cracklin' cornbread, beer-batter cheese bread, cinnamon swirl bread & zuchini bread

7/28/2019 Cracklin' Cornbread, Beer-Batter Cheese Bread, Cinnamon Swirl Bread & Zuchini Bread

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Cracklin' Cornbread

From Cook's Country

December/January 2010

With a perfectly

seasoned skillet and some rendered pork skin,

anybody can enjoy this southern classic.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the ingredients or the

equipment, and store-bought pork rinds are a

laughable stand-in. To create makeshift cracklings for

our Cracklin Cornbread, we tried everything from salt

pork (too sa lty and tough) to Fritos fried in bacon

grease (just wrong), and eventually settled on fried

bacon. To keep the cornbread crunchy, we removed it

from the skillet shortly after it was done. This way it

didnt steam and soften while it sat in the warm skillet.

Serves 10

For the crunchiest crust, bake the cornbread in a cast-iron pan. Avoid coarsely ground cornmea l, which

will make the cornbread too gritty. See related Quick Tip for information about seasoning cast-iron

skillets.

INGREDIENTS

slices bacon, chopped fine

cups cornmeal (see note)

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon salt

cups buttermilk

cup vegetable oil

large eggs, lightly beaten

INSTRUCTIONS

1. COOK BACON Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. C ook bacon in 10-

inch heatproof skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined

plate. Pour off fat from pan, re serving cup.

2. MIX BATTERCombine cornmea l, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in

buttermilk, 3 tablespoons oil, reserved bacon fat, eggs, and crisp bacon.

3. BAKE CORNBREAD Heat remaining oil in empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.

Spoon cornmeal mixture, cup at a time, into skillet and bake until top begins to crack and sides a re

golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Serve.

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DO THE DOLLOP

If you dump the batter in, the hot oil that's greasing the skillet gets pushed to

the edge. Dolloping the batter guarantees the cornbread will release cleanly,

even in an underseasoned skillet.

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Beer-Batter Cheese BreadFrom Cook's Country

December/January 2008

Quick breads, like our

Beer-Batter Cheese Bread, can be on the table in less

than an hour. The basic recipe is simple enough, yet

our first attempts produced loaves that tasted sour,

like stale beer, while others had negligible cheese

flavor. And some attempts at this recipe were so

greasy that we had to pass out extra napkins. We

wanted a lighter loaf of cheese bread enhanced with

the yeasty flavor of beer and a big hit ofcheeseand

it had to be quick and easy. Mild, domestic lagers

provided a clean, subtle flavor without any sourness at

all. Cutting back the butter from a full stick to half a

stick made our Beer-Batter Cheese Bread recipe

considerably lighter, while still producing a craggy

crust.

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Insert the toothpick in a few spots when testing for doneness; it may hita pocket ofcheese, which

resembles uncooked batter on the toothpick. Strongly flavored beers make the bread bitter, so mild

Amer ican lagers like Budweiser work best here .

INGREDIENTS

ounces Gruyre cheese, 4 ounces shredded and 4 ounces cut into 1/4-inch cubes

cups all-purpose flour

tablespoons sugar

teaspoons baking powder

teaspoons salt

teaspoon pepper

1 (12-ounce) light-bodied beer, such as Budweiser (see note)

tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 by 5-inch loafpan.

2. Combine shredded and cubed cheese, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Stir

in beer and mix until well combined. Pour into loafpan, spreading batter to corners. Drizzle melted butter

evenly over top of batter.

3. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50

minutes. Cool bread in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely and slice as desired.

(Although this bread can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, after the

second day the bread is best toasted.)

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Beer-Batter Bread with

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SWISS CHEESE: THE HOLE TRUTH

We loved the nutty pungency of Gruyre cheese in our Beer-Batter Cheese Bread. Gruyre is a cow's-

milk cheese named after its birthplace, Gruyres, Switzerland. Like many Swiss-style cheeses of various

origins ("Swiss" cheeses are produced all over the world), each 100-pound wheel of Gruyre is pocked

with holes, or "eyes," that are formed when carbon dioxide gas (created by fermenting bacteria) is

released as the cheese is aging. Swiss-style cheeses without eyes are known as "blind" cheeses.





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Cinnamon Swirl Bread

From Cook's Country

April/May 2007

Cinnamon swirl bread

recipes sound appea ling, but often they yield

disastrous results: loaves that are chewy or dry,

cinnamon swirls that separate from the bread, and

filling that oozes out of the loaf. Using just egg yolks

gave us a Cinnamon Swirl Bread recipe that struck the

perfect balance between too lean and too bouncy.

Tasters preferred a filling of white and brown sugars,

with a hefty amount of cinnamon. A thin coat ofwater

sprayed on the dough made the cinnamon mixture

stick, and a second light coat sprayed directly onto the

mixture created a glue" that adhered to the

Cinnamon Swirl Bread when it was rolled.

Serves 8

You will need a spray bottle filled with water for this recipe. Whole milk is best in the dough, although

low-fatmilk will work; skim milk will make the bread too dry.

INGREDIENTS

Cinnamon Sugar

cup granulated sugar

cup packed light brown sugar

teaspoons ground cinnamon

Bread

cups milk, heated to 110 degrees

tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons melted

large egg yolks

cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast

tablespoon sugar

teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the cinnamon sugar: Combine ingredients in small bowl, breaking up clumps. Cover tightly with

plastic wrap.

2. For the bread: Spray large bowl with cooking spray. Whisk milk, melted butter, and yolks in large

liquid measuring cup. Mix 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt in large bowl of standing

mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn mixer to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes

together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl,

5 to 6 minutes. (If dough seems too sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more flour during kneading.) Turn dough

RELATED CONTENT

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Cinnamon Swirl

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TASTE TEST

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out onto unfloured counter and knead to form smooth, round ball. Transfer dough to greased bowl and

turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

(Do not place in warm oven or sugar in dough will melt.)

3. Spray 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, press dough into 20 by 8-

inch rectangle, with short side facing you. Using spray bottle, lightly and evenly spray dough with water.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar over dough, leaving 2-inch border along top edge. Lightly spray

cinnamon sugar with water until damp but not wet (see photo at left.) Starting at edge nearest you, roll

up dough, then pinch seam and ends closed. Place loaf seam side down in prepared pan, cover loosely

with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until 1 inch above rim ofpan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt remaining tablespoon butter

and brush over top ofdough. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar and bake until top is deep brown

and center of bread registers 185 to 190 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 45 to 60 minutes. Turnbread out onto rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Slice as desired. (Bread can be kept in

airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

SPRAY- ON SECRET

We found that waternot milk, butter, or beaten eggswas the trick to

anchoring the cinnamon sugar to the dough. Once the dough has been rolled

out, spray it with water, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, and then spray

the cinnamon sugar until slightly damp. Once rolled up and baked, the swirl

will remain attached to the bread, even when sliced thin for toasting.

GETTING THE RIGHT SWIRL

When testing other recipes, we uncovered two recurring problems: the swirl separa ting and the filling

leaking out. Using a modest amount of cinnamon sugar and gluing the cinnamon sugar to the dough with

water solved these common problems.

Swirl separates and filling oozes out





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Zucchini Bread

From Cook's Country

August/September 2005

We wanted our

Zucchini Bread to boast a rich flavor and a moistnot

soggytexture. We grated the zucchini on a box

grater, then wrung it out in a clean dishtowel to expel

much ofits moisture. We combined the dry and wet

ingredients separately, and then gently folded them

together until just combinedtoo much mixing can

cause the bread to become tough and dense. Finally,

we limited the spices to just cinnamon and allspice to

allow the zucchinis flavor to come through.

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Cut large zucchini in halflengthwise and scoop outthe seeds with a spoon before shredding.

INGREDIENTS

pound zucchini

cups all-purpose flour

teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon ground cinnamon

teaspoon ground allspice

teaspoon table salt

cups sugar

cup plain yogurt

large eggs

tablespoon lemon juice

tablespoons unsalted butter, me lted and cooled

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat 9 by 5-inch loaf

pan with cooking spray.

2. Following photos, shred and squeeze zucchini. Whisk flour, baking soda , baking powder, cinnamon,

allspice, and salt in large bowl. Whisk sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and butter in bowl until combined.

3. Gently fold yogurt mixture and zucchini into flour mixture using spatula until just combined. Transfer

batter to prepared pan.

4. Bake until golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 45 to

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55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool at least 1 hour. (Bread can be

wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for 3 days.)

SQUEEZING ZUCCHINI

Zucchini is more than 95 percent water, so it's no wonder that zucchini bread is notoriously soggy. This

technique rids the zucchini of much of its moisture and concentrates the flavor at the same time.

1. Using the coarse holes on a box grated, grate the zucchini, peel and all.

2. Place the grated zucchini in a clean dish towel and wring out as much

liquid as possible.

MAKING MUFFINS INSTEAD OF QUICK BREADS

Like most quick breads, our zucchini bread doesn't have to be baked in a loaf pan. A muffin tin is another

good option. In addition to being cute and easy to eat, muffins have the advantage of baking up in half

the time ofbread. To make zucchini muffins, coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray, fill each cup

three-quarters full, and bake on the middle rack of a preheated 375-degree oven until a skewer inserted

into the middle of a muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached, 22 to 27 minutes. These muffins are

best served warm.




cracklin' cornbread, beer-batter cheese bread, cinnamon swirl bread & zuchini bread

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