Blueberry Kuchen
Serves 9.
Dough:
• 2 1/2 to 3 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. rapid-rise, bread-machine or other instant yeast
• 1/2 c. milk
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• Vegetable oil for bowl
For the glaze:
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. orange juice
For the topping:
• 2 c. fresh blueberries
• 1/2 c. pecans
• 2 tbsp. Demerara sugar (coarse, raw sugar)
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
To prepare the dough, combine 2 1/2 cups flour with the salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter and place over low heat until milk is lukewarm. Pour into a bowl and add eggs, vanilla and orange zest; mix until blended. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients to make a soft dough, adding more flour if necessary.
Using a mixer with a dough hook, or by hand, knead dough until smooth and springy. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour. (Or let rise in refrigerator overnight, returning to room temperature before proceeding.)
Punch air out of dough and press it out into a shallow 13-by 9-inch baking pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place 15 to 20 minutes longer.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a glaze by mixing together egg and orange juice until blended. Paint glaze over dough. Spread blueberries on dough in a single layer. Chop pecans until splintery, but not too fine. Mix with sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over blueberries.
Place pan in oven and bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until dough is risen and golden brown at edges, about 15 minutes more. Allow to cool about 10 minutes before cutting into 9 rectangles. Serve warm.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories276
Carbohydrates39 g
Protein7 g
Fat11 g
including sat. fat4 g
Cholesterol38 mg
Sodium160 mg
Calcium35 mg
Dietary fiber2 g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1/2 fruit exch., 2 bread/ starch exch., and 2 fat exch.
Soft White Dinner Rolls
Makes 30 rolls.
Dough:
• 3 1/2 to 4 c. flour
• 3 tsp. rapid-rise, bread-machine or other instant yeast
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp. butter, softened
• Vegetable oil for bowl and baking sheet
Toppings:
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp. milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds
In a large bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups flour, yeast, salt and sugar. In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter and place over low heat until milk is lukewarm. Pour into bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a fork to make a rough dough, adding more flour if necessary.
Using a mixer with dough hook, or by hand, knead dough until smooth and silky. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
Punch air out of dough. Oil a baking sheet and set aside. Pull off pieces of dough the size of walnuts and form into round balls. Place on baking sheet almost touching, about 1/4 inch apart, in 6 rows of 5 each. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees.
When rolls have risen, make a glaze by beating together the egg, milk and salt. Paint rolls with glaze. Sprinkle one row with sesame seeds and the next with poppy seeds; leave the third row plain and then repeat pattern. (A teaspoon of seeds should decorate 2 rows.)
Bake rolls until risen and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack or serve immediately. To serve, place on a plate so rolls can be torn off to be eaten.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories71
Carbohydrates12 g
Protein2 g
Fat1 g
including sat. fat1 g
Cholesterol10 mg
Sodium255 mg
Calcium21 mg
Dietary fiber1 g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/ starch exch.
Chocolate and Pistachio Whirligig Buns
Makes 20.
Dough:
• 5 to 5 1/2 c. flour
• 1/3 c. superfine sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 packets rapid-rise, bread-machine or other instant yeast
• 7 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 2/3 c. milk
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil for bowl
Filling and Glaze:
• 8 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. plus 1 tbsp. superfine sugar
• 3/4 c. shelled pistachios (from about 1 1/2 c. with shells)
• 1 c. (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 egg, beaten
To prepare the dough, heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In a small saucepan, combine 7 1/2 tablespoons butter and the milk and place over low heat until lukewarm. In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly and then whisk in milk mixture. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.
Using a mixer with a dough hook, or by hand, knead dough until smooth and springy, adding more flour if necessary. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 30 minutes.
Punch down dough. Line a 13-by 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one-third of the dough and place in pan. Roll out remaining dough to a rectangle about 20 by 10 inches.
To make filling, mix together the butter and sugar to make a paste. Spread paste evenly over large rectangle of dough. Chop pistachios until splintery and sprinkle evenly over dough. Top with chocolate chips. Starting from longest side, carefully roll up dough so it looks like a long sausage. Cut dough into 20 slices, each 3/4-inch thick, and arrange with cut side up on top of dough in pan.
Brush buns with beaten egg and let them sit in a warm place until puffed up and snugly filling pan, about 15 minutes. Bake until buns are risen and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from baking pan to cool on a rack. Serve warm.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories350
Carbohydrates46 g
Protein7 g
Fat16 g
including sat. fat8 g
Cholesterol77 mg
Sodium87 mg
Calcium48 mg
Dietary fiber2 g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 bread/ starch exch., 1 other carb. exch., and 3 fat exch.
