Hot Cross Buns in loaf form

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns,

Hot cross buns,

One a penny, two a penny,

Hot cross buns.

Yes, the song has become a loaf in my house.  I learned how to make these buns a year or two ago, thanks to the recipe found on Laura in the Kitchen... oh, they're so so so so good. 

Anyway, our toaster oven has been replaced by a regular toaster, so toasting and reheating those icing crossed buns is no longer an option.  Enter, the hot cross bun / loaf.

Here's how to make it:

Combine 1 cup milk, slightly warmed, with

2 1/4 tsp dried baking yeast and a spoonful of sugar

Proof 5 min, or until bloomed

Melt 1/4 cup of butter and let it cool
Bring 2 eggs to room temp, I usually just run them under some warm water for a minute

In a big bowl, mix 3 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp cardamom
zest of an orange or lemon or both

Add in the cooled butter and two eggs
Also, add in a generous 1/2 cup of raisins and a small container of candied citrus peel

Stir with a wooden spoon only until a sticky dough forms and the raisins / peel are well distributed, for the most tender result.

Cover and let rise slowly in a warm place, until doubled in size
This is what it looks like about 15 minutes into the rising process

Do enjoy!!

After an hour or so, when the dough is doubled and fluffy, cut it in half, and press gently into two loaf pans lined with parchment paper.

Let rise a second time, for about 45 minutes, until each loaf is domed and ready to bake.  Brush with butter or an egg, if desired.

Bake at 375 degrees F, for about 30-35 minutes, or until golden and baked all the way through.
Let cool on a wire rack before you dig in!



Umm, yes, I confess, those are my teeth marks, eep!  I already started eating the first slice before realizing I needed to snap a picture or two... here's one with some lovely melting action.



Do enjoy!





Special thanks to #mrsvitale

My best Gulasch ever

So... this traditional Gulaschsuppe... it's hearty and simple and really really really tasty.  
Here is a quick step by step of the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pounds stewing beef
1 beef shank (the bone and surrounding meat)
equivalent amount of roughly chopped onions
about 1/4 cup paprika (I used a mix of regular and authentic Hungarian paprika, purchased at our local European deli)
salt and pepper (to taste, each part of the dish)
flour for dusting (entirely optional, gives a slightly thicker consistency in the end)
1 or 2 carrots, chopped 
1 stalk celery, chopped (optional... I usually leave it out)
potatoes (optional)

Here's how to make it:

Take about 2 pounds of stewing beef and a beef shank bone, season well with salt and pepper.  Dust with flour and brown thoroughly in a bit of oil, in small batches, on medium high heat. 

Note:  the more colour you achieve in this step, the better the flavour.  Do NOT crowd the pan or hurry this process, or you'll end up steaming the meat and it will turn an unappetizing grey.

For this Gulaschsuppe, I got out my awesome new Instant Pot and I used the handy saute feature for this important browning step.  I also used a big deep frying pan to help things go faster, but you can do it all in the IP if you like.  I saved the browned meat batches in a bowl until I was finished with this first step.

Alternatively, if using the slow cooker for a long low / slow simmer, you should brown the meat in a frying pan first, and dump each batch into the crock as you go.  

While the small batches of meat and the shank are browning, chop a whole bunch of onions as finely or roughly as you like... about the same amount of meat as raw onion works best.  Do use a bit of oil and butter or ghee to help deglaze the pan, and saute the onions very well, until they are nice and soft and glassy, and the raw onion taste is well cooked out of them.  A little extra brown colour doesn't hurt here, either.  

Brown colour equals deeper flavour.

Now sprinkle the onions with a generous amount of paprika, and season again with salt and pepper.  Let the onions and the paprika toast a bit, until you get that fabulous smell wafting all over your home.  Scrape it all into your slow cooker or instant pot.  Rinse your frying pan and get all the browned bits added in as well.  Then add the meat, and enough water to just cover the meat and onions.  Add your bite sized bits of carrots and potatoes... and simmer until super tender.

For the slow cooker, cook it low and slow for as many hours as you can.  I have made the mistake of hurrying the onion sauteeing step, and the Gulasch ended up with a strong, and unappetizingly bitter, raw onion flavour in the end, even though the meat was tender.  Don't make that same mistake!

For this batch in the instant pot, I set it to stew for 20 minutes, with a natural release.  I must say, this Gulasch was the richest, most tender, and overall best tasting Gulaschsuppe I have ever made.

I am attributing a few things to this success.  

First, I took my time browning the meat and the onions to mouthwatering, and well seasoned perfection.

Second, I used a big beef shank... bones always make for better flavour in soups and stews, and this extra ingredient was definitely worth adding.

Finally, the instant pot tenderized the stewing meat so well, that it was super moist and fork tender in only 20 minutes of pressure cooking time.  Yes, it takes time to bring it up to pressure, and to release it afterward... but I just set it, and forget it, when I cook with my ipot.  There's no stirring or worrying about it burning while I'm doing other things. 

Anyway, it was delectable.  I do hope you'll try making it.  

I know I'll be making it again... and I will try to add some pictures of the process next time!

Consider adding some homemade dumplings (aka knockerl) ... you can get my recipe those here:  http://tastethelovebymj.blogspot.ca/search/label/Soup%21

Please let me know if you decide to try it!