Bread, bread and more bread!

I am so excited. I went to Costco this weekend and picked up the issue of Fine Cooking magazine--the breads edition! The magazine is a little pricey at $12.99 but it has 146 pages and lots of pictures. I can't wait to try a recipe tonight. I am thinking about baking the Challah bread! I will keep you posted.

Rich Chocolate Babka

So I ripped this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine last month. It looked so delicious I had to give it a shot--it looks like a rolled up chocolate croissant. Yum! Believe it or not, it was a really fun and easy recipe. It just takes some time (roughly 4 hours) so you have to be patient with the dough. But boy, what a fun recipe to make. Totally delicious and a keeper recipe. Enjoy!

Rich Chocolate Babka
Recipe by Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup warm 2% reduced-fat milk (100° to 110°)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
23 3/5 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 5 1/4 cups)
Cooking spray

Filling:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg white
2 teaspoons 2% reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup butter, divided
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped and divided

Additional ingredient:
1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado sugar


Directions:

To prepare the dough, combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface.

Add butter, vanilla, salt, and eggs; stir. Weigh or lightly spoon 22.5 ounces flour (about 5 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour to egg mixture; stir until combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 4 minutes; add enough of remaining 1/4 cup flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

To prepare the filling, combine 1/3 cup sugar and cocoa in a small bowl, stirring well. Combine egg white and 2 teaspoons milk in a small bowl.

Divide dough into two equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll dough into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle.

Melt 1/4 cup butter; brush 1 tablespoon over dough. Sprinkle evenly with half of cocoa mixture, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle dough evenly with 2 ounces chopped chocolate. Drizzle with an additional 1 tablespoon butter. Brush far edge with milk mixture. Loosely roll up, starting with a long edge; pinch seam to seal, and tuck ends under. Place dough, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat procedure with remaining dough, butter, cocoa mixture, chocolate, and egg white mixture. Reserve remaining milk mixture. Cover dough. Let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Brush the dough with remaining milk mixture. Sprinkle each loaf with 2 1/4 teaspoons turbinado sugar.

Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until browned.

Cool loaves completely on a wire rack. Cut each loaf into 12 slices.

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce

I am so completely infatuated with food blogs it is just ridiculous. Seems like everyday I find such fun new food blogs. Well just recently I found tablefortwoblog.com. Being a new food blog myself--only one year old this January--I really appreciate blogs that are so down to earth and really show their love for food.

So I decided to try their Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce recipe. I had all of the ingredients on-hand (oregano and not the Italian seasoning) so why not give it a shot. This recipe came out delicious! So easy and beautiful once plated. I served it over a bed of fresh spinach. Thank you Table for Two! Enjoy.

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce

Recipe by Table for Two

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken tenderloins

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbsp. salted butter, softened

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. oregano 

1/2 tsp. paprika

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup chicken broth 

Fresh minced parsley for topping (optional)

4 cups fresh spinach (optional)

Directions:

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Lightly dredge the chicken in flour and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, Italian seasoning and paprika.

In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, melt 1 tbsp. of the seasoned butter with some olive oil.

Place the chicken in the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil.

In the same skillet, increase the heat to high and add in the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until the skins are charred and they begin to burst. It takes about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining seasoned butter to the pan, stirring to melt. Begin to crush the tomatoes slightly to release their juices.

Add in the chicken broth, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for a minute or two longer until well blended.

Take a piece of chicken and put it on a serving plate. Top with the pan sauce and tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with your side dishes.