Breaking Bread on this Excellent Day

I had this day filled with plans and purposes.

But nothing has gone according to schedule.

I couldn't be happier.

It started off with a bunny surprise.

When I left early this morning to meet my running friend, all in the home was well. The kids were snoozing and the dog barely looked up at me in that I know you're not taking me out this morning look as I grabbed my keys and headed out.

I had a great run (although my knee hurt quite a bit) and I came home ready to get started with the day.

I hadn't yet made it to the door and I could here Kona the Wondermutt making funny sounds, whining and gruffling a little bit, but when I came to the door she quickly ran outside.

I made my way to the kitchen sink and grabbed a large glass of water. Imagine my surprise when I turned around and saw this hopping into my kitchen:

I knew nobody was awake, so I was trying to figure out how she got out of her cage. (She normally lives in the garage, but its been so hot we've allowed her in the family room for the summer.)

I scooped her up and walked to the family room where I found this:

So much for Italian Bunny Condo's found cheap. The bottom, literally, fell out.

I know that when I left that morning the cage was intact, but I'm uncertain how long she was roaming the house.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that Kona the Wonder Mutt did not eat Penny.

What a disaster that would have been.

The Boy and I jerry-rigged the cage to keep Penny safe, but when The Mister comes home he's gonna see what he can do to ensure the pets, at best, won't run-amuck....  or at worse: to keep our bunny from ever becoming dog-food while we are out of the house.

Since the morning was overcast the kids weren't too excited to go to the pool, so we opted to stay home. I went out and picked veggies and then I've been working on homeschooling stuff and listening to a book on CD...and icing my knee.

Gettin' old ain't for sissies.

I also decided that our impromptu stay at home lent itself to making bread.

I cannot tell you why I adore making yeasty breads and doughs, but I do...

I love the time it takes. I love the smell. I love the way dough feels...and truth be told, I love that impatient feeling of anticipation that happens...the goodness you hope for behind the door of the oven.

Making bread makes me (and others) happy...if even for a moment.


So I started with a banana bread, to keep the instant-gratification natives quiet. And while it was baking I started what was to be two big loaves of cinnamon bread.

In a flash of clear vision I decided to try something completely off recipe for one of the loaves - instead of cinnamon, I spread Nutella all over the top and quickly rolled it up, as if my secret might be found.

In the words of the Mr and Mrs. Carpoolqueen It did not suck.

So that is what's happening at the LaVida House on this fine, wonderful, bready day.

What are YOU up to?

Are You Sitting Down?

 .....Because I am about to give you something that will simultaneously make you love, and hate, me.

I am going to share my Cinnamon Chocolate Swirl Bread Recipe.

Actually, you probably have this recipe hidden in that Better Homes and Garden: New Cook Book, circa. 1989, that you stole from your mother when you when you moved out and were desperately trying to makes dinners for your new husband.  

Not that I'd know anything about that, but what I am trying to say is, I have been using this cookbook for at least 14 years and I just now found this recipe. 

To make up for the lost time I made this recipe twice this week. Once when the CarpoolQueen came over ('cuz I heard that her love language was bread), and again because I realized that I didn't exactly follow the recipe the first time, so I wanted to do it exactly as written.

Unfortunately, it turns out that I don't EVER follow recipes exactly. A trait that tends to annoy me in other cooks/bakers, especially when they make things by adding a little of this and a little of that, when what I really want to know is, how can I make that at home and make it taste as good as you made it?

The truth is I'm a rule follower until it comes to baking/cooking and then I am reckless; an absolute rebel. 

Apparently a very word-y rebel. Could we get to the point of this post?

Oh yes, the recipe, and the rules I broke:

1. The first time I substituted 2% milk for the evap. milk in the dough (but not the filling). I actually liked the consistency of the dough better that way, it was way more elastic and pliable, and the finished (baked) product less dense. I am sure this is because evap. milk has less water content, for all you baking scientists out there. 

2. The recipe said to make the dough 24 hours in advance, place in the fridge, and take it out of fridge 45 minutes before shaping.  I didn't have that kind of patience time, so I opted for letting the dough rise for 45 minutes to an hour.

Moving on....

Let's start with ingredients:

4-5 cups of flour

2 pckgs

active dry yeast

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup margerine or butter

1/2 tsp salt

1  5-oz can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk (divided)

2 eggs

Filling:

1 cup chocolate chip (semi-sweet

2 TBLS sugar

14/-1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Struesal Topping

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 butter (better if slightly cool)

A handful of chocolate chips- more or less dependent on your liking.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place 3/4 sugar, 1/3 cup evap. milk, salt, and butter in a microwave dish. I like to cut up  my butter for control issues so that it melts evenly without getting the mixture too hot (which will kill the yeast). I zap my mixture for about a minute...or until the butter is melted, but not completely. Like this:

Take 2 cups of flour and place it in the bowl with the yeast. Add eggs. Pour in milk mixture and mix on medium speed with a dough hook. You'll need to scrape the sides.

If you don't have a Kitchen Aide mixer you could do this next part by hand, but before you get your hands dirty, go put a Kitchen Aide mixer on your Christmas list. They are worth every dime.

Begin to mix in the rest of the flour. Be careful sometimes you need more flour, sometimes less.

This is the point that I don't mind getting my hands dirty.

When your dough looks like the picture above, I take it out and start to knead by hand. It doesn't take a lot of kneading since the machine has done most of the work. The reason I do this is I like the dough to look like this:

 Place plastic wrap over it and set it aside to double in size. About 45 minutes. Meanwhile.....Take the ingredients for the filling and place them in a sauce pan. Over medium heat, constantly stir until melted... chocolate scorches quickly so don't place the heat too high.

Now go check on your dough.

 There it is all yeasty and puffy.

This recipe calls for one large loaf of bread.  I don't have a loaf pan that is big enough so I recommend cutting this mound in half.

Roll each half out into a rectangle of sorts...

Pour half the chocolate mixture....

Roll it up and put it in a pan. 

Repeat with second half. 

Only, this half we'll make into rolls...

For those of you who don't already know this trick, let me share a roll cutting tip my grandmother gave to me. Take a piece of thread, slide it under the place where you want to make a cut, cross the string over on them selves, and pull. You will have perfectly cut rolls every time!

Place the ingredients for the Streusel Topping in the mixer and use the paddle to mix. When it begins to look crumbly be sure to stop, other-wise you will soon have a paste instead of crumbs. 

Sprinkle on top. 

Cinnamon rolls cook for about 20 minutes, leave the bread in for 15-20 minutes more.

This sounds way more complicated than the actual process so don't be scared...

...or, well, on second thought, maybe you should be.