Tag Archives: bread

Ciabatta French Toast with Warm Apple Maple Syrup

This recipe for Ciabatta French Toast with Warm Apple Maple Syrup has been silently taunting me for a few months.  First of all, anything with McIntosh apples has me at hello.    Second, these are stuffed with Gruyère cheese, a pale yellow cheese similar in flavor to Swiss, so the combination of the savory and sweet flavors in the dish peaks my interest.  Slices of ciabatta bread are stuffed with the cheese, soaked in an egg and buttermilk custard seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper and cooked in a skillet until golden brown.  The French toast is served with a thickened syrup cooked of apples and shallots.  There is something very homey, almost holiday-ish about this recipe.  The combination of the cooked shallots, apple and ciabatta reminds me slightly of Thanksgiving stuffing (not that it tastes that way, it just reminds me of it!)  This is not your mom’s French toast which probably has puddles of melted butter and maple syrup (albeit delicious!) but insteads appeals to a more savory palette.   Looking for something different for brunch?  Look no more!

 

The ingredients:

Wisk together apple cider and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet and add shallots, cooking until soft. 

 

Add in the apple cider/cornstarch mixture, apples and maple syrup to the shallots.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cooking until apples are soft.  Set aside to cool.

Cut a deep slit into the ciabatta bread and stuff with Gruyère cheese.  (I used individual ciabatta rolls because that was what my grocery store bakery carried.)

In a shallow dish, combine milk, buttermilk, nutmeg, egg, egg white, salt, and pepper.  Place cheese-stuffed ciabatta slice (one at a time) into the mix until coated on both sides.  (If using ciabatta rolls like I did, slice a thin layer off the top and bottom of each roll first to expose the inside of the bread for better coating.)

Melt butter in a skillet and add two ciabatta slices at a time, cooking until golden brown.  Repeat for the other two slices.

Serve french toast with apple/shallot maple syrup and top with toasted pecans.

 

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Shredded Gruyère for slices
  • Ciabatta rolls for bread

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

 

Manchego, Herb, and Sun-Dried Tomato Scones

When I was 24, I lived in Denver, Colorado, worked two jobs and lived paycheck to paycheck. Since I couldn’t afford to eat out at restaurants, I cooked at home a lot and ended up often making scones. I’m not really sure why but I think this was the beginning of my curiosity on how to make food I’d never made before. Now, whenever I make scones, I think of that tiny kitchen in that tiny studio apartment on Poet’s Row that I called home. I thought of that time again when I made these Manchego, Herb, and Sun-Dried Tomato Scones. Scones are a quick bread and since they don’t have yeast, they are easy to make. These are baked with sun-dried tomatoes, manchego cheese, and basil. The sun-dried tomatoes are little bursts of flavor in these scones, the basil adds an herby freshness and the cheese provides a slightly nutty undertone. Eat these plain, toasted, or with a little butter for breakfast, as a snack or a nice side to any dish.

The ingredients:

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and cut in the butter.

Mix in chopped sun-dried tomatoes, shredded cheese, and basil.

Stir in buttermilk and egg whites until just combined. Don’t overmix.

Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 times.

Pat the dough into a round disk and cut into 8 wedges.

Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread

I’m a big fan of pumpkin bread and usually the simplest pumpkin bread is good enough for me.  But this Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread is a nice alternative to normal pumpkin bread because it includes honey beer and flaxseed.  The recipe actually calls for ground flaxseed but I already had flaxseeds on hand (from previously making Bananas Foster Bread) so I decided to use them.  Not only is flaxseed good for you (it’s good for the ol’ ticker!) but whole flaxseeds add a slight crunch and nutty bite which tastes good in soft, creamy bread like this.  The honey beer doesn’t overpower in this bread but instead adds a slight depth that rounds out the flavor.  I’d say give this a try with pretty much any beer you might have on hand (or consider substituting cider to keep it alcohol-free).  Eat this warm with a smear of butter and I challenge you to not go back for a second slice.

The ingredients:

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl.

In another bowl, mix together sugar, oil, beer, eggs, flaxseed, water, and pumpkin.  Is it just me or does it look like there is a wicked old witch in the pumpkin in this picture??  Weird!

Blend wet and dry ingredients together with an electric mixer.

Pour batter into bread pans and bake at 350°F.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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