yeast bread

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together 4 cups flour, white sugar, yeast, and salt.
• Using a saucepan or the microwave, heat 1 cup water and 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter until it is 120 to 130-degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the water mixture into the flour mixture. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add one egg and egg yolk, and beat for another 2 minutes. Beat in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour until a soft, sticky dough forms.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until dough is soft, smooth, and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add nonstick spray to a large bowl. Shape dough into a smooth ball, and place in bowl. Roll it briefly to coat in oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Use nonstick spray on a 12-cup muffin pan.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 Tablespoon butter. Add to it the cookie butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into roughly a 20x12-inch rectangle. Spread cookie butter mixture onto dough. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Fold rectangle crosswise into thirds as if folding a sheet of paper for an envelope, forming a smaller rectangle, about 12x6 inches.
• Cut rectangle crosswise into 12 (about 1 inch) dough strips. Gently stretch and twist one to coil it inside a prepared muffin cup, tucking the end inside edge of cup to create a rounded top. Repeat 12 times. If desired, press a couple of additional chocolate chips into the top of each babka, but try to place them so they won't melt off the pan during baking.
• Cover and let rise in a warm spot until they are puffed, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325-degrees.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the last egg with 1 Tablespoon water. Brush tops of dough with egg wash.
• Bake until babkas are golden brown, about 17 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in center should register 190-degrees.
• Babkas are much better served warm--eat them fresh, or heat up later with a 20-30 burst in the microwave! This makes the dough soft and the chocolate gooey. They keep well sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days, but can also be frozen and thawed later.

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• Mix and knead the dough ingredients by hand, mixer, or bread machine to make a smooth, slightly sticky dough. If making by hand or mixer, allow the dough to rise in a lightly greased bowl, covered, for about 1 hour, until doubled. In a bread machine, let the full dough cycle run through.
• Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough as necessary. This can mean weighing the dough then dividing it into portions, or using a biscuit cutter or other shaper to slice. Note that if the dough is being cut, keep it thick, as it won't double on the second rise. Recipe can make about 5 to 6 big sandwich rolls. Roll dough with hands with smooth out the shape.
• Place the balls on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• While dough rests, preheat the oven to 400-degrees and prepare the water bath for the stovetop. In a large pot, bring the water, salt, and baking soda to a boil.
• Use a slotted spoon to gently lower several dough balls at a time into the water bath. Cook for 30 seconds, flip over, and cook for 30 seconds longer. Using the slotted spoon, return the buns to the baking sheet.
• Use scissor or a sharp knife to cut half-inch deep crosses into the center of each bun. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Bake buns for 20 to 24 minutes (or a lower time, if they are shaped smaller). They should be nicely brown all over. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Buns will keep well in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. The bread is great at room temperature or warmed in an oven or toaster oven. The rolls can be frozen, but note that the top can sog slightly when they are thawed, which isn't a problem if the rolls are heated/toasted to be eaten.

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• Warm the water to just above body heat, about 100-degrees. Pour it into a large bowl. Add the yeast, flour, and salt. Stir until everything is uniformly moist, no dry patches to be found.
• Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, waxed paper, or an off-kilter lid, and set in a warm spot in the kitchen.
• After about 2 hours, it should double in size and flatten out on the top; a colder kitchen may need as long as 5 hours, which is fine.
• The dough can be used now, but is very sticky. It's easier to work with if it has chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but can idle in there overnight or for as long as 2 weeks. Keep loosely covered so that it doesn't dry out.
• Prepare a piece of parchment with a dusting or flour, semolina, or fine cornmeal. To shape the dough into a round, dust hands with flour then gently shape dough into a ball, tucking and smoothing rough bits into what will become the bottom. Set dough on prepared parchment. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. It may not rise a lot, but should puff a bit.
• Start preheating oven at 450-degrees. Place baking stone or steel in the middle rack of the oven. Place the empty metal cake or casserole pan beneath it. Let the oven heat for 20 minutes.
• Measure out 1 cup of water.
• After the bread has risen for about 40 minutes, lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Use a lame or serrated knife to slash lines across the top.
• Pull the hot stone or steel from the oven. Use the parchment to carefully transfer the dough onto the hot surface. Set baking sheet into oven. Pull out the heated pan on the shelf below. With care, pour the water into the pan; do not overfill! Gingerly push the shelf back into place and close the oven so that the steaming water can work its magic on the baking bread.
• Bake for about 30 minutes. Do NOT open the oven until the end of that time! The bread should look crusty and golden over the top. Pull out the pan and let the bread cool. It may emit a crackling sound as it cools down. If the bottom is carefully thumped, the bread should sound hollow.
• Let cool about 20 or 30 minutes before cutting into the bowl. Store in a sealed bag for up to 2 days. If freezing portions of the bread, do so within the first day so they will be as fresh as possible.

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• Divide the two tablespoons of butter in half, separating them to soften at room temperature.
• In a stand mixer with a bread hook attachment, stir together the flour, yeast, and salt. Follow up with 1 tablespoon of softened butter, honey, and beer. Mix on low speed for 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium for another 2 minutes, pulling the dough from the hook a few times. Add about half the cheese, reserving the rest to go on top later. Mix the cheese until it's distributed through the dough.
• Lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough there and cover with plastic wrap or a towel to let it rise until it's about doubled in size, about an hour.
• Grease the two cake pans. Prepare a lightly floured surface and tip the dough onto it. Pat the dough out into a thick, even layer. Use the cutter to slice out rolls. Place them not quite touching in the pans. Reform scraps as much as possible to shape into more rolls. The rolls likely won't quite fill both pans.
• Cover pans with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise again for 35 to 45 minutes. They may not increase a lot in size, but they should look puffy.
• Preheat oven at 400-degrees.
• Pull out remaining pat of butter and cheese. Brush the soft butter over the rolls, and follow up with a sprinkling of cheese. Try to keep the cheese from touching the edge of the pan, where it could burn.
• Place both pans in the oven and bake until the rolls are browned and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. A digital thermometer in a center roll should read 190-degrees at minimum.
• Let cool for at least 10 minutes before (carefully) pulling apart and serving.
• Rolls can keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. They can also be frozen and thawed for later enjoyment. They taste best hot. For best results, wrap them in foil and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes to warm them through.

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• Place the water, olive oil, and sugar in a big mixing bowl, stand mixer, or food processor. Add the flour, salt, and seasoning, if using. Start mixing together, then sprinkle in the yeast. Mix until just combined.
• Keep in same bowl, if desired, or transfer to another bowl that is greased. Loosely cover top with plastic wrap or towel and let dough rise at room temperature until it flattens out on top, about two hours.
• Dough can be used now but is much easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a non-airtight container and use within two weeks. Dough can also be frozen in freezer bags, for up to a month, and defrosted later in the fridge.

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• Preheat oven at 450-degrees. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron skillet and place the pan in the oven to heat up.
• Grab a good handful of pizza dough, or as much as desired to bake today. Oil a small space of counter or table as well as hands, and gently stretch and press out the dough to a rough circle. If it tears, patch with other pieces of dough as best possible. Let dough rest for about 20 minutes.
• By this time, the oven should have preheated. Use a potholder to pull out the skillet. Carefully swirl the hot oil in the pan to coat the bottom and set pan down on a safe surface. Carefully, again, place the dough in the pan.
• Bake crust for 6 to 10 minutes, until it is set. Pull out of oven and add desired toppings.
• Put pizza in oven for another 6 to 10 minutes, until crust is golden and toppings are cooked to desired level. Let pizza cool for about 10 minutes, then slide onto a plate or other surface to slice and eat.
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• Using the microwave and a safe dish, heat the milk to between 120 and 130 degrees. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the flour, white sugar, yeast, and salt at very low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Slowly add the warm milk to incorporate. Add 2 of the eggs along with the vanilla, and beat for about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Add butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each piece incorporate before adding the next, about 8 minutes total. (If it refuses to incorporate, switch back to the paddle for this stage.) Beat until a smooth and elastic dough forms, about 6 minutes.
• Lightly flour a stretch of counter or tabletop and dump the dough there. Knead it for a minute or so and form it into a smooth round.
• Apply cooking spray inside a large bowl. Place the dough inside and give it a spray, too, to prevent sticking. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap in a warm spot to rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Cut parchment paper to line pan going up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray to pan, then lay both strips inside the pan and spray the top-most sides.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11-inch square. Score a 9-inch square in center of dough (using the pan as a reference, if needed). Fold outside 2 inches over score mark, creating a crust around edges.
• Place dough in the prepared pan, making sure it is even and fills corners of pan. Cover and let rise until puffed, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling. Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste (or extract), and salt until well combined. Gradually add cream cheese, beating until smooth. Add egg to incorporate, followed by the flour.
• Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Using your fingertips to dimple the center of dough back down, leaving outside crust as is. Pour the cream cheese mix into the center of dough. Make small indentations in the cream cheese then add dollops of the preserves. Use a knife to swirl the fruit in a bit more.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 tablespoon water and remaining egg. Brush the crust with the egg wash, then finish by sprinkling the pearl sugar all over the edge.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown with the filling set around outside edges, about 35 to 40 minutes. (If desired, check the temp: an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of filling should register 175°F.)
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then use the parchment sling to lift up the tart onto a serving plate or rack. Eat fresh, or let cool.
• Tart keeps for days well-wrapped in fridge. Eat slices cold, or make pieces even more delicious with a short zap in the microwave.

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