Banana-Nut Bread

October 31, 2015 by 2 Comments

Banana Bread

This banana bread is rich, flavorful and moist. You’ll love it!
(Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

If you’re like us, you frequently have bananas at various stages of ripeness. But usually, even the darkest bananas can be salvaged and turned into this wonderful bread! It is moist, flavorful, rich and delicious.  Read more of this post

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Anadama Rolls

November 30, 2011 by 1 Comment

Anadama Rolls

A New England tradition, our Anadama Rolls combine cornmeal and molasses to create amazing flavor you will want to taste time and again.

Once upon a time in the village of Rockport, Massachusetts, there was an old fisherman whose lazy wife always gave him steamed cornmeal mush and molasses for dinner. One day, when he returned from working on his boat, he went home only to find the same meal yet again. Angrily, he cursed his wife as he mixed his mush and molasses with flour and yeast, then shoved it in the oven and baked it. The bread was so delicious, he shared it with his neighbors and they began baking it too. Since that time, the recipe has been passed among friends, handed down from one generation to the next. When we first served these ultimate rolls to our guests, everyone was delighted and begged us to make them again. Now, once a year, we prepare them for our annual formal dinner. Flaky and delicious, our Anadama Rolls deliver a warm contrast of flavors that are quite addictive. Admittedly, they are a process to make and probably aren’t for beginner bakers, but they are definitely worth the time and effort it takes to prepare them. Serve them warm and lather them with Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter for an extra special treat.

PREP: 2 hours 33 minutes
COOK: 32 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 3 hours 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/3 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
  • 1 envelope dry yeast
  • 5 1/2 cups (about) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons sesame or poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS

  1. Bring milk, 1 cup water and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook until mixture thickens and boils, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in molasses and 2 tablespoons butter. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Cool until thermometer inserted into center of mixture registers 115°F, whisking often, about 15 minutes.
  2. Pour 1/2 cup warm water into small bowl, sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves and top looks spongy, about 13 minutes. Stir yeast mixture into cornmeal mixture. Gradually mix in 4 3/4 cups flour, about 1 cup at a time, to form soft dough that pulls away from sides of bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour onto work surface. Turn dough out onto floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, sprinkling with more flour by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 10 minutes (dough will remain slightly sticky). Form dough into ball.
  3. Coat large bowl with 1 tablespoon butter. Add dough to bowl and turn to coat dough with butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
  4. Coat each of two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Roll dough into 18-inch-long log. Cut into 18 equal pieces. Using floured hands, form each dough piece into ball. Place 9 dough balls in each pan, spacing apart. Cover each pan loosely with towel. Let rolls stand in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
  5. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Brush top of rolls with melted butter, then sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Place rolls in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 350°F. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

TIPS: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely and store airtight at room temperature. Wrap rolls in foil and rewarm in 350°F oven 10 minutes.

YIELDS: 18 rolls

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

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Buttermilk Biscuits

October 4, 2011 by 2 Comments

Buttermilk Biscuits

Using only three ingredients, our Buttermilk Biscuits deliver big, buttery, flaky flavor your family will love.

As a very young child, my family lived for a time in West Virginia. Among the many dear friends we made there, “Petch” and Wilma McClung were two of our favorites. An older couple with no children of their own, they adopted my parents as their kids and my sister and me as their grandchildren. They lived in a small white farmhouse on several acres of land where they had a garden, raised livestock and kept chickens. Whenever we’d visit, Wilma would use her own fresh ingredients to prepare some of the best meals I’ve ever tasted, including “cat heads with cow salve” as “Petch” called biscuits with butter. So it is no wonder that I have always associated big, flaky biscuits with the taste of home. Great with nearly any meal, our buttermilk biscuits will remind you of the ones your own loved ones used to make. Using only three ingredients, our recipe is simple, delicious and keeps the tradition of fresh baked goods alive for a new generation.

PREP: 5 minutes
COOK: 14 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/3 cup butter, cut into pieces
  • 2 cups self-rising soft wheat flour (we tested with White Lily)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • Butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut 1/3 cup of butter into flour with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly; add buttermilk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.
  2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times. Pat or roll dough to 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  3. Bake at 425°F for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter.

YIELDS: 6 to 8 biscuits

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

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Deep-Dish Pizza Dough

September 13, 2011 by 1 Comment

Deep-Dish Pizza Dough

Cornmeal and a touch of honey make our Deep-Dish Pizza Dough extra flaky and delicious.

We love pizza! But then, who doesn’t? What we don’t love is the high price tag that is oftentimes attached to a delivered pie. For years, we tried making our own pizzas at home, but the results always fell flat with crusts that were too thin, tasted like cardboard or were so crunchy we could use them to play Frisbee. When we finally tried this recipe in our test kitchen, we couldn’t believe how delicious it is. We know you will love it too! Cornmeal and a touch of honey make this dough light, flaky and the perfect base for your favorite toppings. Just be sure to prepare the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge.

PREP: 8 minutes + rise time

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 package yeast
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for coating

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, place water, honey, and yeast; let dissolve 4 minutes.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornmeal and salt.
  3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the water/yeast mixture in thirds. Before the last addition, add 1/4 cup olive oil.
  4. Sprinkle one tablespoon of flour on a countertop and knead bread until smooth. Transfer the dough to a bowl coated with olive oil. Turn dough to coat in oil. Cover and let rise overnight in the refrigerator.

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

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Skillet Cornbread

August 12, 2011 by 5 Comments

Skillet Cornbread

Cornbread tastes better when it is prepared in a cast iron skillet! The addition of whole corn kernels, green chilies and chili powder make this recipe hard to beat.

Although some people swear by boxed cornbread mixes, I firmly believe that there is no reason in the world why anyone should ever have to buy one of them. Cornbread is one of the easiest breads to make and it goes great with everything, including slow-cooked beans, soups, stews, chilies, fried catfish, seafood gumbo, barbecued brisket and more. It’s no wonder that cornbread is a Southern staple, served on almost every self-respecting cook’s table. Sometimes it seems like there are as many cornbread recipes as there are cooks. But there are a few things you need to know before making cornbread for the first time.

First, the best cornbread is made in a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one, buy one. I use an 8-inch skillet for this recipe. In an emergency, you can prepare this in an 8-inch square glass baking dish, but there is something magical about the way cornbread cooks up in cast iron. Once you make it this way, I promise you will never want to go back to glass bakeware again. Second, use a high quality cornmeal. I prefer Aunt Jemima’s Yellow Corn Meal. But be careful not to buy the self-rising kind that comes in the round box. Buy the five-pound bag. It might seem like a lot if you have never used cornmeal before, but believe me, once you start cooking with it you won’t want to stop. You can use it to bread chicken, fish, make hush puppies and more. Finally, this cornbread always goes quickly, so if you’re feeding a lot of people, be sure to make multiple batches. It is simply that good. Now let’s get to cooking!

PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup yellow corn meal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup whole kernel corn
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green chilies
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus 1/4 cup

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pour 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in an 8-inch cast iron skillet and heat in the oven for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add milk, egg, corn, chilies, chili powder and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Beat until fairly smooth, about 1 minute.
  4. Pour batter into skillet. Heated oil should rise and cover the edges of the batter, this will give your bread a crisp crunchy edge. Put skillet in oven and bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and serve.

TIP: Top bread with 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese for a Mexican meal. Honey, butter and molasses also make great toppings.

YIELDS: 9 servings

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment

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