Unleavened Bread with Honey

Unleavened Bread with Honey

Unleavened Bread with Honey

This slightly sweet unleavened bread is a quick and simple recipe…and a crowd-pleaser! Perfect for a Passover meal or communion.

Servings

16

Prep time:

15 minutes

Total Time:

30-45 minutes

Good For:

Side, Bread

Inroduction

About this Recipe

When I was a kid, the church I attended frequently had a meal together on Holy Thursday, and unleavened bread was served…but not just any unleavened bread. It was sweet. It was delicious. It was a recipe I had to recreate for myself when I was an adult!

The nature of unleavened bread demands that it be quick, and this recipe is no exception. It’s a simple matter of warming and mixing the ingredients, rolling it out, cutting it, and baking…but oh, the results! A slightly sweet bread, dense and chewy, perfect for pairing with a Passover charoset (apply clay), cheese, honey, butter, or even peanut butter, this one will soon be a favorite of everyone in the family!

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup scalded milk
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup (half stick) butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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  2. Heat the milk until it’s warm but not boiling, about 1 minute in the microwave.
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  3. Whisk the egg and honey and salt into the warmed milk.
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  4. Melt the butter and then add to the milk mixture.
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  5. Slowly add the flour, stirring to incorporate, until it forms a dough that isn’t too sticky to roll out.
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  6. Roll to ¼” thickness on a floured surface. Cut into whatever size and shape you prefer. Prick with the tines of a fork.
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  7. Move bread to prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, until it’s golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool.

From the Books

Unleavened bread would have been served with every Passover in my Biblical stories and is particularly mentioned in A Stray Drop of Blood and At His Feet.

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Strawberry Scones

Strawberry Scones

Strawberry Scones

Nothing beats a fruity scone, especially when it’s drizzled with a fabulous strawberries-and-cream glaze!

Servings

12

Prep time:

15 minutes

Total Time:

30 minutes

Good For:

Dessert, Breakfast

Inroduction

About this Recipe

We love scones in our family. I make them every year for Mother’s Day, which means that I’ve tried a wide variety of recipes. One of my favorites, though, is this strawberry variation.

The secret to light, flaky scones is to NOT overwork the dough. It ought to be stirred until just combined and then patted into place with as few movements as possible. Do not knead, do not roll out!! Just pat into shape and cut. You can either make traditional round scones or cut the disc into triangles.

Ingredients

For the Scones

  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2/3 cups + 1 tablespoon cream, separated
  • 1 egg
  • 8 medium sized strawberries, minced

 

Strawberry Glaze

  • 2 strawberries, minced
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cream
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some lumps the size of peas.
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  3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg and 2/3 cups cream. Pour into the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the minced strawberries. Transfer to a floured surface and lightly form into a disc. Cut the disc into 12 wedges or circles. Brush tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream. Bake for 12 minutes.
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  4. While the scones cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the strawberries, powdered sugar, and cream until you have a have a smooth glaze. Pour 1 tablespoon of glaze over the top of each scone. Let set up and serve either warm or at warm temperature.

From the Books

Strawberry Scones were featured in All the Inn’s a Stage, but I can also imagine Ella enjoying them while she’s at the tea house in A Lady Unrivaled.

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Classic French Baguette

Classic French Baguette

Classic French Baguette

Delicious, crusty loaves made in the traditional fashion.

Servings

12

Prep time:

30 min

Total Time:

14 hours (overnight)

Good For:

Bread

Inroduction

About this Recipe

If there’s anything better than a classic, crusty baguette, I’ve yet to find it. These long loaves are delicious (that overnight rise lets the flavors do some amazing things!), versatile, and provide a sensory experience that softer breads just can’t aspire to. Smother them with butter, broil some deli meat and cheese on them for lunch, dip in spiced olive oil for an appetizer, or top with honey or jam for a sweet treat.

Traditional baguettes are made using a baker’s couche—thick fabric that holds its shape, encouraging the loaves to rise how you want them to without spreading into each other. You can also use shaped baguette pans, or, if you don’t have any of that, just tear off a long piece of parchment paper, leaving plenty of room between each loaf and then pulling the paper up between them. If you have a digital scale, measure your ingredients by weight instead of volume for more accuracy.

The real secret to that crusty baguette, though, is putting a pan of boiling water in the oven with the bread. The steam is the key to the crust!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 500 grams / 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 360 grams / 1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
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  2. Work the dough. Sprinkle a little more flour on the dough so you can work with it, then stretch and turn the dough, folding it onto itself. Flip it upside down. Do this three times over the course of about 90 minutes.
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  3. With the bowl covered again, let it rest on the counter overnight, or for 12-14 hours.
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  4. The next morning, divide the dough into two or three rectangles. Cover with a towel and let them rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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  5. Pre-heat your oven to 500. To get the oven good and hot, start the heat cycle while the dough is resting, especially if you’re baking on a baking stone (which is recommended). You need two oven racks for this process; the top one will hold your bread. On the bottom rack, you’ll be putting a pan filled with boiling water. The steam it makes gives the baguette its classic crust.
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  6. Shape the dough. Stretch each rectangle and fold into a cylinder. Seal the seams and put it seam-down on parchment paper, baguette pans, or a couche. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.
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  7. Score the loaves. With a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts in each loaf.
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  8. Add water to oven. Fill a pan (an 8×8 or loaf pan works great) with boiling water and slide it onto the bottom rack of the oven.
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  9. Bake. Decrease oven to 475 and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the water, decrease temp to 450, and bake another 15 minutes.

From the Books

With her French influence, Evie loves to introduce some Continental favorites into the menu of the inn. Though not mentioned explicitly, you can be sure that French baguettes were a favorite loaf at her table!

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Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Fill them with jam or cinnamon…smother them with icing…and dive in and enjoy!

Servings

12

Prep time:

45 min

Total Time:

12 hours (overnight)

Good For:

Breakfast, Dessert

Inroduction

About this Recipe

 

Is there anything better than an ooey-gooey cinnamon roll? These sweet rolls are fully customizable. Fill them with apple, strawberry, peanut butter, or anything else your little heart desires.

Eating lower sugar or sugar free? Substitute the granulated sugar with All Purpose In the Raw or another sugar alternative and the confectioner’s sugar with Swerve Confection and enjoy the taste without the calories or the blood sugar spikes!

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1 cup milk (whole is best; if you don’t have whole, add a tablespoon of cream to your measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with other milk)
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar or sugar alternative (I love All Purpose In the Raw!)
  • 2 packets or 1.5 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened and in 4 pieces
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4.5 cups (558 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

For Classic Cinnamon Filling

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar or sugar alternative
  • 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon

For Apple Filling

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar or sugar alternative (I like Swerve Brown)
  • 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 2 cups chopped and peeled apples (about 2 medium apples)

For Jam Filling

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup jam of choice
  • 1 cup chopped fruit of choice (optional)

For Icing

  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar or sugar alternative
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  1.  Making the dough. First, warm your milk either in the microwave or on the stove until it’s warm but not hot, about 95°F or 35°C. Add to the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a dough hook. Sprinkle sugar and yeast over the milk and whisk by hand for a few seconds (if you’re using a sugar alternative, be sure to add at least a tablespoon of regular sugar to feed the yeast–don’t worry, it’ll eat it all up!). Let the yeast sit for 5-15 minutes, until it’s creamy and foamy. Beat in the softened butter on low; it will break up but not totally incorporate. Add the eggs and salt. Gradually add the flour. Once all ingredients are added, increase speed to medium and mix until it turns into a soft dough. Increase speed again to medium high and knead for 6 minutes.
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  2. Proof the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it by hand for a minute, then form into a ball. Put into a grased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. (If your kitchen is cool, turn the oven onto the lowest setting, then turn off as soon as it reaches temp. Slide the bowl into the oven.
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  3. Roll the dough. Grease a 9×12 baking dish. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured work surface and roll to a 12×18″ rectangle. Dough should be smooth and of even thickness.
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  4. Filling. Spread softened butter over the entire rectangle. If you’re using the classic cinnamon filling, mix your sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and then sprinkle evenly over it. If you’re using fruit, spread the fruit (and brown sugar, for the apple) over the butter.
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  5. Make the rolls. Working from the LONG side, roll the dough into a tight log. You want it to be 18″ long when you’re done. Cut into 12 rolls. Arrange them in your baking dish with the cut sides up. Cover and store overnight or for about 12 hours in the fridge.
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  6. Second Rise. In the morning, remove the rolls from the fridge and let rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until they’re puffy.
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  7. Bake. Bake the rolls at 375°F / 190°C for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. (Check them halfway through; if they’re starting to brown too much, cover them with foil.) Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
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  8. Icing. While the rolls cool, mix the icing ingredients in a medium bowl with a wire whisk. Spread evenly over rolls.
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  9. Enjoy!

From the Books

Cinnamon Rolls are featured in several of my books! Mrs. Dawe was renowned for her sweet rolls in the Secrets of the Isles series (as was Polmer’s Bakery!), and the ladies of the Ocracoke Inn in Yesterday’s Tides treat their guests to them as well!

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