Cheddar Cheese Jalapeño Beer Bread

A souvenir is supposed to be a something small, relatively inexpensive article. These mementos, remembrances, or keepsakes are intended to serve as a reminder of an occasion, event, or place visited. Somewhere along the way the concepts of small and relatively inexpensive got lost on me (as in like the sterling silver purchased on a recent trip to New Orleans). However, on my recent trip to Wisconsin I seemed to have found my way back to what a souvenir was intended to be (this probably had more to do with the fact that most stores and galleries were closed for the winter or had limited weekend hours versus me showing souvenir restraint). But to go on a trip and bring back nothing, how crazy is that? For me that would border on being seriously delusional. So in the spirit of maintaining my own sanity, I managed to pick up a few things. Only this time my souvenirs turned out to not be the keeping kind, but instead the perishable kind.

In addition to the warm, freshly made cheese curds (I didn't know how good these are), I came back with some aged cheddar cheese, cherries, and beer. Why, of all things, beer? Well it seems there are some beers you can only buy in Wisconsin (what's up with that?). Since I sort of have a thing for bringing back regional items not found anywhere and everywhere, I couldn't resist buying a couple of six packs. Either I sensed the end of the world was coming (too many post-apoliptic books and television shows) or I had been invaded by a body snatcher as showing moderation and buying relatively inexpensive souvenirs would not be how most of my friends would describe me. Am now hoping whatever alien has found its' way into my pysche hangs around for awhile. Hopefully much longer than the life of the cheese, cherries and beer.

As someone who is a big fan of Rebecca Rather, a chef and cookbook author, born and raised in Texas, I found myself leaning toward making an ever so slight variation to her beer bread recipe. Beer bread may have an ancient history, but there are parts of the country claiming to have significantly contributed to its' sweet and savory evolution. Texas happens to be one of those places. The idea of adding both aged cheddar cheese and jalapeño pepper to a basic beer bread recipe sounded like a pretty good one. And now having consumed more than my fair share of it, I will go on record and say it was a great idea. Wish I had thought of it!

If you like savory breads, this Cheddar Cheese Jalapeño Beer Bread is for you. Of the many words I would use to describe this bread, addictive would be one of them. And not because there is beer in it, but it is really, really hard to have only one slice.

This is a no yeast needed, no kneading involved, and no long sit and let rise waiting time kind of bread. And it all comes together with a wooden spoon and a large mixing bowl. Quick and easy.

When their seeds are removed, Jalapeño peppers are rather mild as well as add great flavor to pretty much everything they are added to. This Cheddar Cheese Jalapeño Beer Bread is no exception. The amount of minced Jalapeño peppers added to this bread is mostly influenced by personal preference. For this bread I used somewhere between six and seven tablespoons or about 1 1/2 Jalapeño peppers.

I had another recipe in mind when I bought the aged cheddar cheese. But it seemed a shame not to use some of it for this one. And six ounces of shredded cheddar cheese wasn't going to take too much of a dent out of my souvenir stash (okay so I bought alot of cheese).

I could not bring myself to use a bottle of the 'you can only get in Wisconsin' beer for this bread. Maybe next time I told myself, maybe. Besides I had other uses in mind for the beer I traveled hundreds of miles for. In choosing a beer for this recipe, be certain to choose one you enjoy drinking because the beer flavor will come through in the bread. This is not one of those recipes where you have to travel to ends of the earth or hundreds of miles to buy one of it's ingredients. Unless you live in remote part of the country, you can probably find most of them within minutes of your home.

Once the beer is added and slowly stirred into the dry ingredients, cheese and jalapeños mixture, the batter becomes very thick. Stir only until the flour is fully incorporated.

Before scraping the batter into the loaf pan, three tablespoons of the melted butter are poured into it. The remaining four tablespoons of the melted butter are poured over the top of the bread batter. Do not smooth out the top of the batter. You want the bumpiest finish possible. To avoid having any butter spill over into the oven and creating a smokey mess during the baking process, place the loaf pan on a baking sheet. In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven the baking time for this bread ranges from 50 to 60 minutes or until the top crust is both bumpy and a golden brown. My baking time ended up being 55 minutes. The hardest part of making this bread was waiting the 10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan and slicing.

The chilled bottles of the 'souvenir' beer went perfectly with the Cheddar Cheese Jalapeño Beer Bread making me glad I had saved them for 'drinking' use. I would not go so far as to say you will feel 'drunk in love' when you taste this bread. I will only say that your level of intoxication from the aroma of the bread baking in the oven and in eating it might have something to do with your tolerance levels. Regardless of whether they are low or high, this bread will leave you feeling pretty gosh darn good.

Recipe
Cheddar Cheese Jalapeño Beer Bread (inspired by Rebecca Rather's recipe in The Pastry Queen cookbook)

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (recommend a two-year aged cheddar)
6-7 Tablespoons minced Jalapeño peppers (about 1 1/2 Jalapeños)
12 ounces good quality beer (the Founders All Day IPA or Blue Moon Belgium White)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9"x5" baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. 
3. Mix in the grated cheddar cheese and minced Jalapeño peppers.
4. Pour in beer and stir until combined with a wooden spoon. Do not beat or over mix. 
5. Pour 3 tablespoons of melted butter in bottom of prepared baking pan.
6. Spoon the batter into the pan.
7. Pour the remaining 4 tablespoons butter evenly over top of the batter.
8. Place baking pan on a baking sheet, place in oven and bake for 50-60 minutes (until top of the crust is bumpy and golden brown). Note: My baking time was 55 minutes.
9. Allow to rest in pan 10 minutes before removing.
10. Slice using a serrated knife. 
11. Serve with butter and/or honey.

Note: The Cheddar Cheese Jalapeño Beer Bread is great served all on its' own with beer, but it is also the perfect accompaniment to pulled pork, chili, and grilled steak or chicken.

Icicles on the rocks along the shore of Lake Michigan.

Pecan Praline Monkey Bread

At some point in my life I must have decided it was sacrilegious to throw magazines away, specifically magazines having anything to do with food. Although I have also been known to hang on to those what I call 'inspiration' magazines for what most would consider longer than necessary. Earlier this week I decided the time had finally come for me to 'let some of them go'. I know of at least one person who secretly hopes I am getting closer to the place of  'let most of them go'. There really are days when I wish there were more minimalist tendencies in my DNA (admittedly I am not taking full responsibility for my 'saving' tendencies). Before parting with some of these magazines, I decided to quickly go through them to see if there was anything worth saving. Flipping though the pages of an old Southern Living magazine, I came across a recipe for a Praline Pull-Apart Bread, otherwise known as a Monkey Bread. This version was frozen yeasted bread rolls dipped in melted butter, rolled in a cinnamon sugar, sprinkled generously with chopped pecans, chilled overnight, slathered in a brown sugar whipped cream mixture and baked until golden brown. There was one less page in the magazine before it was tossed in the recycling bin.

Why did it take me so long to make this Pecan Praline Monkey Bread? Maybe it had something to do with my penchant for 'homemade from scratch' recipes and a blind eye to anything Sandra Lee-esq. But for those of you who read this blog regularly, you know I haven't actually been a 'homemade only' recipe purist as there have been at least two 'semi-homemade' recipes posted in the past year (Wendy's Mashed Potatoes and Four Bean Baked Beans). There always has to be room for exceptions. 

What makes this Pecan Praline Monkey Bread 'semi-homemade' is the use of frozen dinner rolls (I used the smaller ones made by Rhodes). The use of these rolls not only makes this one of those 'almost too easy not to make' breads, they enable you to assemble almost everything the night before, saving the baking for the morning. In a little more than an hour, you can be serving your friends and family warm cinnamon and praline flavored bites of deliciousness. No one will be the wiser that you didn't make the entire Monkey Bread from scratch. And don't be so quick to divulge you didn't slave for hours making it. 

For a deeper praline flavor and even darker finished color to the baked bread, use a combination of light and dark brown sugars. I used equal proportions of the two.

If I were to change one thing the next time I make this Pecan Praline Monkey Bread it would be to use either a 10 inch tube pan or a larger, wider bundt pan. The pan I used worked, but a larger pan would have worked better. Ideally you want to keep as much of the praline 'glaze' in the pan versus having any of it spill over out of the pan. The frozen bread dough not only rises while resting overnight in the refrigerator, it rises significantly during the baking process. There is no need to thaw the frozen dinner rolls in the preparation of this bread as they 'thaw' in the refrigerator after being dipped in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar.

Once all of the dough balls have been placed in the pan and pecans sprinkled throughout, the pan is wrapped with plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator for 8 to 18 hours. Note: Don't wait until all of dinner rolls are placed in the baking pan before adding the pecans. Sprinkle a half cup of the chopped pecans when half of the dinner rolls are in the pan and the other half cup over the top of the finished layer of dinner rolls.

The heavy cream is whipped until very soft peaks are formed. The brown sugars and vanilla are stirred into the whipped cream and,the entire mixture is spread and pressed lightly over the dough balls. In a preheated 325 degree (F) oven, the bread is placed on a baking sheet and baked for 60 to 70 minutes or until golden brown.

The baked Monkey bread should rest for approximately 10 minutes before it's unmolded onto a rimmed platter or rimmed cake stand. Pour any of the remaining praline glaze remaining in the baking pan over the bread before serving.

While this Pecan Praline Monkey Bread is best served warm, it is still good at room temperature. You can always reheat individual servings of the bread in the microwave (on half-power) to recapture the taste of its' warm, ooey gooey goodness. 

Now that the groundhog has seen his shadow it looks like some of us will not be getting any relief from the harsh, cold, snowy winter weather any time soon. This Pecan Praline Monkey Bread would be perfect for breakfast or brunch; after a morning of snow shoveling or cross-country skiing; a morning walk or hike; or, just because you crave the flavors of cinnamon and praline. Semi-homemade never tasted so good. I wonder what else I might find in those stacks of magazines.

Recipe
Pecan Praline Monkey Bread (inspired by Southern Living's Praline Pull-Apart Bread recipe, December 2009)

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon, divided
2 pounds frozen bread rolls, do not thaw (recommend Rhodes White Dinner Rolls) Note: Used 24 of the small dinner rolls.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 generous cup pecan halves, chopped
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup brown sugar (recommend using equal parts of light and dark brown sugars)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Note: The Rhodes dinner rolls came in a three pound package, however, you only need two pounds of them for this recipe. I used the package containing 36 small white dinner rolls.

Directions
1. Spray a 10 inch tube or 10 inch bundt pan with oil. Set aside.
2. Combine granulated sugar and three teaspoons cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.
3. Dip each bread roll in melted sugar, dredge in sugar mixture, and place in prepared pan. (Note: When half of the rolls have been placed in the pan, sprinkle in half of the chopped pecans. Finish dredging remaining bread rolls and sprinkle remaining pecans over the top. Pour any remaining cinnamon sugar into the pan.)
4. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 8 to 18 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
6. Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir in brown sugar, remaining one teaspoon cinnamon and vanilla. Pour/spread mixture over the dough.
7. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 60 to 70 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool on wire rack for ten minutes. Invert on cake stand or platter. Drizzle with remaining glaze from the pan.

In the Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), December 2014

Cranberry Nut Bread

I have come to realize that basements and attics are not my friends. Instead they conspire to keep me from throwing things away or at least make it easier for me to procrastinate on making the throw away/sell/give away decisions. Over the years I have, with much reluctance and some remorse, thrown away many cooking magazines, however, I cannot seem to be able to part with my back issues of Fine Cooking, Cook's Illustrated and Saveur. For me these are the magazines that have taught me the most about cooking, significantly added to my knowledge about food, and have been sources of inspiration. Even in this day and age of the searchability and accessibility of recipes on the internet, nothing replaces the experience of leafing through a back issue of a food magazine (and not every recipe printed in every magazine has an accessible electronic version).

As I was trying to reduce the clutter and chaos I have created in the basement, my stream of thoughts went something like this, 'when is the last time you went through those boxes containing old issues of food magazines?', 'how many of the recipes in those magazines are you really ever going to make?', 'how many of those recipes do you really want to make?',  and 'even if you made one recipe a week from all of those magazines how many decades or rather centuries would that take?' As I was on the cusp of a moment of rationality and on the verge of making decluttering progress, I came across a recipe for a Cranberry Nut Bread in a back issue of Cook's Illustrated. Not just any Cranberry Nut Bread recipe, but 'the best Cranberry Nut Bread' recipe. Finding a recipe with the words 'cranberry' and 'best' in them was enough to convince me to hold on to those back issues. Not to mention that I suddenly I found a reason to justify the purchase of some small loaf pans I picked up at an estate sale. So much for having a moment of rationality.

In addition to using cranberries to make the (best ever) Spiced Cranberry and Dried Cherry Chutney and (insanely delicious) Nantucket Cranberry Pie, I had found another recipe to put my love of cranberries to good use.

Whenever cranberries come into season I cannot walk through the produce aisle without either putting a bag in my cart or just admiring their deep red color (my affinity for the color red is due in large part to the colors of a school district I had once worked in, one having an Indian as a mascot). In a sea of mostly greens, yellows and a little bit of orange, red cranberries reign as one of the most beautiful, versatile, deliciously tart autumnal fruits.

To coarsely chop the cranberries for the bread I used a small food processor. After measuring one and one half cups of cranberries, I processed them them batches to ensure they were not liquified or finely minced. You can easily chop them with a knife, but the food processor worked well.

Like in many cranberry recipes, the orange plays a critical supporting role. In the list of ingredients in this 'best' recipe, only one orange was listed. But for whatever reason, I needed two Valencia oranges to get 1/3 cup of orange juice (sometimes it is a good thing when I buy more than what I need). In addition to the juice from the oranges, the bread contains one tablespoon of orange zest. The combination of the tart cranberries and sweetness of the oranges makes for a bread with great flavor.

Like most 'quick' breads, this bread also comes together in a bowl (no need to bring out the mixer). The wet ingredients are combined with the dry ingredients just until the entire mixture is moistened and no streaks of flour can be seen. The coarsely chopped cranberries and toasted pecans are then gently mixed in. Over mixing a 'quick' bread results in a somewhat tough and without a tender crumb bread due to too much gluten in the flour. Note: While the Cook's Illustrated called for using toasted pecans, toasted walnuts and even pistachios would pair well with the cranberries.

After spraying the small loaf pans with vegetable spray and lining them with parchment paper, the batter was divided equally among them. Whenever I am dividing a batter between two or more pans I always weigh them to ensure uniformity in baking.

The breads are first baked for 20 minutes in a 375 degree preheated oven. The oven temperature is then reduced to 350 degrees and they continue to bake until lightly golden or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. For the smaller loaf pans, the breads baked for an additional 20 minutes. However, if using a 9"x5" pan, the cranberry nut bread will continue to bake upwards of 40-45 minutes.

This is a dense, moist bread. I added some sparkling sugar on top of the breads before placing them in the oven (for some added crunch and a little bit of sparkle), however, they would be equally delicious without it (although maybe just a little less pretty). This is one of those breads so flavorful and scrumptious (the kind where you want more than one slice) all on its own, a schmear of butter or cream cheese would actually ruin it.

In a season where everyone is making pumpkin or banana bread, the Cranberry Nut Bread is a refreshing change. Whether you are making it to enjoy at home or packaging it up to gift friends and neighbors, it should definitely be one of the breads you make while cranberries are still in season. It might end up being declared the 'best' cranberry nut bread by more than just me and Cook's Illustrated. And hopefully you will be as happy as I am that I hung on to my 1999 issue while still managing to  reduce the clutter and chaos in the basement and throwing away quite a few 'they shall remain nameless' magazines.

Recipe
Cranberry Nut Bread (adapted from the Cook's Illustrated Cranberry Nut-Bread recipe, 1999)

Ingredients
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (used 2 Valencia medium sized oranges)
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
2/3 cup buttermilk
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, measured first then coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, toasted then coarsely chopped (toasted walnuts or pistachios would work as well)
Optional: White Sanding Sugar for finishing

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line three 3.5"x6" pans or one 9"x5" pan with parchment paper, spraying sides and bottom of pan with vegetable spray. Set aside.
2. Coarsely chop cranberries (if using a food processor, chop in batches). Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together buttermilk, orange juice, orange zest, melted butter and egg until combined. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula stir until just moistened. Stir in cranberries and pecans (be careful to not over mix).
6. Divide equally into the three pans or pour all batter into a single pan. Liberally sprinkle sparkling sugar, if using. 
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean. Important note: If baking in a 9"x5" loaf pan, baking time will be an additional 40 to 45 minutes.
8. Cool bread in pan(s) for at least 10 minutes, then transfer bread to wire rack to cool at least one hour before cutting.

Cape Neddick Lighthouse in York, Maine (photo taken in September 2014).

Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah, Massachusetts, Martha's Vineyard (photo taken in September 2014)

Portland Headlight Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine (photo taken in the fall, 2013)

Sweet New England Cornbread

Every time I open up the basket of bread brought to a table in a restaurant I secretly hope it will contain some freshly baked cornbread. There is something so comforting about eating some warm homemade cornbread slathered in a bit of butter or honey that I find myself craving it more often than I would like to admit. It is probably the choices of restaurants I frequent, but this hope of mine is usually a tad unrealistic (I have yet to come across an Italian or French restaurant serving a basket of cornbread).

The author of The Cornbread Gospels discovered after six years of research there are more than 200 versions of cornbread recipes. It should not be surprising that the cornbread preferences and recipes differ nationally and globally. Nationally the differences between cornbread preferences in the north and south are significant. Southern-style cornbread is made with very little sugar, while the northern-style cornbread is discernibly sweeter (as much as I am partial to certain regions of the south, I definitely skew to cornbread on the sweeter side).

Until I came across a recipe for Sweet New England Cornbread in Yankee Magazine I really didn't have a corn bread recipe I was crazy for. I can now go on record and say I finally have a deliriously delicious cornbread recipe. I no longer have to secretly wish for a basket of warm homemade cornbread brought to a table in a restaurant, because I can now satisfy that need at home.

Is it just me or do others go to grocery stores to seek out need local ingredients to bring back home when vacationing or visiting new places? On my list of the things I absolutely had to bring back from the east coast was some local stone ground yellow and white corn meal for pie and crostata crusts I was planning on making in the weeks and months ahead. It wasn't as if I needed another reason to buy some cornmeal, but coming across the recipe for New England cornbread using stone ground yellow corn meal only served to further reaffirm why I just had to bring back some with me. Food as a kind of souvenirs, who else imagines such things?

With the exception of stone ground cornmeal all of the ingredients for this cornbread are probably in your refrigerator or cupboards. This could not be a more simple recipe and one that comes together in less than 40 minutes (from beginning to end).

The flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt are whisked together in a medium sized bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, the eggs are lightly whisked before the milk and melted butter are mixed in.

The wet ingredients are poured over the dry ingredients and folded in until just combined. There will be lumps, do not worry. If you over mix this, then you can worry.

In a nine inch square pan lined with parchment paper that has been buttered or sprayed with vegetable spray, the batter is poured in. 

The cornbread is baked in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. My baking time was 20 minutes.

This cornbread is over the top delicious served warm out of the oven, however, it retains its' deliciousness even when served warm temperature. If you are looking to make your family and friends have a faint of heart cornbread eating experience, serve it to them warm with a side of butter or honey.

 Recipe
Sweet New England Cornbread (adaptation of Yankee Magazine's Sweet New England Cornbread recipe)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (recommend King Arthur)
1 cup stone-ground (medium grind) cornmeal (recommend Kenyon's Stone Ground Yellow Cornmeal) 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk (or 2 %)

Note: The type of cornmeal used will alter the texture of the cornbread. A medium grind corn meal will yield a cornbread with a pleasant crunch while a finely ground cornmeal will yield a lighter in texture cornbread).

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch square baking pan (line with parchment paper and spray or butter).
2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Whisk in milk and melted butter.
4. Pour dry ingredients over wet ingredients and fold just until combined (do not over mix).
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter and/or honey.

I was able to get a small dose of the east coast last weekend as I traveled to Rhode Island to visit some friends. During some of my discretionary alone time I sought to capture as many of my favorite images as possible, keeping my fingers crossed that the backdrop for all of my photos would be a beautiful blue New England sky (not that gray isn't a good color, there is just something special about the color blue). Whether or not my finger crossing had anything to do with influencing the color of the sky, the shades of blue were absolutely beautiful, the kind of energizing beautiful that makes you want to pinch yourself.

Of the many things I love about New England are its' diverse landscapes, each one of them having their own mesmerizing beauty. In a very small square mile radius you can view the ocean, historic homes, farms, vineyards, and wildlife (the kind of beauty that would make you never want to leave, except of course to live near the mountains).

The wind coming off the ocean on the day I tried to capture some images of the water was so wicked I had to keep going back into the car to warm my fingers (taking photos with gloves wasn't working too well). But enduring the icy cold ocean wind was a small, insignificant price to pay for being able to take in and capture the water, the waves, and the rocks that were illuminated by the sun. On the day I was out taking photos in the town I had lived for the past couple of years, the weather was crisp, sunny and still with the skies remaining blue. They were both 'be still my heart' photographing moments.

If you looked at my camera you would find many similar images to the ones I had taken this past weekend. And even though it may seem to some there is little diversity in the landscape photos I take (although anyone thinking this would not have a very good eye), the color of the sky, weather and the seasons makes each of them unique. So whether I stood in the same place everyday for a year taking a photo of the same landscape no two would be the same. I have always wondered why I am so drawn to taking photos of landscapes (versus photos of people). Whatever the reason I hope I never tire of my passion for trying to capture some of nature's beauty. Because if one gives up trying on anything or anyone they are passionate about/for, one never knows what they might miss out on.

Edna's Houska

Everything I ate in the home of my childhood best friend's parents was incredibly delicious. And once I got over my hesitancy to try new foods, I was able to experience the full range of Italian and Polish dishes served in their home. Edna and Andy were as amazing as parents as they were cooks. This perspective (seen first through the eyes of a ten year old) was one that never changed. I may have been one of those kids who almost spent as much time at their dinner table as their children did. In retrospect, the genesis of my love of gathering friends and family around food began in their home. So each time I make one of Edna's recipes, it feels as if I am momentarily time traveling back to those carefree days of my youth. So the other day I decided to make Edna's Houska.

So what exactly is Houska? Well here is the simple answer. It is a rich, egg, slightly sweet yeast bread, one that almost every Eastern European culture (especially the Polish, Czech and Bohemian cultures) has a name for or version of. Typically the bread is braided, studded with golden raisins (although some versions omit the raisins) and contains candied fruit (or lemon zest). It is a bread traditionally associated with the Christmas, New Year or at Easter holidays. Around which holiday or holidays the Houska is served generally depends on traditions of the various Eastern European cultures where some version of the bread is made. Just like Challah (another sweet yeast bread) is eaten year round and traditions aside, I actually think it would be a shame to enjoy this incredibly flavorful, moist bread a few times a year. And getting a bit of a youthful jolt shouldn't have to be limited either.

When I first received this recipe from Edna, the mother of my childhood best friend, my initial reactions were 'maybe this is beyond my culinary capacity, maybe I will just to have to wait until I am invited for Easter dinner to experience it again, and why didn't I spend time watching her cook than I did eating hat she made'. These were just a few of my thought process I had (and remembered from) more than 30 years ago. Yes, this is how long I have had this recipe. Many things have changed over the course of the past 30 years, including how I view the making of this bread. It is actually not as complicated as my first impression lead me to believe. 

This is a bread recipe using cake yeast as opposed to granulated yeast. The cake yeast is usually found in the refrigerated dairy section of the grocery store. In addition to the yeast, eggs, milk, sugar, flour, Imperial margarine, golden raisins, lemon zest, vanilla and salt are all you need to make this sweet bread.

Sometimes when a recipe calls for the zest of a lemon we think of it as an optional ingredient. If that thought has ever crossed your mind before, this bread will have you make a permanent paradigm shift.

It all begins with scalding one cup of milk over medium-high heat in a medium sized saucepan. The milk is heated through enough to be considered scalded when small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Once it reaches this state, remove from heat and add in the Imperial margarine, vanilla, lemon zest, sugar and salt. Stir until the butter and sugar have melted. The margarine will melt easier if you cut it up into tablespoons. The milk mixture should be lukewarm (you want to be certain not to cook the eggs) before you add the four lightly beaten eggs and the yeast/water mixture. After stirring and blending these ingredients, pour into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Six cups of flour are added one at a time, each one being fully incorporated before adding the next one. After all of the flour is added, the golden raisins are mixed in for approximately one minute or until blended in the dough. You will think the dough needs more flour because it will be slightly sticky. Resist the temptation to add more flour as you will end up with a drier, less moist bread.

The dough is scraped onto a lightly floured surface and kneaded for several minutes (or until it is not longer sticky and has a smooth finish). The kneaded dough is placed in a large buttered bowl. Before covering the bowl with plastic wrap, turn the dough bowl over so all sides of the bread are coated in butter. Place the covered bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour to allow it to double in size.

After the dough has gone through the first rise, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. The dough is cut into 4 equal pieces. Each quarter is then cut in half (so you end up with 8 equal pieces).

Each piece is rolled into a log approximately 14-16 inches in length. The braids are formed by using two of the logs. When the logs are formed, tuck each end under and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. The finished braided logs are covered with a light towel (flour sack towels work best) and the dough goes through a second rising period of 1 hour. Because the logs will almost double in size, I use two baking sheets.

The beautiful golden finish on the Houska comes from the egg wash. Using the two remaining eggs, separate the eggs. Using only the yolks, add 2 teaspoons of water and stir until well blended. Brush each of the loaves so the entire surface of the dough is covered. Place baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove baking sheets from the oven and transfer breads to a cooling rack. I generally bake my bread in the center of the oven, one baking sheet at a time. I envy those of you with double ovens.

Houska is delicious all on its' own, but when you schmear room temperature butter on it, it goes from simply delicious to additively delicious. Loaves of this bread will disappear before your eyes. Literally. It is also one of those breads perfect for making french toast or a bread pudding. That is, if you have any left after serving it. While eating this bread may not bring you back to your youth, it will bring you to a place you will want to return to again and again. Yes, life is too short to exercise restraint in making this bread for only one or two holidays a year. 

Recipe
Edna's Houska
Makes 2 very large or 4 perfect sized loaves

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
1 cup (8 ounces/226g) margarine (recommend either Land O'Lakes or Imperial), cut into tablespoons
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Zest of one lemon
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 ounces cake of yeast (dissolved in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water) See notes
6 large eggs, room temperature, divided
6 cups (768g) of all purpose flour, plus more as need and when kneading
15 ounces (425g) golden raisins

Directions
1. Scald milk. Add margarine, sugar, salt, zest of lemon and vanilla. Stir until margarine and sugar are melted. Remove from heat.
2. Lightly whisk 4 eggs until blended.
3. When milk mixture is lukewarm (95-105 degrees F), add lightly beaten eggs and yeast/water mixture. Stir until combined. Transfer to bowl of a standing mixer.'
4. Fit standing mixer with bread dough hook. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing until blended with each cup. Dough will be rather sticky. 
5. Add raisins and mix at medium speed until combined (less than 1 minute)
6.  Lightly flour a surface. Put all dough on floured surface and knead for several minutes (until dough is no longer sticky and comes together in a smooth ball). Kneading will take approximately 3-4 minutes. Note: Continue adding flour as needed while kneading. Dough should not stick to the surface before putting in the buttered bowl.
7. Place dough in a well buttered bowl. Turn dough over so all sides of the dough are covered in butter. Cover dough with plastic wrap, top with a light weight towel, and let rise in warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
8. Lightly flour a surface. Remove dough from the bowl and place on lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 6 or 9 equal pieces. (6 pieces for 2 large loaves or 9 pieces for three perfect sized loaves).
9. Roll each piece into a log. Braid two logs (tucking ends under) and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Continue until you have 4 braided logs. Note: Alternately, cut each piece of dough into 3 pieces and braid accordingly.
10. Cover braided logs with a light weight towel (use flour sack towels if you have them). Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
12. Make an egg wash using remaining 2 eggs but use the egg yolks only. Mix in 2 teaspoons of water (or milk) into 2 egg yolks and whisk until well blended. Brush wash on top of dough. Make sure the entire surface of bread is covered with egg wash. Note: Adding milk instead of water will create a more golden baked bread surface.
13. Bake for approximately 20 - 24 minutes (top will be beautifully browned).  When tapped, the bread will sound hollow.
14. Transfer bread to a cooling rack. Allow to cool to room temperature.
14. Using a serrated knife, slice and serve with softened butter.

Notes: (1) Recipe updated April 2020. (2) If you cannot find cake yeast in the refrigerated section of your grocery store use three 1/4 ounce packages of the granulated active yeast. (3) When measuring the flour I used a 128 per cup weight.

Over the course of my lifetime thus far my perspectives on a variety of things and people have either remained unchanged or have changed (nothing insightful about this observation, I mean really, what other options are there? Sometimes I can say the most ridiculous things. But bear with me, if you can stop laughing that is, this is going somewhere). Whether those perspectives are reaffirmed or altered is mostly dependent on how I choose to see them. I came across a quote the other day 'What we see mainly depends on what we look for.' The more I thought about it, the more I thought maybe there was wisdom in those words. The more time I spend looking for the positive, for the potential, or for goodness, the more I see. The more time I spend on finding reasons to not like something or someone, to focus on differences, or to pass judgment, the less I see (in them).

Had I never gotten over my reluctance to try new foods when I was younger, I may never have come to appreciate the wonderful foods served in the home of Andy and Edna or have had the opportunity to spend so much time at their dinner table or have learned early on how to make friends and family feel so welcomed, so special. I could go on with a million (maybe not a million, maybe hundreds) of examples of the outcomes associated with what I looked for in my experiences and in others. But regardless of how many of these I might share, I still come to the same conclusion. Yes, I really do believe the wisdom in the words 'what we see mainly depends on what we look for.' How we choose to see experiences or people really does affects our memories, relationships, and yes, maybe even our destinies.