Savory French Toast with Sheep Feta and Fried Alliums

This is a savory version of "french toast." I used duck eggs for the egg mixture because I happened to have them, which resulted in a very rich, yolky custard, but chicken eggs should be quite adequate for this recipe.

Serves 2-4. 

8 slices of slightly stale rustic or french bread (I used week-old Grand Central rye)

5 large eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

2 tbsp (or more) butter

1 bunch green onions, scallions, or about 4 shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp coarsely minced garlic cloves

6 oz. sheep feta (cow feta can be substituted)

Whisk eggs, milk, paprika, salt, and pepper until combined.

Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture, turning to coat completely, and lay the slices out on a rimmed baking pan. Drizzle any remaining egg mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat until just melted. Add green onions and garlic and saute until crispy and browned on the edges. Transfer to small bowl. 

Scrape skillet clean or heat a griddle. Melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add egg-coated bread, and fry until lightly browned on each side, flipping once, about 3-5 minutes per side. Bread should be supple, but not gooey in the center. Sprinkle each piece with feta and fried onion/garlic mixture to serve. 

Almond-Currant Challah

Dissolve in 1 cup warm (110-115˚F) water:
1 tbsp yeast
Beat in:
1/2 cup vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
*1/4 tsp cinnamon 
*1/4 tsp almond extract
Whisk until thoroughly combined. Then stir in:
6 cups flour
1 cup currants
1 1/2 cups whole almonds, soaked for at least 12 hours
Stir in:
2-3 cups flour
Stir and knead until desired consistency is reached, adding more flour if necessary.
Knead for 10 minutes.
Place Challah dough in greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let sit at room temperature for 2-5 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
When risen, break apart into three sections, and stretch each until it is about 24 inches in length. Braid dough, and place on baking sheet. Cover with damp towel and let rise again for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Bake Challah for about 40 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to make sure browning is even. (If not, foil can be used to cover the top, or rack adjustments can be made in the oven).

Serve Challah with butter and honey, or a soft cheese, such as brie.

* = Optional

Browned Butternut Bread

1/2 cup browned butter (Cook butter over low heat until it foams and begins to turn a deep caramel color. Cool before use.)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Elderberry jelly, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour a bread pan.
Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, butternut puree, and vanilla extract. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (from flour to allspice). Slowly beat dry ingredients into the wet. Stir in walnuts. Pour into pan.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until center is firm, and top is beginning to brown.
Serve warm or at room temperature with elderberry jelly.

Chocolate Cherry Walnut Scones

Ingredients:

3/4 cup oat or rye flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped or coarsely ground

1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate

3/4 cup chilled buttermilk plus more for glaze

1 large egg

Coarse sugar crystals

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a large baking sheet.
Combine dry ingredients (first 9 ingredients) in large bowl.
Cut in butter until it is thoroughly worked in-no large bits should remain.
Stir in the chocolate, cherries, and walnuts.
Tossing ingredients lightly with a fork, add the buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Knead dough 1 or 2 times, just to form it into two balls.
Pat each ball into a disk, and roll them out on a floured surface, until dough is about 3/4 inch thick. Slice dough as you would a pizza, into 6-8 wedges per disk. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Brush with milk or egg white, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 22 minutes, or until scones are firm and just turning brown around the edges.

Multigrain Nut Bread

I'm going to TRY to record this recipe correctly, though I have no idea what the actual proportions I used were.

Sponge starter
Combine:
2 cups white unbleached flour
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
Let this mixture sit for at least 24 hours and up to 32 hours, stirring about every 8 hours and adding 2 tbsp flour at each interval (and more water if necessary).

Cereal mixture
Cover (add water until just covered) with water and soak overnight:
Any 1 1/2 cup combination of the following:
Flaxseed
Oats
Oat bran
Wheat bran
Wheat germ
Millet
Cornmeal
Crushed bulger
Ground buckwheat
Hot cereal mixes (Bob's Red Mill)

To prepare dough:
After a day or two of soaking and fermenting, combine both mixtures in a large stand mixing bowl. Add:
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup rye or spelt flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
Beat until combined. Add white flour until dough forms a ball. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Rising (twice)
Let rise for 2 hours, until doubled. Form into loaves and place on baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise for at least another hour, or more if necessary.
Baking
Preheat oven to 450˚F. Place a pan of water on bottom rack to create steam (OR, if you need to bake some squash or pumpkin, this is a GREAT time to do that, I discovered, as it both creates steam, and prevents the bottom of the bread from burning).
Place bread in oven, and reduce heat to 400˚F. Bake for about 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350˚F. Bake for another 30-45 minutes, checking doneness by tapping the bottom (if bread sounds hollow when tapped, then it is done).

Serve hot with butter!

This bread is moist, so will last quite a while, if stored in plastic bag or container.

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls taken -almost- directly from Bon Appetit Magazine.



These are the best cinnamon rolls you will ever make, and they have a secret ingredient!

Makes 12

Recipe by Greg Atkinson

Photograph by Levi Brown

Ingredients:

Dough
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
4 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
3 1/4-ounce envelopes active dry yeast (scant 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons sugar

Filling
2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean seeds
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Preparation:

Dough
Combine potatoes, 2 cups water, and 1 tablespoon coarse salt in large saucepan. Boil until potatoes are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Mash potatoes with water in pan (do not drain water). Add butter and mash until butter is melted. Whisk in eggs, then 1 cup flour; mash until very smooth. Let potatoes stand until barely lukewarm, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup warm water into large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add potato mixture to yeast mixture; mix on low speed until well blended, 2 minutes. Mix in 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well. Beat until sticky dough forms.

Spread 1/2 cup flour on work surface. Scrape dough out onto floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 8 minutes.

Coat large bowl with butter. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make filling.
Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in medium bowl. Using fork, mix in butter.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Sprinkle the pecans and about 1/4 of the filling mixture over the bottom of the pan.

Turn dough out onto well-floured work surface. Roll out dough to 24x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough. Starting at 1 long side, roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Using thick sewing thread, cut roll crosswise into 12 pieces, by sliding the thread under the bottom, then pulling both ends together to cinch the thread through the dough. Transfer rolls to baking sheet, spacing rolls about 3/4 inch apart. Cover baking sheet loosely with damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes (rolls will be very puffy).
Bake cinnamon rolls until golden, about 20 minutes. Check on them part way through baking to be sure the tops are not getting too brown. If they are, cover the rolls with aluminum foil.
Cool rolls 10 minutes on baking sheet.

Meanwhile, make glaze.
Beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla bean, and salt, and beat until smooth. If glaze is too thick to spread, add milk by 1/2 teaspoonfuls as needed. Spread glaze over warm rolls.