Super Bowl Spinach Roll!

Superbowl Spinach Roll! 

I've decided to join the crowds of baking/cooking bloggers who are listing their favorite appetizers for the big game that's coming up this weekend. We're hosting a big party with fam and friends.....My hubby fries up wings and our guests bring loads of calorie-laden goodies. Munching on all these tasty goodies is soooo much better than watching the game! I must admit, though, that I try to put a couple of things on the table that are high in flavor, yet are not totally corrupt. This year, that's particularly important to me as I have a doctor's appointment on MONDAY....of all days....the Monday after the Super Bowl.....what the heck! Those doctors ALWAYS insist on weighing you.......and I don't supposed there's any "post-Super-Bowl" exemption. Bah! So I have to have something fairly sensible to eat that night.....

This year, I've decided that a spinach roll might fill that bill. Loaded with spinach, peppers, mushrooms, garlic (and more than a little cheese....), these tasty slices entice even those who have sworn off all things green from their diet. And if I don't eat toooo many slices, I don't think the scales will tell on me.....

Super Bowl Spinach Roll 

Olive Oil Bread: 

(You may use any pizza dough recipe or EZ DOH's basic recipe -just thought you might just like another dough recipe ! )

1 1/3 Cup warm water

1 packet/Tbsp.Red Star Platinum yeast

2 tsp. Kosher salt

½ Tbsp. Sugar

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3- 3 ¼ C. Unbleached, all-purpose flour

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Wait 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup flour, then remaining ingredients and EZ DOH-it , adding the final ¼ c. of flour gradually till the dough is soft and smooth. Remove the dough from the bucket, spray the bucket with cooking spray and then replace dough and cover bucket. Let rise till doubled.  At this point, the dough can be used for a spinach roll, or can be shaped into a loaf. (If you are making a loaf, shape, let rise again then bake) . 

Delicious Spinach Filling: 

Olive oil                                                                                   1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 green or Italian pepper, chopped                                        1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 can sliced mushrooms                                                         1 clove garlic, minced

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Pinch cayenne pepper                                                               Pinch freshly ground pepper

Pinch of parsley, basil, and oregano                                           1 tsp.  garlic powder

Pinch crushed red pepper seeds                                                 Pinch salt                                                   4 slices provolone cheese                                                          1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese                   

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Saute peppers and onions in olive oil and butter. Add mushrooms and fresh garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and spices and cook a minute or two more. Roll out  dough to a thin oval shape. Spread out cooked mixture all over. Add cheeses on top. Roll and  seal the ends. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top. 

Super Bowl Spinach Roll!

"Good" vs. "Bad" - A Great Recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread!

"Good" vs. "Bad"  - A Great Recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread! 

I must admit I put off experimenting with 100% whole wheat recipes.....It's not that I don't love wheat-y, grain-y breads. It's because I'm the only one in the house who will eat them! Now that we're down to two (my hubby and  myself), it takes a long time to go through a loaf of bread. Even when there were five of us here, there were very few takers on those types of recipes. However, I had recently promised a subscriber that I would try to find a 100% whole wheat recipe that would work nicely in the EZ DOH, so now I was committed!

So this Tuesday, I hosted card club. These ladies always EXPECT me to try something new, so they became my guinea pigs! The meal for the evening was quiche, salad and bread. Mid-day, I began the bread-making process with a promising-looking whole wheat recipe. However, after an hour of rising, things were not looking too promising........so I panicked and started a search for another recipe, even though the hour was late. I went ahead and took a shot at the second recipe, in addition to making some gruyere cheese rolls (I had to have some kind of bread that would be guaranteed-edible!)

Well, the second wheat recipe was a huge success - mixed up beautifully and quickly in the EZ DOH, rose speedily and baked up like a dream! Hurrah! I went ahead and baked the "bad" recipe, too (see my pic below)........I stashed it in a drawer during the party, took it out afterwards long enough to take a pic, and then stashed it in the trash (Man, I hate to waste food, but this was pretty bad!!)

Here's the recipe for the "good" whole wheat bread, along with pics of BOTH breads....Enjoy!

"Good" Whole Wheat!

"Bad" Whole Wheat! 

                                          
 100%  "Good" Whole Wheat Bread                                                           

1 Tbsp./ packet Red Star Platinum yeast 

½ Cup warm water

1 Cup milk

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. softened butter

3-4 Cups whole wheat flour

Place yeast in EZ DOH bucket. Add warm water and stir. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to activate. Add 1 cup of flour, then remaining ingredients. (Add flour to total 3 cups, th

en add additional as necessary if dough seems excessively sticky). EZ DOH-it for 3-4 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Remove dough from bucket. Spray bucket lightly with cooking spray, replace dough in bucket and cover. Let rise until doubled. Remove dough from bucket. Shape into loaf (I lightly roll out the dough into a small rectangle and roll it up again, tucking in sides.) Place loaf in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Cover and let rise till crown of dough is well over the top of the pan. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from pan. Brush top of loaf lightly with butter. Let cool on a wire rack.

"Good" vs. "Bad" - A Great Recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread!

"Sandwiches are beautiful, Sandwiches are fine".....Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

"Sandwiches are beautiful, sandwiches are fine....I like sandwiches, I eat them all the time....." This is the first line to a silly little song on one of the childrens' tapes (yes, that dates me.....and my kids- lol!!)  we used to listen to when my kids were small. It's funny how those things stick with you! I can still hardly speak the word "sandwich" without breaking into song!

Well, this roll recipe may make you break into song! This makes such a nice, soft roll, especially considering that it contains whole wheat flour. I made these for a girlfriend's dinner party the other night, which my daughter attended (I just made the rolls- I wasn't at the dinner). My daughter texted me, raving about the rolls, thinking they were her favorite oatmeal roll recipe. I was pleased that they were that good! Obviously, they don't just make great sandwich rolls.....this makes a tasty dinner roll as well.

Don't hurry these rolls on their second rise.......If you let them really fill up the pan before you bake them, you'll be rewarded with huge, fluffy rolls!

Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cup warm milk

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast 

1 beaten egg

2 Tbsp. softened butter

1/4 cup honey

2 3/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

In the EZ DOH bucket, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Add one cup of flour, then additional ingredients (You may want to add the last 3/4 Cup of unbleached flour slowly to be sure you don't end up with a dry, shaggy dough). EZ-DOH until  dough is smooth, 2-3 minutes. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray and replace dough in bucket. Let rise until doubled. Remove from bucket and shape into 12 evenly-shaped balls. Place in a greased 7x10" pan. Cover and let rise until doubled (or pan looks "full") . Bake at 375 for approximately 20 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Remove from pan, brush with additional butter. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!!

Adapted from Allrecipes.com   Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

"Sandwiches are beautiful, Sandwiches are fine".....Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

Celebrate! Zucchini Tomato Appetizer Bread

"It was a dark and stormy night...." No, actually it was a cold and snowy night as we gathered to celebrate another season of hard work on our community's annual Christmas drive-through light show. Though the show lasted only 26 nights, the committee  had been putting in time since August. By January, everyone is usually pretty burned out, but not so much that we can't get together, share some delicious food and laugh over the successes and the mishaps of the year now past. Among the committee members, I'm known as the one who brings the treats.......(I actually use these friends as guinea pigs for new bread recipes, but they never seem to mind), so I wanted to bring something special. That night, I was in a "savory" mood, so I tweaked this old recipe for the evening's festivities. (This would probably make an amazing summer dish, too.....all that fresh, abundant zucchini!!)

Zucchini Tomato Appetizer Bread 

Bread Base: 

1 Cup warm water
1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast 
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Pour water in EZ DOH bucket. Stir in yeast. Let sit for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and EZ Doh-it until dough is smooth, adding additional flour as necessary. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray and replace dough. Cover and let rise until double. Preheat oven to 400.  Remove dough from bucket and press into a 10x15" pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Spread with 1 Tbsp. softened butter.Top with the following:

Topping: 

2 medium zucchini, washed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (I used Penzey's Spice "Pasta Sprinkle", along with a little oregano)
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced , with each slice cut into 4 triangles
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, each piece halved
1/2 lb. Colby Jack or Swiss cheese slices, cut into 1 1/2 " pieces

Saute zucchini, onion and seasonings in the butter till crisp tender. Spread zucchini mixture evenly over buttered dough. Top with tomato triangles (mine were 6 across), then a pepperoni slice on each tomato, then a cheese strip. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden. Cut into squares and serve while warm.

Celebrate! Zucchini Tomato Appetizer Bread