Lovely Loaves

Beth brings Parmesan pepper bread from a good Columbus bakery when we have special occasions.  It comes with a packet of dried goodies to mix with olive oil for dipping this bread.  This week on Pinterest weekly@pinterest.com, it was all about the loaf.  In case you do not gaze at Pinterest as I do, here are some things I mean to try.  Believe me there are many, many pictures of delicious loaves that you will be panting to produce.

Black Pepper and Parmesan Beer Bread
Makes 1 (9”x5” loaf)
Ingredients:
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
14 ounces (a nice flavorful) beer
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, divided
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 -2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease the loaf pan and set aside.
2. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
3. Create a small well in the center of the flour mixture and add beer, 1/4 cup melted butter, lemon zest, Parmesan, and black pepper. Stir together until the dough just comes together. Do not over mix! (if there are small flour pockets, gently stir them away; a couple remaining flour pockets are okay).
4. Pour mixture into a prepared loaf pan. Pour remaining butter over top and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
5. Remove loaf from pan and allow it to cool until just warm to the touch (about 1 hour and 30 minutes), before slicing.
6. Slice and serve with whipped butter, if desired.
Recipe from: spoonforkbacon

Banana Fosters Pound Cake with Caramel Rum Glaze

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
6 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 fully ripe bananas, sliced
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
3 TBSP rum
In a large sauté pan add bananas and brown sugar over medium heat. Let sugar start to melt and add the rum. Bring to a boil and stir bananas the whole time. Cook until bananas are soft and can be smashed with your spoon easily. Mash the bananas with a spoon. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9-x-5-3inch loaf pan.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter with the granulated sugar high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure each egg is completely incorporated and scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the next.
Add one half of the flour mixture to the batter and beat until it is just incorporated. Add  the mascarpone cheese and mix until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the bananas foster mixture.
Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and set on rack to cool. If making mini loaves the cook time is about 45 minutes. Glaze when cool.
Caramel Rum Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
2 TBSP rum
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
In a small sauce pan add the brown sugar, butter, and cream and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and rum whisking until smooth.
Pour over cake.

Pam, my niece, makes really good pies and pecan is a speciality of hers.  I am not a pie baker--don't know why, but I just can't make it work. So even if this is not exactly a pie, I think I may be able to get a pecan fix, using up the pecans she so generously let me bring home from Hilton Head. How hard can this be, you might ask?  Let's see.

Pecan Pie Bars

adapted from Pillsbury

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup (dark or light, doesn't matter)

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg, beaten

Unroll dough and separate into 2 long rectangles; place in an ungreased 13x9" pan and press along the bottom and 1/2" up the sides, pressing the perforations firmly to seal. Bake for 8 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla and egg. Pour over crust and bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely before cutting, and store at room temperature.

 

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