Best Lemon Bread

THE BEST LEMON LOAF (BETTER-THAN-STARBUCKS COPYCAT)

This is an easy, no-mixer, one-bowl, whisk-together batter. The loaf is soft, springy, and moist without being heavy or dry, nor is it oily. Plus, you probably have all the ingredients on hand to make it and you can pronounce every ingredient used. The cake itself is perfectly lemony, and the lemon glaze boosts the lemon flavor. I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons of lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, but add to taste. Don't use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably.

YIELD: one 9x5-inch loaf

 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

 

COOK TIME: about 50 minutes

 

TOTAL TIME: about 90 minutes, for cooling

INGREDIENTS:

Loaf
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or Greek yogurt (lite okay)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, to taste (not teaspoons; and not lemon oil and not lemon juice - see step 4 in directions)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Lemon Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
2. Loaf - To a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.
3. Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.
4. Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine. Note - I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, but add to taste. Don't use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably because they're not; oil is much more potent and intense. Don't use lemon juice in place of lemon extract because it's not strong enough and the acidity can alter the overall results.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don't overmix. Some lumps will be present and that's okay, don't try to stir them smooth.
6. Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.
7. Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (I cooled 4 hours) before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.
8. Lemon Glaze - To a small bowl, add the confectioner's sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit as necessary for desired consistency and flavor.
9. Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving. Extra glaze can be spread on the cut surface of the bread like you'd spread butter on toast and it soaks right in making the bread even moister and more lemony. Or you can halve the glaze recipe if you're not a glaze person. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months; I don't recommend storing it in the fridge because it'll dry out.

http://www.averiecooks.com/2015/01/best-lemon-loaf-better-starbucks-copycat.html

OLIVE OIL & ROSEMARY ROLLS

OLIVE OIL & ROSEMARY ROLLS

If you begin these rolls early in the day, you'll just need tend to them every now and then and you'll have freshly baked rolls at dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 3/4 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
extra flour for dusting
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
nonstick spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and rosemary; let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Pour yeast into 1 cup of warm water (about 105 to 110 degrees… no warmer). Stir to dissolve the yeast and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Mixture should foam and bubble (a sign that the yeast is still good).

3. Insert paddle attachment into your stand mixer. Pour water/yeast mixture into the mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of flour and the salt and mix on low speed until incorporated. Keep adding 1/2 cups of flour until all flour is used up and incorporated. Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with a dough hook. Knead on low and slowly pour in the olive oil/rosemary. Increase to speed 3 and let the machine knead for about 2 minutes.

4. Remove the dough and shape quickly into a ball. Dust lightly with flour and place in a zip bag, pressing out air and sealing. Place on a cutting board and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size (about 1 hour). Punch down inside the bag and let rise again for an additional hour.

5. Punch the dough to deflate and let rest 10 minutes. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Divide dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball and transfer to the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour (until almost doubled). They’ll continue to rise as they bake, so don’t worry too much if they don’t look large enough.

6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and lightly brush each roll with melted butter. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until browned and hollow sounding when tapped. Remove to wire rack to cool.

http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/03/20/olive-oil-rosemary-rolls/

Thanksgiving 2014

I made a new dinner roll recipe which I liked better than my standard recipe:
http://divascancook.com/sweet-dinner-rolls-recipe-without-bread-machine-scratch/

Pumpkin Pie from the Cook's Illustrated Baking Book
http://www.thedeliciouslife.com/pumpkin-pie-recipe-cooks-illustrated/

My First Kimchi

Really Moist Lemon Cupcakes

I made these delicious cupcakes with lemons from our tree. I made the frosting super lemony and they were out of this world.

http://alchemybaking.blogspot.com/2013/03/really-moist-lemon-cupcakes-for-lemon.html

Grilled lamb, beet salad, potato pancakes

Guerrero Passover 

Doesn't this look wonderful? We had grilled lamb lollipops with yogurt sauce, pistacios and mint (replictaed from a dish I had in London at one of Jamie Olivers restaurants). Potatoe pancakes with rosemary and a touch of horseradish. The big find of the meal was haroset (the recipe calls it beet and apple salad but it is the same as traditional haroset) but this one was amazing with beets and celery root. Although the fresh mint was meant for the lamb, it tasted wonderful with the haroset. I would put it right in the salad next time. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/beet-and-apple-salad-recipe.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/crispy-potato-horseradish-cakes-recipe.html   

The Shelf Battle

Day 1: Seepo enjoys her favorite spot on the shelf

Day 2: Koof joins in

Day 3: Felix the hornary gets mad

the doctor is not pleased that koof and zap are zonked out on the shelf

he is barking, trying to leap up there and bap them and of course they are fighting back

causing all kinds of rukus on Jimmy's desk

we might have to put another shelf up there to avoid world war 3

Day 4: Total Rukus