Sourdough Surprises: Mocha Hazelnut Cream Cheese Kolaches

Somehow, I've developed a talent for getting free stuff from the internet. This time it wasn't just a sample – it was a whole jar of Jif Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread and a $2 off coupon for another jar. It's especially funny as I had an unopened jar in the pantry. So, it was time to find a recipe to use it. Sourdough Surprises picked kolaches – a filled Czech pastry – as their challenge for November. I needed a filling and I needed to use the spread. Hopefully it was a match made in heaven.

I did, unfortunately, pick a day to bake when a front was coming through (meaning extra humidity, the need for extra flour and not always the best results with yeast doughs) but I had to give it an old college try. I adapted the Homesick Texan recipe for sourdough, and used a cream cheese and mocha hazelnut mixture for the filling. (I also forgot to melt any butter for when they came out of the oven, so they didn't have a glossy finish).

The recipe:

Kolaches (adapted from TheHomesick Texan)
Ingredients:
1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of salt

Method:
In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm milk, sugar and one cup of flour. Cover and let it rise until doubled in size.
Beat together eggs, melted butter and salt.
Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and blend.
Stir in about two more cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be soft and moist.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes on floured surface. Don't worry, it’s a joy to knead as the dough is smooth and highly malleable.
Put dough in a greased bowl and let rise covered until doubled in size—about an hour.
After dough has risen, punch it down and pull off egg-sized pieces. In your hands, roll pieces into balls and then flatten to about three inches in diameter. Brush with melted butter.
Place flattened pieces on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise again for another half-hour.
After second rising, with your finger gently make an indention in the center of the dough (be careful not to flatten it too much) and fill with one tablespoon of filling.
Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes and enjoy!

Kolache filling

1/2 cup Jif Mocha Hazelnut spread

2 oz Neufachetel cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat all three ingredients until fairly smooth.

The only negative I have to say is that they tasted a little chewy and dry...but so goes it (typically) when I bake on a humid day. The pastry was lightly sweet and the filling just rich enough.

I'll keep these in mind for a less humid day (if I get the time to bake on a less humid day.) Now to finish off that jar of Mocha Hazelnut spread...

Check out our other awesome Kolaches!

Sourdough Surprises: Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins

I'll admit, it's been tough enough for me to stay in the kitchen lately with work. It's even tougher to keep blogging. I found this recipe a long time ago. I'd already tried the pie crusts a few times from the same site. But knowing someday, Sourdough Surprises was going to do muffins, I held on to it – because I haven't been making repeat recipes much either.

Of course, in my style, I didn't do it as written. I'm a hopeless chocoholic, and when I'm not baking much, I include it as much as possible. Plus, with a recipe that calls for exactly half a cup of oil, it was a good recipe to replace the oil with applesauce (fact: single serve applesauce cups are exactly half a cup)

The recipe:

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins

Adapted from Sourdough Recipes

Makes 12-18 muffins (I got 16)

1 cup white all-purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup dry milk powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

1 cup fresh sourdough starter

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing until dry ingredients are just combined.

Spray muffin tins with flour spray. Fill tins to 2/3 full. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, until done.

Now, the original recipe calls for 30-35 minutes. My oven tends to bake cool, so even though oil free baked goods don't tend to take as long as those baked with fat, I put them in for 30 minutes. I thought they did come out slightly overdone.

Still, they were pretty good. Just enough chocolate, just enough crunch, and a pretty filling accompaniment to my breakfast yogurt. So lesson learned (check at 25 minutes), and if I ever get around to repeat recipes, this one is staying in the cookbook.

Check out our other awesome muffins and quick breads!

Sourdough Surprises: Brown Sugar Spice Pancakes

Pancakes and waffles. Easy to make the batter and then...I'm a notoriously bad pancake flipper, and the last time I went to make waffles, with the batter prepared, the waffle maker wouldn't heat up. So, neither are things I have great luck with. Still, I knew there would come a day when Sourdough Surprises picked that for their monthly challenge.  It came as no surprise when that was picked for September.

Since the waffle incident, I have replaced the waffle maker, but having just made them (from a mix), I opted for pancakes...with my new toy:

I know As Seen on TV products normally aren't all they're made out to be, but my aunt has one and likes it, so for $18 (in free gift cards!) I decided it was worth a try.

I used my favorite pancake base, substituting brown sugar and adding a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.

The pan has a little bit of a learning curve (you can't watch for bubbles, so you have to know your timing). A few got a little burnt on one side, and one that I flipped and opened the pan before it was cooked through got a little mushed. Still, I was quite happy with the results, and the pancakes were delicious.

With the right tools, I suppose I can fix even my biggest kitchen weaknesses. I just got another round of new toys...so who knows what's next!

Shine Supper Club: Spiced Peanut Butter and Melted Banana Sandwich Spread

Even though I can't eat much in the way of bread anymore, with my nutty work schedule, I can certainly appreciate the simple convenience of a sandwich. So when, two days before I'm supposed to leave for vacation, I got a call from work asking me to come in early the next day, I knew what my lunch would be. And it just so happened that the Shine Supper Club is doing Sandwiches this month.

So I had a major challenge: Come up with something I could eat on the way, would hold up in the heat, and all in a matter of about 6 hours. Oh, and my mother happened to have just used up all but the last heel of the bread.

I've been somewhat obsessed recently with a couple of things. One is a blog called Chocolate CoveredKatie, full of healthy dessert ideas. Another is PB2, a powdered peanut butter that, while not convenient to mix and use as a peanut butter replacement, is wonderful for mixing into smoothies, yogurt, pancakes...or sandwich spread.

So I combined two things. I used CCK's Melted Banana trick, and mixed the caramelized banana with PB2 and cinnamon with just a little water to thin it out.

The “recipe”:

Spiced Peanut Butter and Melted Banana Sandwich Spread

Enough for one sandwich

1/2 large banana

2 tblsp PB2

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Water, enough to thin to desired consistency.

1-2 slices of bread (I don't folding over for a half sandwich, but it does make for a thick sandwich)

1. In a covered bowl, microwave banana in 20 second intervals, mashing with a fork between intervals, until banana is completely mushy. (About 3 sessions in my microwave).
2. Mix in PB2 and cinnamon, adding water to achieve desired consistency.
3. Spread over bread slice and enjoy!

They say necessity is the mother of invention. While I may go back to my old standbys, though, this is one to keep in the aresenal. It held up until I got to work without making an absolute mess, and still tasted good when I got there.

Sometimes I bring a cold cut sandwich, sometimes peanut butter and jelly, sometimes it's cream cheese and olive and other times I grab something from the drive thru on the way. When I'm in the mood for something different, though, I know what I will turn to.

Sourdough Surprises: Buffalo Flatbread Crackers

I almost missed this month's SourdoughSurprises challenge. It seems a little crazy that one long weekend in Western New York can throw off my whole month. I'd been struggling with inspiration and figured I'd bake when I got back, but before I knew it...it was the 18^th and I still hadn't made my crackers.

However, one benefit to my trip was inspiration. Other than the traditional Polish fare that I was expecting at my family reunion, I had three treats I wanted more than anything and can't get in Florida: A Tim Horton's S'mores donut (which they apparently don't have anymore), orange chocolate sponge candy, and traditional chicken wings.

I finally got my wings at the Anchor Bar at the Buffalo Airport just before I left, but I was still wanting more. (Then again, I can always go for good chicken wings). So what better way to flavor my sourdough crackers than Buffalo-style hot sauce?

Before I ramble on too much, the modifications I made to the recipe (summer humidity is making baking a challenge):

Buffalo-Style Sourdough Flatbread Crackers

Adapted from C Mom Cook

1 cup Sourdough Starter

1 1/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons prepared Buffalo wing sauce (or 1 1/2 tablespoons each melted butter and hot sauce of choice)

Combine flour, starter, and butter.  Add enough flour to form a stiff ball.  Cover and let sit aside for at least 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes has passed roll dough out very thin. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter and repeat until all dough is used. Prick with a fork and brush with Buffalo wing sauce.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven. Begin checking at 10 minutes (I did not roll mine out thin enough, so they took 16 minutes to become crispy). Let cool on cookie sheet before transferring to a storage container.

So a little pressed for time, I didn't make them perfectly. My original intention was also to top them with some Ranch and chicken, so I made them a little too big. Mistakes aside, they tasted pretty good. While I can't say they were a complete success, they certainly weren't a failure.

Now I just have to fix that donut craving...

Check out our other awesome flatbreads!

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Pineapple Bread

I don't know exactly why I wanted to save this recipe when I saw it. It was just a peanut butter quick bread that happened to be filled with jelly. Maybe it was gut instinct that some other ideas would come together so I could create a version of my own.

On another note, there was the PeanutButter and Co. peanut butter. I'd heard about them and definitely knew I would like to try them, but no way was I going to pay that much...under normal circumstances. Then my mother saw it. I don't know if she was hungry or what, but she wanted to try it. And if she thinks its okay to spend money on something, chances are it is – even better when I can get it buy one, get one free.

So I bought a jar each of Dark Chocolate Dreams and White Chocolate Wonderful. Now I have flavored peanut butter, an amount of crushed pineapple right about equivalent to the amount of jelly...

I talked about serendipity when I made the hummingbird cake. But I'd say that this is equally serendipitous.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Pineapple Bread

Adapted from Mr. Food

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 4oz crushed pineapple, drained
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with baker's spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in peanut butter with an electric beater on medium speed, until well combined.

Add egg and milk; stir until well blended. Spread half the batter into prepared loaf pan and spoon preserves down center of batter.
 

Top with remaining batter, covering preserves completely. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Slice and serve.

I was a little nervous about some residual pineapple juice that had drained, but it baked off and came out...White Chocolate Wonderful-ly! Seriously, this was one of the most addictive and (unfortunately for the calorie counter) high calorie recipes I've made in a while.



But finally, I'm out of bananas, and I'm out of pineapple. So I can get back to baking and forgetting to write about it. Now I just need to get myself more of some Peanut Butter & Co. Peanut butter...

Sourdough Surprises: Pineapple Coconut Cinnamon Rolls

Ah, cinnamon rolls. Way back when I first started baking with sourdough, they were one of my first successes. So naturally, despite dealing with the July heat and humidity, I was excited that Sourdough Surprises picked them for this month's challenge.

I decided to stick with my old recipe (even though it's so old, the website it's from seems to have been taken down), but halved it. Then I had to deal with the leftover pineapple from the hummingbird cake. While totally not traditional, something about a pineapple cinnamon roll sounded really good. Besides, also having a bag of shredded coconut in the freezer, it would make a perfect summery tropical treat.

I did have the humidity related issues with the dough (I ended up using a whole 2 cups of flour)

The recipe:

Pineapple Coconut Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from otherpeoplesrecipes.com

Dough:

3/4 cup sourdough starter
1/3 cup milk
1 tblsp sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tblsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 cup flour
1/4 tsp soda

Filling:

8oz crushed pineapple

2tblsp sugar

2 tblsp flour

1 tblsp cinnamon

Topping:

2 tblsp melted butter

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Mix together first 5 ingredients of the dough in a large bowl.  Stir in salt and enough flour to make a soft dough just stiff enough to handle. Turn onto a well-floured board and sprinkle with 1/4 cup flour which has been mixed with soda.  Work flour in and knead for 5 minutes or more, adding more flour as necessary.

Place in a buttered bowl and turn once to butter top.  Cover and let rise until double, about 3 hours.

Punch down, turn onto a floured board and roll into 9" square.  Mix filling ingredients and spread over dough.  Roll and cut into 1 inch slices.  Arrange with sides touching in a 9" cake pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled, 2-3 hours.

Toss topping ingredients and sprinkle over rolls.  Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Overfilled, much? But it made them that much better. Although I can't say I'll be making these often – I hope I plan better and not buy a 20oz can of pineapple when the recipe calls for an 8oz again in the near future – they were definitely worth making. And worth eating.

The only trouble? I've still got 4oz of crushed pineapple left. But...that's been taken care of. Watch for my next post!

Check out our other awesome cinnamon rolls!