Week 6 Homemade Amish Pretzels

  Pretzels

• 1¼ cup warm water (warmer than lukewarm but not too warm!)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 cup bread flour
• 2 cup self-rising flour (make self-rising flour by whisking together 2 cups of pastry or cake flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt - be sure to re-measure the 2 cups for this recipe after you've made the self-rising flour)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• ½ cup baking soda
• 3 cups hot water (not too hot, you'll be sticking your hands in it!)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• rock salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix yeast and 1¼ cup warm water. Let sit for 2 minutes.
2. Add brown sugar, bread flour, self-rising flour and vegetable oil to the yeast and mix to combine completely.
3. Knead on a lightly-floured surface until you have a nice ball of dough. If you're using your stand mixer, knead with the dough hook for a few minutes until a ball forms. You do not want to over-knead the dough.
4. If you're using your stand mixer, remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a clean towel or cloth. If you knead the dough by hand, place in a greased bowl and cover with a cloth. Let rise for 45 minutes, until just about double in size.
5. Preheat oven to 450º F.
6. Clean your countertop well. Spray some non-stick oil spray onto a small part of your counter off to the side and dump your dough ball out onto that greased part of the counter. Form a uniform rectangle and then cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
7. To form the pretzels, pick up a piece of dough and roll/stretch it out into a long thin rope on the un-greased portion of your countertop. You want the rope to be quite long, about an arm's length, and quite skinny. Make a U shape with the dough, then lift the two ends and twist them around each other twice, then attach the two ends at the bottom of the U to form the pretzel shape. Click here to see a video demonstration.
8. Whisk together baking soda and hot water in a large bowl. Get a clean dish towel, folded, and place it next to the bowl. Dip the formed pretzel into the solution then blot the bottom side of the pretzel on the towel before placing on a greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with a Silpat. (You should whisk up the water before each dip as the baking soda settles quickly.)
9. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until pretzels are a dark golden brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with rock salt. If you want to make cinnamon-sugar pretzels, dip the cooked pretzels completely in butter then coat in cinnamon sugar.
10. Best served fresh out of the oven. Leftovers can be reheated in a 325º oven for about 4 minutes.

Cheese Sauce for pretels:

·       ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter

·       ½ Tablespoon all-purpose flour

·       ½ cup milk

·      8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

To make the cheese sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Week 5 Pumpkin Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin meets Gingerbread with Maple Frosting

Ingredients

3 cups of flour
3 tsp of pumpkin spice mix
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger

2 cups of brown sugar
2 cups of pumpkin puree
1 cup of oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp Molasses
1 tsp of maple extract or vanilla

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. You will need two bowls. In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients together. Combine and mix all wet ingredients with sugar in a larger bowl. Add flour into wet ingredients slowly, mixing after each addition. Continue until all combined. Using parchment paper on cookie sheets or a Silpat. Make cookie size rounds on baking sheet. Continue until all of the dough has been used. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool.

Maple Frosting

1 cup of room temperature unsalted butter
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp of Maple extract
2-3 Powdered sugar

Cream butter, add a pinch of salt, add tbs of maple extract, add 3 cups of powdered sugar and mix together until fluffy. If needed add 1 tsp of milk until the desired consistency is achieved.

Place frosting in between two cookies to make whoopie pies.

Week 4 Chinese Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken Lo Mein - get stir-frying with the easiest and most scrumptious chicken lo mein recipe. Forget take-out, whip this up at home!

Ingredients 

For Sauce 

1 tbsp brown sugar packed 

2 tbsp soy sauce low sodium 

2 tbsp dark soy sauce 

1 tbsp oyster sauce 

1 tsp hoisin sauce 

1 tsp ground black pepper 

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tsp of Chinese 5 spice 

For Chicken 

1 lb chicken breasts skinless and boneless, cut into small pieces 

2 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tsp fresh ginger minced 

3 cloves garlic minced 

2 tbsp olive oil 

For Veggies 

2 tbsp olive oil 

2 cups shiitake mushrooms sliced 

1 cup Chinese cabbage shredded 

1 cup carrots julienned 

1 large onion chopped 

1 cup of bok choy

1 cup Chinese broccoli or regular broccoli

1 cup of celery

1 cup of bean sprouts

1 cup of green onions for garnish

Lo Mein noodles, Asian style noodles, ramen noodles, or any other noodle

 

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. 

2. In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together, then set aside. 

3. In another medium-sized bowl toss together the chicken with the soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. 

4. Heat the olive oil well in a large wok. Your wok should be nice and hot before adding the chicken to it. Add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken starts to brown and is no longer pink inside. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. 

5. Add the other 2 tbsp of olive oil to the wok then add the shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, onion, and all other veggies you are using to the wok. Cook for a minute while tossing around. 

6. Add the chicken back to the wok. Add the cooked noodles, prepared sauce and toss everything together. Turn off the heat. 

Week 3 Pumpkin Coffee Cake

This moist pumpkin crumb cake is a soft, seasonally flavored pumpkin cake infused with the best flavors of fall (think pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and real pumpkin) and topped off with a buttery cinnamon crumble topping!

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Ingredients

·       ¾ cup unsalted butter melted (allow it to cool several minutes after melting, you do not want it to be too hot or it will melt your sugars)

·       ½ cup sugar

·       ¼ cup brown sugar tightly packed

·       2 large eggs lightly beaten (room temperature preferred)

·       1 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling

·       1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

·       2 Tablespoons Greek yogurt

·       1¼ cup all-purpose flour

·       2 teaspoons pumpkin spice

·       ¾ teaspoon baking powder

·       ¾ teaspoon baking soda

·       ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil.

2.    Combine melted butter and sugars in a large bowl and stir until well-combined

3.    Add eggs, stir well

4.    Stir in pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until well combined.

5.    Add sour cream and stir until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are well combined.

6.    In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

7.    Using a spatula, gradually add dry ingredients and wet and stir until just combined -- do not over-mix!

8.    Spread batter evenly into a prepared 9x9 pan or fill cupcake tins with batter.

For the crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter cold and cut into small squares
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream

1. To make the crumb topping, add flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a medium bowl and cut together with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until you have coarse crumbs.
2. Sprinkle with the crumb topping.
3. Bake coffee cake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool 30 minutes before glazing and serving.
4. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk or cream until smooth.
5. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Week 2 Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

Make filling:

8oz cream cheese-room temperature

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon pie spice

pinch salt

Combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup maple syrup, remaining 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon pie spice, and pinch salt; set aside.

Spread 2 tablespoons filling on each crêpe and roll up. Top with whipped cream, pecans or confectioners’ sugar. Serve with syrup.

Week 2 - Pumpkin Crepes

Pumpkin Crepe Batter

·       2 eggs

·       3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree

·       1 cup milk

·       3/4 cup water

·       2 tablespoons butter, melted

·       2 cups flour

·       1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

·       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·       1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

·       1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

1.    Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl then whisk in pumpkin puree, milk, water, and butter until combined. Whisk in remaining Pumpkin Crepe Batter ingredients and beat until smooth.

2.    Heat a lightly greased crepe pan, griddle, or nonstick skillet pan over medium-high heat. Pour batter using 1/4 measuring cup on the griddle/skillet and tilt pan in a circular motion to spread batter. Cook crepes approximately 1 minute or until bottom is lightly golden, flip and cook another 30 seconds or until cooked through. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

Fill with Nutella, fresh fruit, or whipped cream.