook for another minute to minute and a half.  Remove from the tawa, brush with butter, and repeat.

Serve immediately. 

• Butter Naan from Passion Kneaded
• Cheese and Garlic Naan from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Gulachi Sanjyachya Polya with Whole Wheat Flour from Sneha's Recipe
• "Instant" Appam from A Messy Kitchen
• Khamiri Roti from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Litti Chokha from Cook with Renu
• Magical Avocado Paratha from A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Butter Naan from Passion Kneaded
• Cheese and Garlic Naan from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Gulachi Sanjyachya Polya with Whole Wheat Flour from Sneha's Recipe
• "Instant" Appam from A Messy Kitchen
• Khamiri Roti from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Litti Chokha from Cook with Renu
• Magical Avocado Paratha from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Filled Wool Rolls #BreadBakers

*Dusting away the cobwebs*

I had a goal for 2025. I was going to participate in every Muffin Monday and Bread Bakers. I barely participated in 2024, and I needed this for my sanity. My oven had other plans. A few days before Christmas, as I was whipping up the Christmas cakes, my oven said, "NOPE!" Luckily, the Christmas cake recipe is flexible,  so I had to quickly set things up to steam them instead. So close to Christmas, I didn't want to bother calling the repairman. 

And then work happened. 

There was just never a convenient day for me to deal with a repairman. It got to February, and I decided enough was enough. Because I don't even like cooking on the stovetop. Called the repairman, and he took forever to come. He showed up one Monday and said he'd be back in a week, "after the holiday." Listen, Jamaicans are the worst. That holiday was Ash Wednesday. ONE SINGLE DAY and he was taking a week off.  He didn't show up that Monday or the next. Excuses upon excuses. I was too busy to research a better option, so the oven just sat there. It wasn't until April 1 that the oven was finally fixed. April 1. 

Work and life were so hectic in March that I needed April to recuperate. So now it's May, and I've finally made something other than dinner. But this something was definitely worth the wait. Little wool rolls filled with a coconut cream cheese filling.  DELICIOUS. 

Filled Wool Rolls 

Ingredients 

Tangzhong 

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons milk, 

2 tablespoons bread flour 

Dough 

2 1/2 cups (300g) bread flour

1/2 cup (113g) milk

1 egg

4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup (50g) sugar

1 1/2  teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling 

8 tablespoons (113 grams) cream cheese

8 tablespoons shredded coconut

1 tablespoon sugar 

splash of vanilla

Topping 

Milk 

Sugar

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine all the tangzhong ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring regularly until it thickens to a paste. This can happen within 2 to 4 minutes, so do not walk away.

Transfer the tangzhong mixture your mixing bowl, and add all the dough ingredients. Knead with a dough hook for 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, you can sprinkle in a little more flour. However, this dough should be very tacky. It will stick to the bottom of a bowl.  Form the dough into a ball, and place in a covered, greased bowl. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. The chilled dough is much easier to handle.

Grease and/or line an 8 inch square pan.

Mix all the filling ingredients together. Taste and add more sugar, if you desire. 

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and allow to rest for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece into an 8 inch square. Add a quarter of your filling to the bottom half of the dough. Use a dough cutter to cut the uncovered dough into thin 1/8 inch strips. Roll up the log starting from the filling covered end to the strips. Cut the log into 4 pieces and place in alternating rotations in the prepared pan. 

Repeat with the other three pieces of dough. 

Cover and let rise until puffy. This could take up to an hour depending on your room's temperature.  Before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

When they're puffy, gently brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool. Enjoy. And consider sharing. 

Notes

• I originally wanted two different fillings but my jam and cream cheese filling failed spectacularly. It was much too loose to spread. I will try again with a different brand of jam. 
• I would have preferred fresh coconut since I do live in the Caribbean and actually have coconut trees in my backyard. But those trees are tall, and I need a brave person to climb them. Any volunteers?

• Alabama Orange Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheesy and Spicy Wild Garlic Stuffed Spelt Rolls from Cook with Renu
• Filled Wool Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Hoagie Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Käsebrötchen from Food Lust People Love
• Orange Date Sticky Toffee Buns from A Messy Kitchen
• Soft and Fluffy Sourdough Hamburger Buns from Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread) #BreadBakers

The Bread Bakers are feeling festive! We have baked Christmas breads from all across the world. Scroll down to see the list of offerings today. But first, let's talk about mine. 

Christopsomo, literally "Christ Bread" is a sweet, rich bread enjoyed in Greece at Christmas. It's filled with walnuts and often raisins and different spices. The decoration is what drew me to it. There is the symbolic cross as well as nuts on the outside. They typically place an unshelled walnuts in the center but I don't have access to that here so I used an almond. I also saw that many families add decorations that symbolize the family's main profession. Be sure to look at all the decoration possibilities when you're ready to make your own. 

Christopsomo

Ingredients

500 grams flour 

60 grams sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of ground cloves

280 ml water

50 ml oil

100 grams raisins

100 grams walnuts chopped

1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash.

Nuts for decoration

Directions

Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, yeast, salt and ground cloves then add the water and oil. Knead until a soft dough forms then cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Now this is critical: I saw several ways how the cross was handled. Some persons removed a chunk of dough at this point. Others waited until after the raisins and walnuts were added. Others made new dough. I first did it the second way. DO NOT DO THAT. Trying to roll small dough ropes that has raisins and walnuts is NOT how you want to spend your baking session. You can either remove about 280 grams of dough at this point or knead about that much separately. That was my second option -hence the cross being a different colour in these pictures and I actually prefer that look. For that, I used  190 grams of flour, 90 grams of water, a bit of salt and a pinch of cinnamon.

Make your decision then proceed. 

Take your dough and add in the chopped walnuts and raisins. Some persons turn the walnuts into almost walnut flour to make this easier but I left chunks for texture. Knead well until it's incorporated and then place in a greased, covered dough to bulk ferment. I do an overnight bulk ferment for all my doughs and that works best for me. 

After the dough has bulk fermented, it's time to shape. So your main dough will be shaped into a lovely boule. Take your cross dough and divide into two equal halves and then divide those into three. Roll into balls and then roll out into thin ropes. I aimed for about 45 cm/18 inches. Plait three of those ropes together and then drape over your boule in the shape of a cross. Perfect. 

I placed my boule  in a greased and lined 8 inch pan to allow it to have some structure. But you can bake it without it. 

Now decorate!! Add some nuts wherever you like but you definitely want one big one in the center. I've seen persons add cloves as well. If you're feeling artistic, add something that represents your household. 

Cover and allow to proof until puffy. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

When the dough is ready, brush it with the egg wash and place in the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until your dough is golden. 

Remove. Cool. Enjoy. 

Merry Christmas!

• Passion Kneaded: Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread) 
• A Messy Kitchen: Joululimppu 
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Julekake : A Norwegian Christmas Bread 
• Food Lust People Love: Lassy Raisin Bread 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Laufabraud 
• Zesty South Indian Kitchen: Sourdough bobalki (Slovak Christmas eve bread) 
• Sneha's Recipe: Vánočka/Vanocka - Czech Christmas Bread 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Venezuelan Christmas Ham Bread - Pan de Jamón

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Focaccia Bread Art - #BreadBakers

I have wanted to make focaccia bread art for a very long time but just never had the opportunity. When I offered to host this month's Bread Bakers and chose the theme "Flatbreads", I already knew what I wanted to make. It was going to be amazing. Now, what's that saying? Man plans and God laughs?

Do you know the absolute worst time to need a variety of colourful vegetables? No. Well, let me tell you. It's right after a hurricane has ravaged your island leaving most of the farms flattened so vegetables are scarce and hence EXPENSIVE. Tomatoes and sweet peppers are about US $10 per pound. O my heart. Cabbage? Unthinkable. Hopefully, we can get past this very soon. 

In any event, I pushed on and did something. I made this a few times. The first time, the focaccia was a little blah so for subsequent versions, I made an herb oil for use in and on the dough. That was a game changer and what I highly recommend. 

Focaccia Bread Art

Ingredients 

Sponge

1 cup flour 

1/2 cup water 

a pinch of instant yeast 

Herb Oil 

5 tablespoons olive oil 

Herbs of your choice (I used rosemary and 3 minced cloves of garlic)

Rest of the dough

2 cups flour 

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast (or 2 1/4 t of active dry yeast)

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons herb oil from above 

Toppings (your choice)

Remaining herb oil 

Sweet peppers  (in different colours)

Parsley 

Rosemary 

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Escallion

Directions

Mix together the sponge ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 14 hours. 

Add the herbs and garlic to the olive oil and gently warm. You don't need it to be hot. I did this in a bain marie for just a couple minutes. Let the oil sit.

When the sponge is ready, add the flour, salt, yeast, water, and oil. Knead together to make a soft dough. Let rise at room temperature in an oiled bowl for about an hour until doubled. You can also proof the dough in the fridge at this point as well. The slower rise develops more flavour.

While the dough is rising, slice your vegetables and herbs to get them ready to quickly top your focaccia. 

When the dough is ready, lightly spray a baking sheet and also drizzle with a little olive oil. 

Gently pull and shape the dough into a rough rectangle or oval. It should be about 3/4" to 1" thick. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Next, have fun and add your vegetables and herbs in any pattern you desire. Remember to use the herbs from your oil here as well.

Preheat oven to 425 F. 

Let the focaccia rise until puffy. 

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. 

Eat and enjoy. 

• Eggless Keto Naan from Sneha's Recipes
• Focaccia Bread Art from Passion Kneaded
• Magical Oreo Paratha from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Nan-e-Barbari from Ambrosia
• Rosemary Onion Socca - Chickpea Flatbread from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Pizza Bianca from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Ceckerboard Bread - #BreadBakers

So the theme for August's Bread Bakers is "Picnic". You think long and hard and finally come up with the perfect idea. You feel witty. Checkerboard bread to mimic picnic blankets. Get it? Checkerboard? Picnic blanket. Perfect, right? You submit your idea and then immediately remember that picnic blankets are plaid not checkered. 

Doh!

Plaid or not, I'm glad I can participate in this month's Bread Bakers. Work won't let me be great so I'm missing out on a lot of baking but this month's Bread Bakers is super special. It's our tenth anniversary. I still remember how excited I was when Stacy first posted about this group. I had just begged my way into the original bundt baking group and was very excited that there was another group to join. 

If you're wrapping up your summer with a picnic or too, scroll down for some options for your spread.

Checkerboard Rolls 

Ingredients 

4 1/2 cups (540 grams) flour 

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 eggs

1 cup milk 

1 tablespoon oil 

2 to 4 tablespoons water 

2 tablespoons cocoa powder 

2 teaspoons water to make a paste with the cocoa

egg + tablespoon of water for an egg wash

Directions

Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Add eggs, milk, and oil. Knead together. You want your dough to be soft and tacky so add a little of the water at a time to achieve this. My climate is extremely humid and I only used about 2 tablespoons. 

Knead the dough for a few minutes until it is almost smooth and then divide into two equal pieces. Put one piece aside and continue kneading the other until it is smooth, soft, and tacky. Place in a covered, oiled bowl. 

Next, add the cocoa paste to the other half of the dough. Thoroughly knead until the cocoa paste has been fully distributed. This is the hardest part for me. I always question my choices whenever I decide to colour dough. Will it blend? But don't worry, it will come together.

Put the chocolate dough into an oiled bowl and cover.  At this point, I prefer to put the dough in the fridge for a slow, cold rise. But you can let the dough rise at room temperature. 

When the dough has doubled, grease a 9" x 13" baking pan. 

Working with one piece of dough at a time, divide the dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth tight ball. Place alternating colours into the baking pan. 

Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled and puffy. This could take about an hour.

With about 20 minutes left, preheat the oven to 375F. 

When the rolls are doubled and puffy, brush with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes or until the lighter coloured rolls are golden.

Cool and enjoy. 

• Baked Whole Wheat Kachoriby Cook with Renu
• Checkerboard Rollsby Passion Kneaded
• Cheddar and Herb Loafby Palatable Pastime
• Easy Sourdough French Country Breadby Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Eggless Fruit & Nut Chocolate Banana Loaf by Sneha's Recipe
• Garlic Herb Fan Rollsby A Messy Kitchen
• Hushpuppiesby A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Niçoise Picnic Squaresby Food Lust People Love
• Schiacciata all'Uva by Culinary Cam

Spicy Cheesy Breadsticks - #BreadBakers

I teach until 9:30 on Monday nights and sometimes I'm barely keeping up after class. Tonight was a little hard because I'm battling a headache. I was mentally planning the last couple hours of my Monday night (exercise? Connections? Duolingo?) when I noticed a notification on my phone. I'd seen it before but never really paid attention. But now, something said LOOK. It was the Facebook notification for our Spicy Bread with Peppers event being hosted by Radha.

Oh crap! I had completely forgotten that this was due tomorrow. I made my entry over a month ago (never happens) but just never had time to write up the post. And now, here we are on a night when I have no gas in the tank and a ridiculously early morning ahead. Well, let's do this! Forgive my mistakes, please. 

Be sure to scroll down to see all the peppery offerings today.

Spicy Cheesy Breadsticks

Ingredients

Dough 

3 1/2 cups flour 

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt 

1 1/3 cups water

2 tablespoons oil 

Topping

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions

Whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Next, add water and oil and knead for about 7 minutes or until you have a soft tacky dough. Transfer the dough to a covered, oiled dough. I like to proof my dough overnight so I placed the dough in my fridge. However, you can proof at room temperature for about an hour or until doubled. 

Preheat the oven to 425F. 

Combine melted butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Set aside. 

Divide the dough into two. You will only need a half for this recipe. Or you could double the topping ingredients and make two sets of cheesy breadsticks. On a sheet of parchment, roll the dough out into a 9" x 13" rectangle. 

Brush the melted butter mixture across the dough and then sprinkle evenly with cheese. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Slice into sticks and serve. 

• Garlic Chili Pepper Flatbread from Food Lust People Love
• Hatch Chili and Gouda Sourdough from A Messy Kitchen
• Jalapeño Popper Pizza from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Radish Stuffed Calzone from Sneha's Recipe
• Roasted Pepper and Onion Spelt Flour Bread from Cook with Renu
• Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Red Chili Sourdough from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Sambal Oelek Milk Bread Buns from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spicy Cheesy Bread from Passion Kneaded

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Italian Easter Bread #BreadBakers

It's Bread Bakers Day! And today the bakers are making Easter breads. Be sure to scroll down to see the list of Easter delights we have for you today.     

Italian Easter bread has been on my to-bake list for the longest while. The sprinkles. The coloured egg. It's so very inviting. But somehow, I never made it until this year. Colouring eggs is not part of the Jamaican Easter tradition - our focus is on eating and partying - so this is the second time I've ever coloured eggs. The first time was for another Easter bread.  I was nervous about colouring the eggs because I only have brown eggs. In fact, it wasn't until I was thinking about colouring eggs for this recipe that it even occurred to me that brown eggs are the majority here. But it turned out perfectly fine. The eggs took on the colour quickly and got darker as time passed. 

I loved the flavour of this bread - the recipe calls for orange juice, zest, and anise. I don't have access to anise so I followed the instructions and substituted with cinnamon and nutmeg. It's a very subtle taste but still very good. 

Italian Easter Bread

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar 

zest of an orange

480 to 600 grams flour 

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs

juice of an orange (approximately 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup oil or melted butter

1 egg + 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash

sprinkles 

6 coloured eggs (no need to boil)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, rub the zest into the sugar. Add the dry ingredients (starting with 480 grams of flour)  and thoroughly combine. Next, add the eggs, orange juice and oil. 

Knead until you get a soft, tacky dough. You don't want it to be sticky or twisting will be messy. Ask me how I know. If it's sticky, add in a little more flour. 

Allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature until doubled or you can do this in the fridge overnight. This is my preferred method. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

When the dough is doubled, divide into 6 equal pieces. Next, divide each piece into two pieces. Roll each piece out to a 14-inch log. You're then going to twist two pieces together and bring the ends together to form a wreath. If your logs are sticky, dust them with some flour. 

Place each wreath on the baking sheet to proof until puffy. 

When they are almost ready, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

Mix the egg and water together for the egg wash. Brush the proofed wreaths with egg wash and then sprinkle on as much sprinkles as your heart desires. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until your bread is golden brown. 

Cool and devour. 

What Smells So Good: Bunny Bread
Palatable Pastime: Carrot bread
A Messy Kitchen: Carrot Milk Bread
Magical Ingredients: Carrot stuffed buns
Sneha’s Recipe: Carrot Whole Wheat Bajra Flour flatbread
Ambrosia: Rosemary Dinner Rolls
Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Casatiello Napolitano Italian Easter Bread
Passion Kneaded: Italian Easter Bread
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Hot Cross Buns Muffins
Zesty South Indian Kitchen: Sourdough Osterbrot:German Easter Bread

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Chocolate Swirl Buns #BreadBakers

Wendy chose chocolate as this month's Bread Bakers theme. Pretty much the best theme ever if you ask me. I've wanted to do cinnamon rolls in this style for a while so it was an easy switch to add chocolate instead. The only problem is that I made these on the evening before I needed to do a fasting blood test. I planned on eating one during one of my class breaks but I was caught up doing rosters and looking up other stuff and completely forgot about them. When class wrapped up at around 10:40, I was STARVING and couldn't eat anything - not even one of these buns. I honestly contemplated putting off my bloodwork just so I could try one of these. I was hungry, man. I had to WAIT until the next day to try these. TORTURE. Don't be like me. Plan ahead. 

Scroll down to see what other chocolate yumminess is coming your way today.

Cinnamon Swirl Buns

Ingredients

300 grams flour 

30 grams sugar

2 tablespoons dry milk 

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt 

100 ml milk 

1 egg

60 grams butter

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Filling 

5 tablespoons sugar (see note)

4 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons cocoa 

1 tablespoon flour 

a pinch of salt 

Egg wash

1 egg

a splash of water

Directions

Whisk together flour, sugar, dry milk, yeast and salt. Add in the remaining dough ingredients and knead for approximately 7 minutes or until you have a smooth tack dough that pulls away from the mixing bowl. 

Place in a greased bowl and allow to bulk ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours until doubled or overnight in the fridge. I used the fridge option. 

Mix all the filling ingredients together. 

Grease a 12 cup capacity muffin tin. 

When the dough is ready, roll out to approximately 32 cm x 36 cm.  

Spread the filling on thinly. 

With a short side facing you, fold the dough in thirds. You should now have a 32 cm x 12 cm rectangle. 

You can chill the dough at this step or wait until after you cut into strips. Chilling makes it easier to work with. 

Cut the dough into 8 strips (4 cm x 12 cm). 

Next, use a sharp knife to cut twice down the length of each strip to make three strands. Plait the three strands together. 

Roll the plait along its length into a ball and place in the greased muffin tin.

Cover and allow to proof for an hour. 

When the buns are almost ready, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

Just before baking, brush the buns with the egg mixed with water. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. 

Remove from the pan as soon as you can or they might stick to the pan.

Notes

• This is not very sweet. Feel free to taste the filling and add more sugar as needed. Next time I might use powdered sugar so that I can skip the flour and have a smoother filling. 

• Chocolate Chip Breadsticks from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Mini Loaves from Food Lust People Love 
• Chocolate Crepes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Fudge Sauce Star Bread from Sneha's Recipe
• Chocolate Protein Oat Banana Waffles from Cook with Renu
• Chocolate Swirl Buns from Passion Kneaded
• Double Chocolate Chip Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Lemon and Ginger Scented White Chocolate Sourdough from A Messy Kitchen
• Milk and Chocolate Rolls from Magical Ingredients

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Kakaós Csiga - BreadBakers

HAPPY END OF THE YEAR to my Bread Bakers family. Thanks for taking on laminated doughs, which require a lot of extra work, at an already busy time of the year. 

I decided to go with kakaós csiga (cocoa snails) from Hungary. Chocolate plus laminated dough? Perfection. See also: I had a completely different plan when I chose the theme but I couldn't remember what it was. That one also included chocolate but that's all I can remember. Kakaós csiga have a bit of a fun history. A baker made them for his 33rd birthday, and everyone loved them so he started selling them. Side note: As I type this, I am in the final hours of my own birthday. I wish I had left a cocoa snail to enjoy today because I wasn't able to bake a cake. However, these were finished in no time! I finished baking around 5 PM one evening and went to teach until almost 11. When I got out of class, half of them were gone. My brother declared them the best things I have ever baked! I wanted to protest but I really couldn't think of anything better.  On Sunday he came by and asked if I was making more. Sadly, I was not. But since he loves laminated dough so much, I will have to see what I can incorporate into our Christmas dinner/breakfast for him.

 Speaking of, less than two weeks to Christmas. Are you ready? I am not. I ordered half my gifts and just hope they will get here before Christmas Day. I'll figure out the other half after the rush. 

Be sure to scroll down to see all the other amazing creations from the Bread Bakers! 

Kakaós Csiga

Ingredients

Butter Block 

250 grams butter

2 tablespoons flour 

Dough 

500 grams flour 

1 egg 

250 millimetres milk 

2 tablespoons sugar 

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Filling 

50 grams butter, softened

20 grams cocoa

85 grams sugar 

Egg wash 

1 egg

1 teaspoon water

Directions 

Dice the butter and then mash it with 2 tablespoons of flour until smooth.  Lay out a sheet of parchment and mark a 5-inch square in the center. Place your butter in this square. Fold the parchment around it. You can then flatten it as needed in the parchment. You're essentially creating a parchment pocket. It's a lot easier to handle the butter this way. 

Place the butter in the fridge to chill while you work on the dough. 

Knead all the dough ingredients together until smooth. Allow dough to rest for at least 30 minutes. I placed mine in the fridge because Jamaica's still extremely hot. You can rest it on your counter if your home is cooler. Resting the dough makes it a lot easier to work with. 

Roll out the dough to a 7-inch square. Place the butter block diagonally on the dough so that the points of the butter square face the sides of the dough square. Fold the corners of the dough around the butter.  See the image here. 

On a floured surface, roll out the dough that's now encasing butter into a 12" x 8" rectangle. Now you're going to perform a book fold. 

I didn't take pictures during the folding process because I needed to work quickly before the butter warmed up too much. But Sunday Baker has amazing pictures of the folding process.  Go visit. 

After the book fold, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Remove from the fridge and roll out again to a 12" x 8" rectangle. You want to always roll with a short side facing you. Now you're going to perform a letter fold. Fold one-third of the dough over the middle of the dough. Then fold the opposite end over the top. 

Wrap the dough and chill it once more. Once it's chilled, perform another letter fold. 

Chill the dough once more before shaping. I actually chilled mine overnight but 30 minutes is fine. 

Mix the cocoa and sugar for the filling together. 

Cut the dough into two so you can work with one-half of the dough at a time. 

Roll each half out to about 14" x 18".  Rub softened butter over each half and then sprinkle evenly with the cocoa-sugar mixture. 

Tightly roll out the dough, just as you would for cinnamon rolls. Cut one-inch slices and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. I've seen some persons allow their snails to touch a bit and others leave space between them. I went with space. 

Allow to proof at room temperature until almost doubled and puffy. This could take about an hour. 

Just before they are ready, preheat the oven to 425.  Brush with egg wash and then bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Notes

• Lumpy butter is bad. It will break through your dough. Don't be impatient. 
• Your dough and butter should be pliable. If they are too hard, it is impossible to roll out. But they can't be out too long, or your butter will start melting. 
•  Be patient. It will work out in the end.

• Cranberry Brie Appetizer Pinwheels from A Messy Kitchen
• Croissant Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Herbed Cheese Scrolls from Sneha's Recipes
• Kakaós Csiga from Passion Kneaded
• Rough Puff Pain au Chocolat from Food Lust People Love

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Hamburger Potato Buns

I'm pretty convinced that potato breads are the best breads ever. These hamburger buns did not disappoint. They are soft yet still sturdy enough for a juicy hamburger and so so delicious. They taste extra buttery even though there isn't any butter in the dough. I am already planning on making these as sliders next weekend. I rarely re-make a recipe that quickly but these are so good that they are going into the permanent rotation. 

This month the Bread Bakers are celebrating BBQ season. Scroll down to see what you're serving at your next barbecue. 

Hamburger Potato Buns

Yield: 6 buns

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dried potato flakes

1/4 cup milk powder (dry milk)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons yeast

1 /4 teaspoons salt 

4 tablespoons oil

1 cup water

Topping

Melted butter

Directions

Whisk together flour, potato flakes, milk powder, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the oil and water to make a soft dough. Knead until it forms a soft dough. The dough should not be sticky. If it is sticky, add a bit more flour. 

Place in a greased bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. You can also bulk ferment at room temperature but I prefer the flavour of a cold overnight rise. 

When the dough is ready, divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place each about 2 to 3 inches apart on a greased or lined baking pan. 

Allow to proof at room temperature until doubled and puffy. This could take an hour or so depending on the temperature of the room. 

Just before the buns are doubled, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

Bake the buns 20 to 25 mins or until they are lightly golden. 

Remove and brush with melted butter. 

Cool and devour

Notes

• Add just enough water to form a soft dough. If you're in a warm climate, hold back on some of the water. If it's cold, be prepared to add a little more water. 
• Adapted from King Arthur Baking

 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Texas Toast starting with Homemade English Muffin Bread
• Food Lust People Love: Cheesy Skillet Cornbread
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Homemade Ciabatta Garlic Bread
• Palatable Pastime: Traeger Bacon Cornbread
• A Messy Kitchen: Sweet Corn Muffins
• Sneha’s Recipe: Homemade English Muffins
• Passion Kneaded: Hamburger Potato Buns

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Garlic Cloverleaf Rolls - #BreadBakers

Look at me being "seasonal" - clover leaves this close to St Patrick's Day in the US. Completely accidental. This month, the bread bakers are baking with alliums. After lots of back and forth, I settled on these cloverleaf rolls. I fully intended on using onions or escallions but I like what I like. So here we are with garlic instead of onions and clover leaf-shaped rolls instead of one of the myriads of other shapes in my head. 

Be sure to scroll down to see the other yummy allium-themed breads that we have for you today.  Thanks for hosting, Karen! 

Garlic Cloverleaf Rolls (4 Leaf Clover Roll)

Garlic Cloverleaf Rolls

Ingredients 

Dough

400 g (3 1/3 cups) flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (some cloves of roasted garlic)

3/4 cup of milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, softened

Topping

3 tablespoons melted butter 

3 cloves garlic, minced

pinch salt 

pinch of dried basil

pinch of dried oregano

Directions

Whisk together flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, and garlic powder. Next, add in the milk, egg, and softened button. Knead until it forms a soft, tacky dough. If the dough seems dry, splash in some more milk. If it is very sticky, add a little flour. 

Place in an oiled bowl. Cover and allow to bulk ferment at room temperature until doubled. My preferred method is to bulk ferment in the fridge overnight. 

While the dough is doing its thing, whisk together all the ingredients for the topping. 

When the dough is ready, brush 12 cups of a muffin pan with some of the garlic butter. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts then divide each part into 3. You should have 36 pieces Roll each into a small ball and place three balls in the prepared muffin pan. 

Loosely cover and allow to rise until puffy. They rise pretty quickly, so remember to preheat your oven to 350 F before they are ready. 

Brush with garlic butter and bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and brush with more butter. Cool and enjoy. 

 

• French Onion Soup Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Garlic Cloverleaf Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Garlic Confit Focaccia from What Smells So Good?
• Gluten-Free Millet Chives Flatbread (Bajra chives Paratha) from Cook with Renu
• Moroccan Rghaif from Sneha’s Recipe
• Onion and Bay Loaf from A Messy Kitchen
• Onion Garlic Loaf from Ambrosia
• Onion Lover Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Scallion and Sesame Rolls from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Whole Wheat Onion Kulcha from Magical Ingredients

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Potato Crescent Rolls - #BreadBakers

This month, the Bread Bakers are celebrating the humble potato. I love adding potatoes to my dough. It makes the resulting bread so tender and soft. I have had some King Arthur cinnamon rolls that use potatoes on my to-bake list for years at this point. I fully planned on making them for this event but I ended up going the savoury route. No regrets. These crescent rolls were easy to make and tasted great. 

Be sure to scroll down to see what the other bakers whipped up!

Potato Crescent Rolls

Ingredients

Dough

420 grams (3 1/2 cups) flour

1/2 cup potato flakes

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water*

1/4 cup oil 

Topping

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions 

Mix all the dough ingredients together. You want the dough to be soft and tacky (not sticky) so when adding the water, add just enough to form a tacky dough. You might need less or more depending on your flour and climate.  I needed a bit less. 

When the dough is smooth and cohesive, place it in an oiled bowl, cover and bulk ferment in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature until doubled. 

Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. 

When the dough is ready, divide it into two halves. Roll each piece into a 9" to 10" circle. Lightly brush with some of the melted butter. 

Divide each circle into 9 equal pieces. I found the easiest way to do this equally was to first divide the circle into 3 equal pieces and then divide each of those pieces into 3. 

Take each triangle and flatten it some more, stretching the triangle out. I preferred the crescent rolls that I made from these flatter, stretched-out triangles to the triangles left as is. I got more turns and a more defined roll. I stretched the triangles to be about 6 to 7 inches long with the shortest side being about 4 inches or so long. 

Starting with the shortest side of each triangle, roll up the dough. Place your rolls on your prepared baking sheet with the tips tucked under the roll. Curve the rolls to form a crescent shape. 

Allow all your rolls to proof for about 25 to 35 minutes or until puffy. 

Before the rolls are ready, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

Bake the risen rolls for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and brush with melted butter. Bake for another 5 minutes or until golden. 

• Bacon Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Baked Potato Biscuits from Palatable Pastime
• Baked Vada Pav from Cook with Renu
• Feather Rolls from A Messy Kitchen
• Loaded Baked Potato Pizza from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Okinawa Sweet Potato Pani Popo from Magical Ingredients
• Potato Bread with Roasted Apples from What Smells So Good?
• Potato Crescent Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Potato Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sweet Potato Biscuits from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Turkish Stuffed Pogaca with Cheese & Potato from Sneha’s Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.