Baking: Hawaiian Bread Loaf Recipe, Aloha Bread

Being tired of bread that reads like a science experiment gone wrong, I now just resort to baking at home. My experiments, at least when they fai,l are not filled with chemicals and the dog has benefited from a few “oopsies”. Thankfully, this is not one of them and it’s very easy to make….you don’t even need a dough hook.

Hawaiian bread is suppose to have a little tropical flair with a touch of sweetness from the Pineapple Juice and is usually a nice soft texture. I love making ham sandwiches with it but also just eating it with a little butter.

Let’s begin….

You will need:
3 cups of All-Purpose Flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill), plus

• 1/4 cup of All-Purpose Flour (to be used after the dough rises)

1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
2 Eggs (room temperature)
1 1/4 cups of 100% Pure Pineapple Juice (I used Langer’s Pineapple Juice), and at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (depends on your taste)
5 tablespoons of White Sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons of Active Dry Yeast
4 1/2 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter (melted), plus

• 1/4 tablespoon of softened Salted Butter (to grease the bowl the dough will rise in) and another 1/4 for the final rise and to grease the dish you will be baking in.

First mix your wet ingredients, this would be eggs, pineapple juice, vanilla, butter and white sugar in one bowl. Then in another bowl mix your 3 cups of flour, salt and yeast. Using the mixer with the paddle attachment (or by hand with a spatula), start incorporating the dry ingredients to the wet. I usually do it by hand using a spatula and you will get a sticky dough that is ragged looking. It takes me about 2 minutes by hand to accomplish this. If the dough looks too dry, add a little more pineapple juice. If the dough appears too wet, start by incorporating a little flour until you are left with a moist dough that does not have a over sticky appearance/feeling.

I then allow the dough to rest one hour in a buttered bowl that is big enough to allow it to double in size. This is where I use the 1/4 tablespoon of Salted Butter and it helps keep the dough moist but also does not let it adhere to the bowl.

After the dough doubles in size, I flour the surface and dump the bread dough to start incorporating the 1/4 cup of flour. I begin to first punch down the bread and then slowly knead it for a minute and until the flour is incorporated. I just keep folding in until I get the right texture and if it’s too moist, I slowly add a little more flour if needed. I then take the 1/4 tablespoon of butter and grease the loaf pan I will be baking in. I add the dough and again allow the bread to rise for about an hour, or until it doubles in size.

Set the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown in color. I then take the bread out and allow it to cool 15 to 20 minutes and pop it out of the pan to further cool down. I give it a couple hours and then start slicing and enjoying. This bread makes great panini style sandwiches and I love how it also toasts up. Get creative and enjoy!

Beautiful Nooks and Crannies in the Bread!

Note- My recipe uses 100% Pineapple Juice that has no added sugars or sweeteners. I feel Hawaiian bread has a touch of sweetness but should not start off being a dessert style bread. It’s suppose to be versatile and this why I control the sweetness by adding my own sugar and adjust my vanilla to fit my tastes or future uses.  You can also make buns for sliders using this recipe, versus just a loaf 🙂

Panini Ham Sandwich I made with the loaf.

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Triple Berry Sweet Rolls with a Cream Cheese Crumble top, plus Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

You read right, this recipe yields two different types of sweet rolls to enjoy!

 

As the days get warmer, the berries have been hitting the sale’s block. I am finding great deals so it has been a very berry-full Summer so far. Today’s recipe uses fresh strawberries and frozen blueberries and blackberries. You can go all frozen or all fresh and change the fruit to your liking too.

We start with the Yeast Dough:
2/3 cup of Sugar
1 cup of Milk
1 1/2 tablespoons of Active Dry Yeast
1 stick of Unsalted Butter (softened)
2 Large Eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
4 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of Dry/Powdered Milk

I use a microwave or you may also use the stove-top to warm the milk to 105 degrees. You then pour the warmed milk into a mixer’s bowl, along with the 2/3 cup of sugar and the yeast. You whisk the ingredients enough to combine and then set aside to allow the yeast to bloom (get foamy). This may take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on weather and temperatures.

Once the yeast is foamy, you add the softened butter, eggs and salt. I mix just enough until everything is incorporated and then add the powdered milk.

I replace the mixer with a dough hook and start adding the flour by the 1/2 cup fulls. Once all the flour is in, I use a spatula to scrape down the sides and allow the dough to mix for 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed. I then change the speed to medium-high and allow the dough to knead for 10 to 12 minutes. You want a soft and supple dough so sometimes it takes 9 minutes and other times it takes 12. You don’t want to “toughen” the product so if unsure, just make sure you get 10 minutes in and you should be fine 🙂

I flour the surface and plop my dough and begin to knead to form a nice ball that I can divide easily. Once that is done (takes maybe 30 seconds), I cut the dough in half and you may use a kitchen scale or “eyeball” it like I do. You take each half and form each into a nice ball. You then add each half to bowls that have been lightly buttered. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and let the dough rise. The dough should double in size and this takes 1 to 2 hours at most.

While the dough rises, you can begin with making the two different fillings.

Berry Filling:
5 1/2 ounces of fresh Strawberries
4 ounces of Blackberries (frozen)
3 ounces of Blue Berries

You may use what ever combination of fruit you desire and just keep in mind you want between 12 to 13 ounces.

1/4 cup of Sugar
1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon of All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon of Corn Starch

Cut the large fruit you use, like in my place it would be the strawberries into wedges or bite size.

I like to leave my other berries whole so they can be found within the rolls and change the taste with every bite.

Take a bowl and just mix everything together. Once everything is mixed, you may place the berry filling in the fridge covered.

That easy!

Cinnamon Roll Filling:
1/2 cup of Sugar
2 teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon
5 to 7 “grates” of Fresh Nutmeg (or to taste and can also omit if not wanted)
1/4 cup of Unsalted Butter (softened)

Take the dry ingredients and mix them in a bowl. You then add the butter to create a “paste-like” filling and you are done. I cover and keep it on the counter so the butter remains soft and easy to spread when needed.

Get two 9 x 13 baking pans and lightly spray with cooking spray. I use Pam with flour.

Once the dough has risen and doubled, you take one of them and scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

I then roll it out in to about a 10 x 14 rec-triangle.

I add one of the above fillings above, in this case I started with the berry filling and then roll it.

You should be left with a log that is about 24 inches long.

I trim the edges and then cut the log in half and each half into 4.

You should have about 8 rolls.

Cover pan with plastic and allow the dough to rise.

Rinse and repeat 🙂 with the Cinnamon filling. I decided I wanted smaller (mini) Cinnamon rolls so I cut them thinner. You can play with the sizes too!

Cinnamon filling spread onto dough-

Cinnamon rolls cut smaller than berry-

Cinnamon rolls placed in glass pan and covered with plastic-

Dough Rise Note: This usually takes an hour for the cinnamon but the fruit take longer if you are using frozen or cold from the fridge. My berry ones took an hour and a half but it can take up to 2.

While the rolls rise, you can make the crumble topping for the berry rolls and the icing for the cinnamon rolls.

Berry Crumble top:
1/2 cup of All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup of Sugar
1/8 teaspoon of Ground Ginger
2 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter (cold)
1 1/2 ounces of Cream Cheese Cold

You just mix the dry ingredients and then incorporate the butter and cream cheese to make “crumbles”. If you over mix and create a dough, don’t worry as you can just drop chunks on top the rolls to resemble a crumble. Store your crumble in the fridge until needed

Cream Cheese Icing for mini Cinnamon Rolls:
8 ounces of Cream Cheese (softened)
Powder Sugar to sweetness you desire

I usually start with adding a 1/4 cup of powder sugar to the cream cheese in a mixer or just whisk by hand in a bowl. I taste and then determine if I want sweeter or not so you can control the sweetness!

Once the rolls have risen, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cinnamon Rolls rise-

Berry Rolls rise-

Add the crumble to your berry version!

Once the oven reaches temperature, you can bake each pan alone or side by side, you decide. It takes between 17 to 25 minutes to bake and if you notice over browning, just cover with foil until done. Best way to check for “done-ness” is seeing if the center of the rolls bounce back when slightly touched.

Berry Rolls baked-

Cinnamon Rolls baked-

When the rolls have baked, you allow them to cool a bit in the pan for about 15 to 20 minutes. You can then add the cream cheese icing to all and serve.

Note- I never add icing to all at first because I want them to be dry on top when stored in the fridge. I wrap them individually in plastic wrap once they have cooled. To serve later, unwrap and place roll on a plate and warm in microwave (10 to 20 seconds), then add the icing. The warmth will aid in helping the icing spread since you store it in the fridge until needed again. I do this to preserve the texture of the dough. When they are wrapped in plastic, if they had icing, everything sticks to the plastic and creates a mess anyways so this way it does not 🙂

Enjoy!

Triple Berry Rolls Pics-

Cinnamon Rolls Pics-

Herbs de Provence & Chives Rolls…. Cheddar Cheese, Poppy Seed, and Sesame Seed Versions

I wanted to make a new recipe this last Easter when it came to rolls and I had planned to test several recipes out but then the day came, and I needed something fast because I had no back-up plan.  It is difficult to always know what guests like or dislike because some just go with it to be polite.  I wanted a recipe that pleased all and on Easter morning this is what I made.  Who said you can’t think on the fly on a holiday?  I was also influenced by a bushy Chive plant I have in a pot, which was getting taller and fuller.  I see it from my kitchen so it was sort of waving at me for attention 🙂

Rolls:

1 cup of Whole Milk

2 1/2 teaspoons of Active Dry Yeast

2 tablespoons of White Sugar

1 tablespoon of Honey (I used a Orange Blossom variety)

1 Egg at room temperature (whisked)

6 1/2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter (melted), you will use about 1 stick in the end.

3 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour

1 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon of Herbs de Provence Herbs (dry)

Filling:

1/4 cup or to taste of fresh Chives

Basting:

1/2 teaspoon of Olive Oil

1 teaspoon of Unsalted Butter (soften)

Toppers:

1/2 cup of Cheddar Cheese*

Sesame Seeds

Poppy Seeds

*Don’t have seeds or don’t like them, just up the cheese amount to 3/4 cup.  You can even mix cheeses if Cheddar is not all you want.

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You begin by heating up the 1 cup of milk until warm.  I tend to need to give my cup a quick 30 seconds in the microwave but I know some take more or less.  I always shoot to aim between 105 to 110 degrees.  I then add the yeast, sugar, and the honey.  I mix the ingredients together with a spoon.  My oven has a “proofing” mode so within 5 minutes at 105 degrees, the yeast is activated and foaming.  You want it to expand and build a good amount of foam, so it may take about 10 minutes if it is cool and on the counter.

I then empty the cup into my mixer’s bowl that has the dough hook attached.  I add the egg and 6 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted melted butter.

On low, I mix everything until it’s incorporated, stopping a few times to scrape the bottom and edges.

I add the salt and Herbs de Provence to the flour.

In small increments, I add the flour mix, again stopping to scrape down with a spatula any ingredients that are trying to rebel :).  After I added all the flour, I mix on low for about 2 to 3 minutes.

I then increase the speed to medium and knead until a soft and smooth dough forms.  This takes about 10 to 12 minutes.

I transfer the dough to a floured surface and work it flat, to about a 10 to 12 inched square.

You fold one third of the dough into the center and then the other third (from the top) over.

It’s sort of like folding a letter in how you fold the flaps.  Turn the dough and fold again until you are left with a square (small one).  I take some of the butter and butter a large bowl.  I place the dough square in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and then proof for 1 hour.  You pretty much want it to double at least in size.

I take more of the left-over butter and butter a lasagna dish (any baking pan) that is 9 x 13 inches in size.

Once the dough has proofed, I take it out of the bowl and dump it onto a floured surface.

I roll out the dough to a 15 inch square and sprinkle on the fresh chives.

Begin to roll tightly from the bottom up to make a log.  Just like you would cinnamon rolls.

You then take a floured knife or a dough scraper and start slicing.  I was able to yield 16 buns on my first take, but you will get between 14 to 15 if you measure right.  I always make small ones that I call “taste testers” 🙂 and these are usually the two corners of the log.

I placed the buns in the buttered lasagna dish and then covered it with plastic wrap, which I lightly rubbed with olive oil in case the wrap wants to stick to my buns when they are proofing.  You can use butter too if you desire.

Allow the dough to proof for about an hour.  You are aiming for them to like like airy pillows.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the buns from the oven and mix the basting ingredients of the olive oil and softened butter.  Baste the buns and then come the toppers.

I opted for part cheddar cheese, a row of sesame and a row of poppy seeds.  The basting mix allows the seeds to stick but also adds a great flavor to the buns.

Put the buns back in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  If you notice over browning, just cover with foil to prevent any burning.

Take the buns out and I noticed I had left-over baste, so I basted the cheesy ones so they would shine pretty.  Allow to cool a bit in pan and then you start serving.  They pull away from each other whole, so no worries there but you may also use a knife if you wish.  Sometimes the cheese can make them unite but not enough that they can’t pull away.

To store, I waited until they cooled completely and then wrapped them with plastic wrap and stored them in the fridge.  They last great and you just take them out when you want one and allow them to come down to room temperature or give them a warm up in the oven.  They go great with a simple salad to what we had for Easter, lamb with a Pomegranate glaze.

Next week comes the sweet version I made of these with some tweaks.  I had left over Pomegranate glaze from the lamb that needed to be used plus I was craving pecans with maple, so I made two different sweet versions!

Enjoy!

Valentine’s Day Lovey Dovey Heart Buns

The above is made twisting both doughs and filling the heart openings with the plain cream cheese filling.  I then dotted the center with the chocolate filling.

As promised, my revision!

The recipe is here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/lemon-love-buns-recipe

My revision:

3/4 cup of water (170 grams)
30 grams of butter and 35 cream cheese
1 large egg, plus the egg yolk of another egg (save the egg white of the second egg as it will serve as your wash)
3 small drops (I use a dropper) of almond extract and one teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
30 grams of sugar
2 teaspoons of Buttermilk powder
363 grams of flour (if making the chocolate* version add 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of dutch cocoa powder to your flour)
2 teaspoons of instant yeast

*when the dough is starting to knead, I added 1/2 a cup of mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet) to the chocolate batch to give it that extra chocolate flavor.

Fillings:
Make chocolate ganache: half chocolate, I use a mix of semi-sweet and bittersweet and you then add the same amount of Heavy Cream. For example- you mix 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips to 1/2 a cup of heavy cream and melt on the stove. Do not simmer or boil! I do the game of adding heat and then move my pot away to stir and if I see it needs more heat, I go back to the flame.

I then add 1/4 cup of ganache to 5 ounces of softened cream cheese and mix. Then I add a tablespoon of flour and mix again until smooth That is my simple filling. You can play with the ratios to suit your taste and add chocolate chips if you wish. Just remember you may need to up the flour amount to get the consistency desired.

For the plain cream cheese filling, I take 8 ounces of softened cream cheese (usually one package) and add 1/2 a vanilla bean, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of flour. Again, just mix until smooth.

The above is the chocolate dough with chocolate filling

The big difference comes when assembly. I did just like the recipe but left the heart shape open more once I twisted the dough. Plop the fillings of your choice and then let it rise. That simple! You can see that both my plain dough and chocolate dough yielded many possibilities! I believe in playing and making it your own, as you can see I even added Boysenberry Preserves to some hearts because that is my husband’s favorite fruit. Some even have no filling because I crave plain sometimes. Again, just have as good time creating!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine’s Day!! I believe hearts and love is year round, so I will be making these again soon!

The above is plain cream cheese filling with Boysenberry Preserves 

Other Varieties: 

I made a braid as I had to little dough left to make hearts.  I also made a chocolate dough heart with the plain cream cheese filling

Plain dough hearts with no filling

Playing around and making normal buns with a dot of filling