Baska (Easter Bread)

 Every year at Easter my mom would make Baska (Easter Bread).  She often would make it in small loaf pans or even medium size tin cans.  After baked and cooled it would be frosted and then we would put sprinkles on it.  It was a favorite at our house when I was growing up.

Baska (Easter Bread)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup potato water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup cream, room temperature
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pkg dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. anise extract (my mom used anise oil, but it is hard to find)
• flour, 4 1/2  to 5 1/2  cups 
• optional - yellow food coloring, a few drops 
• optional - caraway seeds, anise seed or  candied fruit  

Directions:

1. Heat water with sugar, until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and add butter.  The butter will melt and then cool this to lukewarm. It may be lukewarm just after the butter melts.
2. In a small bowl dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons warm (105-110 degree) water.  Add 1/2 tsp sugar to help the yeast grow. Let set a few minutes until it is bubbly.
3. Mix sugar water with butter, yeast, eggs and cream together.  Add in 2 cups of flour and the salt.  Mix well.  Add the anise extract, yellow food coloring and seeds or fruit if using. Continue to add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead to make a smooth soft dough. Form into a ball.
4. Place dough in a greased bowl to rise. Cover bowl with towel or plastic.  Set in a warm spot. When doubled in size punch down.  Let rise again.  After second rising put in desired greased baking pans.  Let rise again until doubled.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

I have the directions doing a double rise before putting in pans.  I am sure it would work with just one.

When cool frost with a thin powdered sugar anise flavored frosting, around the entire loaf.  Sprinkle with colorful Spring sprinkles!

Easy Pear Crisp

 Extra pears in my fruit bowl lead me to find a pear crisp recipe.  This was a nice change to apple crisp.

Easy Pear Crisp

Ingredients:

For the Filling

• 6-7 medium pears (I used two different types of pears)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt

For the Topping

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup finely-chopped pecans
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Place peeled, sliced pears in a large bowl. Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. salt; toss to coat.
3. Transfer pears to the prepared baking dish.
4. In a separate bowl, use a fork to mix together butter, flour , oats, white sugar, brown sugar, pecans, and salt until completely combined.  (I used a small food processor to mix everything except the oats.) The mixture will be lumpy, which is fine.
5. Spread topping evenly over the pears.
6. Sprinkle with more cinnamon if desired.
7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top becomes golden brown and crispy ands the pears are soft.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.  Top with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce if desired.

Jarlsburg Cheese Spread

This is a simple cheese spread to eat on crackers.  To eat on a cracker, with a dollop of red pepper jelly is delicious.

Jarlsburg Cheese Spread 

Ingredients:

• Jarlsburg cheese,  2-4 oz., shredded
• 1 Tablespoon minced red onion
• 2 Tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Mix mayonnaise and onion together.  Add cheese to make a spread.

Rosemary Focaccia

 I found this recipe in my cooks country cookbook.  It takes some time to make, but not all the time is hands on.  You make a Biga which sets for 4-24 hours.  This focaccia turned out so good.  It makes 2 loafs and we ate one, and froze one.  The frozen one was just as good as fresh after I thawed it and warmed it a bit in the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, bake the bread on an overturned, preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the upper-middle oven rack.

Rosemary Focaccia

Ingredients:

Biga

• 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz.) flour
• 1/3 cup (2 2/3 oz.) warm water (100-110 degrees)
• 1/4 tsp. instant yeast

Dough

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 oz.) flour
• 1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) warm water (100-110 degrees)
• 1 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T. chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. For the Biga:  Combine flour, water and yeast in a large bowl and stir with wooden spoon until uniform mass forms and no dry flour remains, about 1 minute.  Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature overnight (at least 8 hours and ups to 24 hours.) Use immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 3 days (allow to stand at room temperature 30 minutes before proceeding with recipe.)
2. For the dough:  Stir flour, water, and yeast into biga with wooden spoon until uniform mass forms and no dry flour remains, about 1 minute.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle 2 tsp. salt over dough; stir into dough until thoroughly incorporated, about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 30 minutes
4. Spray rubber spatula or bowl scraper with nonstick cooking spray; fold partially risen dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle.  Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again.  Turn bowl and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 turns). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folding, turning, and rising 2 more times, for total of three 30-minute rises.  Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, placing baking stone on rack and heat oven to 500 degrees at least 30 minutes before baking. 
5. Gently transfer dough to lightly floured counter.  Lightly dust top of dough with flour and divide in half.  Shape each piece of dough into 5-inch round by gently tucking under edges.  Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each.  Sprinkle each pan with 1/2 tsp kosher salt.  Place round of dough in pan, top side down; slide dough around pan to coat bottom and sides, then flip over. Repeat with second piece of dough.  Cover pans with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan. (If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5-10 minutes before trying again.) Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 25-30 times, popping any large bubbles.  Sprinkle rosemary evenly over top of dough. Let dough rest until slightly bubbly, 5-10 minutes.
7. Place pans on baking stone and reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake until tops are golden brown, 25-28 minutes, switching placement of pans halfway through baking.  Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pan and return to wire rack.  Brush tops with any oil remaining in pan.  Let cool 30 minutes before serving.