Happy 2024!!
New Year's Buffet: I love those get togethers when the food is on the table or counter for a buffet. Easy to pick up, at room temperature or just warm are the key to easy hosting and enjoying the time with family and friends yourself. Look ahead to make as much as you can ahead of time, so now is the time to start baking and prepping what you can. New Year’s Eve parties often starts later in the evening. Some like a full meal, others a lighter buffet. Now’s the time to put out your favorite foods and snacks. Follow this New Year's Buffet link to great recipes for New Year’s. (New Year's recipes after Thanksgiving recipe)
Say goodbye to 2023 and let’s welcome a new year in with more light, hope and kindness. #BeTheLight
Bring the hostages home.
(Sweet Yeast) Cinnamon-Raisin Bread
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Start off the New Year with this delicious Sweet Yeast Cinnamon Bread. Eat the bread plain and warm, just out of the oven, pop in in the toaster and slather with butter, eat it with breakfast, lunch or dinner or as a snack. There’s never a time this bread doesn’t taste amazingly good. I’ve given you two fillings. Pick which one you want or make half, and put 1 filling in half the loaves and the other filling in the other half. You may also make different size loaves, as explained in the suggestions. I made the bread with my sour dough starter and have included directions at the end of the recipe.
The bread comes out of the oven with an aroma you’ll remember!
Foodie Lit
Gila Green has written a psychological novel with suspense, a bit of romance and a well developed main character, Luna Levi, who confronts major dysfunctions in her home. Constant emotional and financial disasters are on the horizon. Luna, 19 years old, is Canadian with Israeli/Yemenite roots. Moving into adulthood, she's cast in the role of saving her family. She doesn’t want this role, wanting to escape to college, normalcy, and building her own life. Enter Ian, a supportive young man who falls in love with Luna. Luna trusts no one yet Ian grows on her as he offers the unconditional support that she had yearned for. Gila is an elegant writer. I have loved all of her books- they would make great Book Club selections!
Reviews of Gila Green's other novels: White Zion and No Entry
(Sweet Yeast) Cinnamon-Raisin Bread
Yield 4 loaves
Bread
2 cups warm water
2 packages active yeast
OR
2 cups sour dough starter/levain plus 2 teaspoons yeast (see end of recipe for directions how to make a sour dough starter)
2 cups warm water
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups gluten flour
4 cups all purpose flour
Fillings
Cinnamon Raisin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups golden or black raisins or a mix of the two
1 cup brown sugar, packed
Mocha Walnut
2 cups walnuts, chopped finely
3 teaspoons instant coffee
1/4 cup cocoa powder (not a mix)
3/4 cups sugar
Zest of 1 orange, optional
Prep
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Pour warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top. If using the sour dough starter, Pour starter into a bowl. Add the yeast. For both, wait a few minutes to see if the mixture bubbles. That shows the rest is working.
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Add warm water, vegetable oil and brown sugar. Mix to combine.
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Mix salt, ginger, cinnamon and gluten flour together. Add to yeast mixture and combine.
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Add 2 cups of all purpose flour. Mix. Add more flour until no more can be added while dough is in the bowl.
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Sprinkle a clean surface with a tablespoon or flour. Turn out dough and knead, adding flour when sticky. Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add about 2 tablespoons oil in bottom of bowl Add dough.
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Cover bowl with clean cloth or plastic wrap and set in a draft free location. Let rise until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
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Punch down and remove from bowl. Cut into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a rectangle, and brush with oil.
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Mix the filling ingredients together. Divide the filling mixture into 4 sections. Sprinkle onto dough. Shape into a jelly roll style, rolling with your fingers. Seal edges with a bit of water on your fingers. Repeat .with other pieces of bread dough
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Spray loaf pans with oil. Place the rolled up dough pieces seam side down in loaf pan.
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Cover and let rise in a draft free place for about 45 minutes or until the tops of the loaves are even or above the tops of the loaf pans. Preheat oven to 375 F.
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Brush loaves with oil and sprinkle tops of loaves with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
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Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the loaves are golden and the bottom of the loaf sound hollow when tapped.
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Run a thin knife around the edge y.of the loaf pans handshake a little to make sure the loaf can come out of the pan easily. Turn the loaf pan over and place the loaf on a rack to cool.
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To freeze: Wait until the loaves are room temperature. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. I then put each loaf into a freezer bag and label it with date and what it is. Enjoy!
#vegan #bread #breakfast
Expandthetable suggestions
Different size loaves: You can make mini loaves in the same manner as described above. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. You can also make loaves into spirals and bake on a parchment lined oven proof baking sheet. I made several different sizes, keep one loaf and gave the rest away, wishing friends a sweet new year!
Reduce the sugar: Use Brown Sugar Trivia and Stevia in place of sugars in recipe.
How to make a Sour Dough Starter
1. On the first day, in a clean jar, mix 1/2 cup rye flour and 1/2 cup warm water. Mix, cover and place out of drafts.
2. On each of the next 5-6 days, add equal amounts of all purpose flour and water (1/2 cup or less) maintaining the batter-like consistency. If there is too much liquid, pour out a bit to maintain correct consistency.
3. On day 5 or 6, bubbles should start to appear and there should be a yeasty smell. Continue to add ½ cup eachof water and flour as before and mix well by hand. You will need 1 1/2 cups of starter for this recipe and you can save the rest for other recipes. Let the jar sit out on the counter if you are going to use it soon or refrigerate it if you want it to last a bit. You will need to keep on feeding the starter. Some people have maintained starters for years! Fee free to email mail if you have any questions! I love using the starter, but you do have to plan ahead.
