Savory Muffins with Queso Fresco

May 7, 2015May 7, 2015 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 22 Comments

Hello Friends, I hope everyone is doing well! 🙂 Spring is my favorite time of the year, I feel inspired to paint, bake and do all sorts of creative projects around the house. I made these savory muffins last Sunday for breakfast and they were a hit with my family. They are easy to make and you can have them on the table in less than an hour. They go well with butter, pate, cream cheese, jam or even just plain they taste wonderful. I imagine adding some bacon bits into batter would work great. Instead of Queso Fresco you can also use Feta cheese or any crumbly cheese. I absolutely loved the taste and the texture and will be making them again soon.

Savory Muffins with Queso Fresco

{Printable recipe}

Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:

*** Use dry measure cup for all ingredients

4 eggs
1 ½ cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup oil
2 TBSP butter (melted)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
5 oz Queso Fresco (or Feta cheese) finely crumbled

Preparation:

Beat eggs, yogurt, oil and melted butter at a high speed until smooth.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.
Lower the mixing speed and slowly add all dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
At the end mix in Queso Fresco.

5. Brush the muffin form with melted butter.
6. Fill the batter into 3/4 of the muffin forms.
7. Bake at 400 F (200 C) for about 20-25 minutes.

Here they are right out of the oven:

And on the table:

Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake

March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 16 Comments

A few days ago I went through my freezer to see what we need to use up soon and came across a whole bunch of blueberries which reminded me of the fun times last summer when my daughter and I went blueberry picking. I think we ended up with around 9 pounds and that’s not including the ones we ate while picking. 🙂

Anyway, I decided we needed to use some of those soon and what a better combination than blueberry-lemon. Recently a friend gave me a nice, new bundt cake form, so I got an idea to make a blueberry lemon bundt cake. It turned out really good, moist and not too sweet!

Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake

[Printable recipe]

Ingredients:

250 g (8.8 oz) unsalted butter (softened)
350 g (12 oz)sugar
1 vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 tsp lemon extract
1 lemon (zest and juice)
4 eggs
300 g (10 oz or 2 1/3 cup) flour
3 tsp baking powder
200 g (7 oz) sour cream
500 g (about 1 lb) blueberries

Preparation:

Slice butter into thin slices and place into a mixer bowl.
Gradually add sugar and vanilla sugar and beat until fluffy.
Now add lemon zest, lemon juice and extract and mix well.
Start adding eggs, one at a time until well incorporated into batter.

5. Lower the mixing speed.
6. Combine flour and baking powder and start adding to batter alternating with heaping tablespoons of sour cream until all is used up.
7. Butter your bundt cake form.
8. Pour the batter into 3/4 of the form
9. Spread the blueberries on the top of batter. During baking they will sink into batter. (I used frozen blueberries)

10. Bake at 195 C or 385 F for about 1 hour or until middle sets and gets a nice golden brown color.
11. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Enjoy! 🙂

♥

Breakfast Kifle

February 20, 2015 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 14 Comments

Kifle (sing. kifla) are one of the most popular Bosnian breakfast breads. In the US kifle are known as a Christmas pastry filled with walnuts, but in Bosnia, kifle are actually any type of bread or pastry made in a shape of a crescent and today I wanted to introduce the most loved and known kind.

Every Bosnian bakery or a grocery store sells kifle. They are always fresh, airy and super delicious. They are usually served at breakfast with variety of spreads such as butter, paté, cream cheese, jam, honey, nutella, etc. Sometimes we slice them length-wise and make sandwiches or they can be served instead of bread at a lunch or dinner table.

They are made out of most simple ingredients, found in every pantry and can easily be prepared at home. I usually make them for a weekend breakfast when everyone is home and can take time to enjoy them.

BREAKFAST KIFLE

[Printable recipe]

Ingredients:

650-700 g (about 5 cups) all purpose flour
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp salt
300 ml (1 + 1/4 cup) warm water
200 ml (about 1 cup) warm milk
50 ml (1/4 cup) oil

1 egg white (lightly beaten)
Salt for sprinkling
Butter (melted) for brushing

How to prepare:

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixer bowl and start mixing slowly
Combine water, milk and oil and while mixer is on slow, start adding liquid to the bowl with dry ingredients.
Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3-4 minutes
Now let it rest for about 5 minutes and then mix again 3-4 minutes. Kifle dough is supposed to be medium firm. If it’s too soft, add more flour.
Dust your working surface with flour, remove the dough from the bowl and knead it by hand 10-20 times. Place it back into the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise until double in volume (about 1 hour).
Divide the dough in two. Roll each piece into a 45 cm (18 inch) circle. With a pizza cutter, cut each circle once vertically, once horizontally and twice diagonally to get 8 triangles.
To form a kifla, first fold in both corners at a short side of the triangle. Now pressing down roll the bread until the end tip. You can also shape it to look like a crescent. Place it onto a greased baking sheet with the end tip facing down. Repeat will all remaining triangles.

8. Cover them and let rest and rise for about 30 minutes.
9. Heat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
10. Lightly beat an egg white and brush over bread.
11. Sprinkle each kifla with salt.

12. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter and cover for 10 minutes.

♦

Enjoy! 🙂

Fancy Flower Rolls

October 17, 2014 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 7 Comments

These fancy rolls are not only beautiful, but they taste like a little piece of Heaven. They are probably one of the best I’ve ever had and I will be making them over and over again. Even after a few days they keep soft, which is not always the case with homemade rolls. As of their taste, they remind me somewhat of brioche. I also had them split and toasted like a bagel and they were great. I imagine they will look beautiful on any Holiday table and will be gone in a matter of minutes! Have a wonderful weekend friends! 🙂

Fancy Flower Rolls

{Printable recipe}

Ingredients:

1 cup (236 ml) warm milk
1/2 cup (118 ml) warm water
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
2 tsp dry yeast
1/4 cup (60 ml) oil
3 ½ TBSP (50 g) butter-melted
1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
All-purpose flour (approx 4 and 1/2 cups or 580-600 g)
2 eggs, whites and yolks separated

Topping:

egg yolks + 1 tsp milk
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.

Preparation:

First combine warm milk, water and sugar. Mix well and sprinkle dry yeast over it.
Divide eggs
Place egg yolks in a small bowl and cover with plastic.
In a medium bowl lightly whisk egg whites, then add oil and melted butter.
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixer bowl with dough hooks.
When the yeast mixture becomes bubbly slowly pour into flour mixture and start mixing slowly. Just when combined, add egg mixture and mix until you get a compact, shiny dough ball.
Brush with oil, cover with plastic and let it rest until double in volume.
This dough will be really easy to work with, almost like the play dough.
Flour your working surface, place the dough on it, divide in half and then each half into 12 equal parts.
Lightly oil your hands, press and roll each piece into a 10 inch (25 cm) long stick, with about ½ inch (1.5 cm) diameter.
Take two sticks together and swirl them around as to a get a braid.
Connect the ends to form a bagel-like roll and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Preheat your oven to 385 F or 195 C
Whisk egg yolks with 1 tsp of milk and brush the rolls
You may sprinkle them with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or any seeds of your choice.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

ENJOY!

Apricot – Chocolate Chip Muffins

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 12 Comments

{Printable Recipe}

♦

Ingredients:

♦

Preparation:

♦

Place apricots into boiling water for a 1/2 – 1 minute. If they are soft about ½ minute and if they are harder about 1 minute.
Remove the skin, half them, pit them and set aside.

♦

Beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla at a high speed and until fluffy.
Add eggs one by one until nicely incorporated into batter.
Combine flour and baking powder. Add to batter alternating with milk, until both is used up.
At the end, mix in mini chocolate chips.

♦

Fill the batter into muffin pans lined with muffin cups or into mini bunt cake tins. Place an apricot half on each muffin.
Bake at 195 C (385 F) about 20-25 minutes. Let cool down, remove from tins and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

♦

Enjoy!

Sweet Yeasted Buns: recreating mom’s recipe

August 2, 2012August 2, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 20 Comments

Numerous times I tried to recreate these sweet, fluffy buns that mom used to make when we were children. I don’t have a recipe because mama always made these without one! I think today they have turned out just right – right amount of sweetness, softness, right texture and above all the right taste! I know she would be proud of me – Happy Birthday Mama! 🙂

Sweet Yeasted Buns Printable recipe

(KORPICE- is the name of these buns, which in Bosnian language means “little baskets”)

Dough:

4 cups (512 g) all-purpose flour
2.8 oz (80 g) sugar
1 ¼ cup (295 ml) warm milk
0.7 oz (20 g) fresh yeast
½ lemon (zest only)
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2.8 oz (80 g) butter (softened)
Flour for kneading

Filling:

3.5 oz (100 g) finely chopped walnuts
3.5 (100 g) fresh blackberries (mashed)
5.2 oz (150 g) blackberry jam
1 teaspoon cornstarch

***1 Tablespoon powder sugar + 1 pack of vanilla sugar for dusting

Preparation:

For the dough combine the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar in a mixing bowl. Make an indent in the flour. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and lightly pour the milk into the flour. Mix the dough until almost combined, add the egg and the yolks, mix some more and at the end add butter.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Form into a ball, place into a buttered bowl, cover and let it rest until double in size. The dough supposed to be medium firm. Once is rises is will be stretchy, soft and easy to work with.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Just mix all ingredients together and set aside until needed.

Once the dough is ready place it on a floured surface and roll it into a rectangle (approx. size 12 X 24 inches or 30 X 60 cm). With a pizza knife cut it into 24 squares. Place some of the filling in the middle of each square, pick up opposite corners together as to form a little basket. Pinch the sides good so the filling doesn’t come out.

Cover and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Bake at 400 F (200 C) for about 15 minutes or until you see nice golden-brown tops.

While still warm, dust with mixture of sugar and vanilla sugar. Serve warm with coffee or a cup of milk.

YUM! ENJOY! 🙂

♥

Braided Breakfast Bread

April 24, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 32 Comments

Every time I want to bake something with yeast I remember my mama. She was the queen of yeast doughs. She didn’t use any recipes either. She would throw together a little bit of this, a little bit of that and it would turn into one of those things that people write a two page recipe for. Mama enjoyed making everything fresh and from scratch, of course! 🙂 She would get up early in the morning, I mean really early! She would start a dough, and by the time my sister and I were getting ready for school the whole house would be enveloped in the fragrant aroma of mama’s baked goods. After all that early morning work she still had plenty of energy to dress up, do her hair, put some make up on and go meet some 25 other people’s children and teach them with a smile.

This morning I tried to throw together few things my self, hoping it would turn into one of mama-like heavenly breakfast breads. I would say it turned out ok. I should have let it rise longer, but impatient me didn’t… Anyway, the house smelled wonderfuly and the bread tasted great, but it just wasn’t as mama’s…

Braided Breakfast Bread Printable recipe

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups (450 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (65 g) dry milk powder
¼ cup (50 g) sugar
1 ½ tsp dry yeast
1 lemon (zest)
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) warm water
½ stick (50 g) butter (soft)
1 egg
3.5 oz (100 g) raisins
3.5 oz (100 g) dried apricots (chopped)
1.8 oz (50 g) dried cranberries

Egg wash:

1 egg
2 tbsp milk or cream

Preparation:

Soak all dried fruit in warm water for about 30 minutes.
Combine flour, dry milk powder, sugar, yeast, and mix well. Gradually start adding water. Add lemon zest. When almost combined, add egg and butter. Mix for few more minutes, then add in dried fruit.
Cover and let it rest for about two hours or until doubled in volume.
Now place the dough on a flour-dusted surface and knead it for few minutes. Divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long 12-14 inch (30-35 cm) log. Pinch all four pieces together and form a braid.
Place the braid onto a baking pan, brush with the egg wash, cover and let it rise for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and bake for about 30-45 minutes or until nice, golden-brown color.

Enjoy!