Rosemary Brioche Rolls

It was a rainy Monday here in Conmee so we took advantage of the cool day and warmed the house with the oven and the scent of rosemary. Our buns turned out with a beautiful yellow colour thanks to the wonderful eggs we get from our neighbour.

1 tbsp yeast
3 ¼ cups BCF Partially Sifted Flour
¼ sugar
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
¼ cup butter, softened
1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
1 tbsp (or less to taste) freshly ground pepper
1 egg and sea salt for sprinkling

Mix together the yeast and ½ cup lukewarm water. Let the mixture sit until it becomes frothy.

Add in the flour, sugar and salt and mix. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the butter, rosemary and pepper and knead the dough until it comes together nicely on a floured surface. Cover the dough and let rise for an hour or two.

Once risen, split the dough into eight balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let rise again for 45 minute to an hour.

Heat oven to 375F. Lightly beat the last egg and a tablespoon of water together. Coat the buns with this mixture then top some sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes.

                               Thank you Ted for providing us with such amazing eggs!

This recipe was adapted from: http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a4961/rosemary-brioche-rolls-recipe-clx0414/

Earl Grey Roulade

The weather is warm and our flowers are blooming. It's a garden party sort of week for us so we made this light and not too sweet rolled cake. We enjoyed ours out on the back deck this afternoon.

Using all of the cream mixture made for an awkward picture but it tastes heavenly!

Cake
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp loose leaf Earl Grey tea
4 eggs, separated
75g sugar plus extra for sprinkling
75g BCF Partially Sifted Flour
2 tbsp BCF Extra Virgin Canola Oil

Filling
your favourite jam - I used strawberry
3 tbsp icing sugar
300ml whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350F and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat the lemon juice and steep 1 tbsp of the tea in it. Grind the other tablespoon of tea until it is fine.

Beat together the egg yolks and 25g of the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the lemon juice (strained), oil, ground tea and flour. Beat just until mixed. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add in the remaining 50g of sugar and beat until you have a meringue. Gently fold the meringue into your cake batter in three parts. 

Spread the cake mixture onto the parchment paper and bake for 13 minutes. 

Once it is finished baking, gently remove the parchment paper. Prepare a second piece of parchment and generously dust it with sugar. Flip the cake onto this second piece. Gently roll it and allow it to cool. 

Once cool, unroll your cake and add a layer of your favourite jam (I used the very last bit of our homemade strawberry jam!) Whip together the icing sugar, whipping cream and vanilla until you have a light and spreadable cream. Add a layer of this onto the cake (I used it all and it was a bit too much to look great in the picture but it tastes heavenly!). Roll the cake up and wrap it back in parchment to chill or an hour or two. 

Slice it right before serving. If we had had any strawberries left I would've made a strawberry sauce to go with it!

*ADAPTED FROM: http://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/strawberry-and-earl-grey-roulade/3820.html

Overnight English Muffins

These English muffins would be perfect for a Sunday brunch. Isn't it convenient that Mother's Day is just around the corner...

1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup BCF Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 tbsp honey
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups BCF Partially Sifted Flour
flour for dusting
cornmeal for dusting

Warm the milk to about 105F. Whisk the milk with the Whole Wheat Flour and yeast until all of the lumps are gone. Add the butter, honey and salt and stir vigorously. Add the Partially Sifted Flour and stir just until mixed. The dough will be quite sticky and loose. Cover loosely with plastic and let sit at room temperature for 8-16 hours. 

Dust your work surface liberally with flour and a bit of cornmeal. Gently deflate your dough and roll it out into a 10x8-inch rectangle. Cut out your muffins (I used a water glass and ended up with 9 muffins). Let them rest covered with plastic for about 15 minutes.

Heat your oven to 400F. Also, heat a griddle or cast iron pan on medium-low. Grill the muffins on each side for about 4 minutes then transfer them into the over for about 5 minutes. 

Enjoy slathered with butter and/or your favourite jam!

This recipe was adapted from Fine Cooking

Whole Wheat Tortillas

A customer very kindly sent us this recipe. I was afraid to try it. I've attempted tortillas several times before much to the disappointment of our family. What made these different? I didn't overcook them. Yup, that's it. I thought they should come out of the pan like store bought ones come out of the bag. No siree! They should come out of the pan and you should be questioning whether or not they are indeed cooked. I see many more fish taco nights in our future! Thanks again for sharing Renee! 

2 cups BCF Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup BCF Canola Oil
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Mix together the flour and salt. Drizzle in the oil and toss with a fork.

Create a well in the middle of the mixture and add the water. Mix until well combined. 

Separate and form the dough into 8 balls. Place on a plate with a damp towel and let rest for an hour. 

Once ready, dust your work surface with flour and roll out the balls into 8 inch circles (mine were roughly circlish). 

Preheat a pan on medium high and cook each tortilla for only about 30 seconds on each side. 

Place in an airtight container. Enjoy with your favourite tortilla recipe!

Chocolate Carrot Cake

Today is cold and tomorrow is Valentine's Day which ended up being the perfect reason to bake a cake with our kids! We added a vegetable and cut down the sugar to try to make our chocolatey treat bit more kid friendly.

Cake:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups BCF Extra Virgin Canola Oil
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups shredded carrot
2 cups BCF Partially Sifted Flour

Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add in the carrot and mix well. Add the flour and mix just until combined. Pour batter into two buttered and floured cake pans. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. While your cake cools, make the icing.

I caught Levi sharing the left over icing with Simone while I was taking a picture of the cake. It was so sweet (the scene, not the frosting) that I had to take a picture.

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 pkg cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp chili powder
splash of milk

Beat together your butter and cream cheese until the mixture is fluffy. Add in the vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon and chili powder. Add the icing sugar and beat well. If it's too thick add a splash or two of milk.