Volume 9, Issue 126 - December 26, 2005

Hello ,

Bread plays an important part in holiday feasts. Today I have four recipes from around the world. I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with the first three contributors today. One from North Carolina, another from the great Yukon and finally Jean from California...or is it Oregon? Jean can be just about anywhere and is still cooking where ever she is. Finally a recipe from Clive Britcher from Venezuela. We have not met YET, but I think we will some day. His recipe is very unique.

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Holiday Breakfast Bread

Ingredients:

pecans, chopped, whatever amount you desire
20 Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls
1 package butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 stick butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and thoroughly butter a Bundt pan.

Sprinkle chopped pecans in the bottom of the pan. Place the frozen dinner rolls in the pan over top of the pecans. Sprinkle the butterscotch pudding over top of the dinner rolls.

Melt butter and brown sugar in pan until sugar is dissolved and then pour over the pudding topped rolls.

Put this together the night before and let it sit on counter over-night for rolls to defrost and rise by morning.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until rolls are baked.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Gina Paul

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Perishki

Ingredients:

1 loaf of bread dough (your favourite or thawed frozen dough)
1/2 pound of bacon, sliced in 1/4 inch strips
1/2 of a large onion, diced
24 ounce jar of sauerkraut
1/4 to 1/2 pound butter
6 to 8 large cloves of garlic, minced

Preparation:

Let dough rise and punch down. In the meantime, cook bacon until cooked, but not crisp and remove from pan. Add diced onion and caramelize on low heat. Drain and rinse sauerkraut. Squeeze out any excess moisture and add to the onions. Return the bacon to the pan. Sauté until all moisture is gone and the sauerkraut starts to brown. Cool mixture.

Pinch or cut off "walnut" size piece of bread dough and form into a small circle with slightly floured fingers. Place about 2 teaspoons of the sauerkraut mixture in the center and form a 1/2 inch by 2 inch oblong bun, by pinching edges and tucking under ends. Place on a greased pan to let rise until double. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Sauté minced garlic in butter over low heat, until just cooked. Drizzle garlic butter over buns and serve.

The buns can be made well in advance and frozen. Then just warm the buns and prepare the garlic butter drizzle at the last minute.

Tip: I cut the dough in half and place one half in the fridge until I get the first half done, so it does not continue to rise, as it tends to take time to get the first half done.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Chef Marlene Cochrane

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Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

2 8-ounce packages butterflake rolls torn apart
1/4 pound butter plus additional for buttering Bundt pan
1 clove garlic minced
2 teaspoons parsley, minced
1 teaspoon chives, minced
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter an 8 to 9 inch Bundt pan.

Melt the 1/4 pound butter and add herbs. Dip rolls in herb butter and arrange overlapped in pan. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Chef Jean Denham, CC

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Pan de Jamón
Bread with Ham, Raisins and Olives

Pan de Jamón (Ham Bread) is a traditional recipe here in Venezuela around Christmas time. Where the heck it came from, or how it developed, I have no idea, because it is such a strange mixture of things. The recipe is taken from the definitive tome on Venezuelan Cooking, " Mi Cocina", by Armando Scannone. However, I have actually made this recipe and it is delicious! So get baking!

Makes 1 loaf, about 10 portions

Ingredients:

45 gms (about 3 tablespoons) yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 kg (about 1 pound) bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
1 egg
6 to 8 tablespoons warm milk
1/2 kg (about 1 pound) thinly sliced ham (use good quality ham)
25 green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
3/4 cup raisins
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation:

Place the yeast, water and sugar in a small receptacle, mix together and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

Place the flour on a work surface, open a hole in the middle and add the yeast mixture, the sugar, the salt, the butter and the egg. Start to incorporate the liquid mixture into the flour (as if you were making pizza), adding the milk little by little, kneading frequently, until the dough pulls away from the table without being too sticky. Place in a bowl covered with a damp cloth and allow to rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease a large baking tray with the tablespoon of butter.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle approximately 25 by 45 centimetres (approximately 10 inches x 18 inches), and about 1 cm (about 1/3 to 1/2 inch) thick.

Place the slices of ham evenly over the surface, then do the same with the olives and raisins. Roll up the bread firmly and fold over the ends, so your final product will look something like a log.

Place on the greased baking dish, with the fold of the dough on the bottom. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to sit in a warm place for about an hour. It should double in size.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bread in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until brownish on top.

Remove from the oven, beat the egg yolk and the sugar together to make a glaze, then brush the bread with the mixture. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Eat when cooled, cut into slices of about 3 cms (about 1 inch) thick.

This bread is served at all times of the day!

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Clive Britcher