Welcome to the 1st HBinFive Bread Braid

For our first recipe for HBinFive we made Pumpkin Pie Brioche and we had the option of doing whatever we wanted with the dough. So as usual I went a little overboard to say the least.

I mixed the recipe exactly as written except I did use fresh yeast. The directions said "Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours." So I sat the bucket of dough on my kitchen counter and went about my day. About an hour later I walked through my kitchen and I was very surprised! I swear it was only AN HOUR LATER and the dough has risen to almost the 6 qt level! This was one happy dough I had going there! The dough did fall a little bit after refrigeratation but not by much.







I made two large loaves of Pumpkin Pie Brioche topped with raw sugar and coarse white sugar which baked beautifully. From the Pumpkin Pie Brioche I made utterly delicious Pumpkin French Toast which we totally enjoyed. And I also made Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce. Both of the variations are pictured below and for the recipes just click on the title link.







And I used the remainder of the dough to bake 12 muffins which I topped with Cream Cheese Streusel. For the muffins I just filled each cavity about half full and sprinkled some Streusel Topping on each one. After the muffins were baked and cooled, I piped on some Cream Cheese and again sprinkled with some of the Streusel.








Streusel Topping
Recipe adapted from "not a clue"

1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBL butter

In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the butter in with a pastry knife until you have a coarse mixture. Spoon the topping onto the muffins before baking. Save some to sprinkle after the muffins have cooled.


Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Sprinkles

8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla. If necessary, add milk to thin.



Pumpkin French Toast






Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce







If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address. And if you have time please leave a comment. Every once a while the Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge to your computer so you can add it to your side bar, HBinFive Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. That way visitors will know that you are a member of HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up with the Mr. Linky Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.



Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!









And we have a winner in our last drawing for a free signed copy of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day".

Drum Roll Please!!!!

And the WINNER IS...........Joanna of Go Ahead and Snicker! Congratulations Joanna!!






All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce

Do you remember the free cookbooks from the large food companies like Hershey, Riceland Rice, Campbell's Soup and Philadelphia Cream Cheese? To get the cookbook you had to fill out a form and include two or three labels. Most of the free cookbooks were small pamphlet-like publications but I received several that were very nice, small hardbound books.

When we finished with our remodeling project and I was unpacking and organizing my new kitchen, I found all my small cookbooks and I must have a stack 12" high! And included in the stack is "The Great Pumpkin Cookbook" published by Libby's in 1984 and it has the best pumpkin recipes! While reading it, I found the perfect recipe to use up the remainder of my Pumpkin Pie Brioche that I made for HBinFive

I did change the Bread Pudding recipe just a teeny bit. I subbed bourbon for the Almond Liqueur and of course used the last of Pumpkin Pie Brioche instead of white bread. As always I had to take it a step further and drizzled with a Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce! This is a rich dessert and Mr. Tastebud's loved it!








Almond Bread Pudding
Recipe adapted from "The Great Pumpkin Cookbook"

6 c. French bread cubes (I used Pumpkin Pie Brioche)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 c solid pack pumpkin
3/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 c. milk
1/4 c almond flavored liqueur (I used 2 TBL bourbon)
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. sliced almonds for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place bread cubes in large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, condensed milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Gradually add milk. Blend in liqueur, melted butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Toss lightly with bread cubes.

Pour into lightly buttered 11by7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with almonds. Set dish into a 13by9-inch baking dish. Place on oven rack. Pour hot water into larger dish to 1-inch level.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Serve warm drizzled with the Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce and a spoon of Whipped Cream.



Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

1/4 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c heavy cream
2 tsp bourbon
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in sugar and cream. Simmer until thickened, whisking often, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly add bourbon and cinnamon and whisk thoroughly. If the sauce is too thick to pour, thin with a little more cream.







If you are interested in joining HBinFive please send an email to ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

If you join HBinFive before November 15, 2009, your name will be entered into a drawing for a free, signed copy of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois.


Foodie Friday is graciously hosted by Michael of Designs by Gollum. Please visit Designs by Gollum and see more wonderful creations!








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TWD -- Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

I was happy to see Chocolate Bread Pudding on the menu for Tuesdays with Dorie this week. We love Bread Pudding and I've posted other bread pudding recipes on my blog. One bread pudding recipe is a vintage recipe from the "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" by Fanny Merritt Farmer, published in 1896. It is so interesting reading the old cookbooks.

Bread Pudding is a very easy, no frills recipe to make. I used Wawel Dark Czekolada gorzka 90% cocoa which made the recipe extra rich and dark and luscious.

Dorie's recipe called for brioche, challah or white bread and I decided to make Challah. I love making Challah and braiding the dough. But my Jewish husband, Mr. Tastebuds, does not like Challah!!! Sometimes Mr. Tastebuds is no fun at all! I also topped the bread pudding with a Vanilla Custard a recipe from my Mom.


Here's my Challah and it turned out beautifully!






And look at my gorgeous crumb!!! I'm so proud of my crumb!







No-Knead Challah
Recipe adapted from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day"

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (or neutral-tasting vegetable oil such as canola), plus more for greasing the cookie sheet
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)
Poppy or sesame seeds for the top

1. Mix the yeast and water, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter or oil in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (no airtight) plastic food container.

2. Stir in the flour without kneading, using a spoon or spatula.

3. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2-3 hours. I let it rise most the day and then put in the frig over night so it's completely cold. It's easier to work with if it's cold.

4. Use over the next 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze in 1-pound portions in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. Then allow the usual rest and rise time.

5. On baking day line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour or corn meal and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. (I use surgical gloves if the dough is very wet and it usually is.) Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

6. Divide the ball into thirds, using a dough scraper or knife. Roll the balls between your hands (or on a board), stretching, to form each into a long, thin rope. If the dough resists shaping, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. Braid the ropes, starting from the center and working to one end. Turn the loaf over, rotate it, and braid from the center out to the remaining end. This produces a loaf with a more uniform thickness than when braided from end to end.

7. Allow the bread to rest and rise on the prepared cookie sheet for 1-2 hours.

8. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.

9. Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with the seeds.

10. Bake near the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. The challah is done when golden brown, and the braids near the center of the loaf offer resistance to pressure. Due to the fat in the dough, challah will not form a hard, crackling crust.

11. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.







Custard Sauce
Recipe adapted from my Mom

2 c. milk or cream
3 TBL flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, sugar and beaten egg until well blended. Heat milk to a simmer. When the milk is hot, slowly pour the milk into the egg/flour/sugar mixture stirring constantly until smooth.

Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Custard should be pouring consistency, it not just add a little bit more milk or cream.







Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle is our host this week and please visit her blog if you like a copy of the recipe.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Double Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding!

I had a yearning for some chocolate bread pudding the other day. So I went to work and made an excellent Double Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding!

I had a small amount of Artisan Bread Dough in my refrigerator and decided to make a loaf of bread laced with about 1/2 c. Sweet Chocolate Powder.



I made the Chocolate Bread Pudding previously but this time I made some changes. And my Mom gave me her recipe for a Custard Sauce that is out-of-this-world delicious!!




Chocolate Bread Pudding
Recipe adapted from "The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook" by Fanny Merritt Farmer

2 c. stale bread crumbs **
4 c. scalded milk
2 squares Baker's chocolate **
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

My changes and additions:

4-5 c. bread laced with sweet chocolate, cubed
2 squares unsweetened Baker's chocolate
1 square semi-sweet Baker's chocolate
3 bananas, 1/4" slices

Soak bread in milk thirty minutes; melt chocolate in saucepan placed over hot water, add one-half sugar and enough milk taken from bread and milk to make of a consistency to pour; add to mixture with remaining sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs slightly beaten and sliced bananas; turn into buttered pudding dish and bake one hour in a moderate oven.


Custard Sauce
Recipe adapted from my Mom

2 c. milk or cream
3 TBL flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, sugar and beaten egg until well blended. Heat milk to a simmer. When the milk is hot, slowly pour the milk into the egg/flour/sugar mixture stirring constantly until smooth.

Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Custard should be pouring consistency, it not just add a little bit more milk or cream.




All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

What's Old is "New" and so delicious!

Believe it or not, I have never made a bread pudding. I've wanted to, but just too many other things get in the way and I run out of time. Being I was encouraged by my friend, Linda, to enter the Weekend Cookbook Challenge hosted by Carla of Chocolate Moosey, the recipe search began. The theme for April is "Vintage Cookbooks"...how fun is that!!! Great theme Carla and thanks for hosting this wonderful event.


I am a history junkie, in fact I minored in history, and so had a great time looking for a recipe. I found a wonderful Cookbook Archive at the Michigan State University Library. I was born in MI so visiting my home state was fun although I graduated from University of Michigan!

I downloaded and scanned several of the wonderful classic cookbooks and finally found a recipe in "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" by Fanny Merritt Farmer, published in 1896! The recipe for Bread Pudding sounded delicious and it was something I've been wanting to try for a long time now.

I mixed up the Chocolate Bread Pudding this morning and popped it in the oven. It smelled wonderful but when I took it out of the oven it looked odd and more like a meatloaf then a dessert. But the taste...OH MY, was wonderful. The recipe recommends 2 sauces but both were similar to a vanilla whipped cream and made with raw eggs. My friend Lucy suggested a simple Vanilla Sauce so I made her recipe instead and I added a little heavy cream and a dusting of powdered sugar.



Chocolate Bread Pudding
Recipe adapted from "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" by Fanny Merritt Farmer

2 c. stale bread crumbs
4 c. scalded milk
2 squares Baker's chocolate
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Soak bread in milk thirty minutes; melt chocolate in saucepan placed over hot water, add one-half sugar and enough milk taken from bread and milk to make of a consistency to pour; add to mixture with remaining sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs slightly beaten; turn into buttered pudding dish and bake one hour in a moderate oven. Serve with Hard or Cream Sauce I.

Vanilla Sauce
Recipe adapted from "Southern Living"

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
Optional: Rum or Brandy

In small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch.

Stir in 1 cup boiling water. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter, vanilla extract and salt; blend well. Serve vanilla sauce warm with your favorite pudding or other dessert.

I added a 2 TBL of heavy cream to the sauce.



All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog