I. Steakhouse Black Bread (黑麵包)
We followed the recipe of the Steakhouse Black Bread online pretty closely, esp. the two comments that are not using the bread machine. We also added a bit of the taste from this Russian Black Bread recipe. We were hoping that this might get us the kind of dinner bread served in the Black Angus restaurant chain. We were not disappointed.
- Proof the yeast - In a measuring cup, warm 1 1/3 cups of strong coffee and 2 tsp of instant coffee granules to less than 95-deg-F (not too hot!), add 1 tsp of sugar, and 2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast. Stir evenly and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Prepare the dough - Pour 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of rye flour, 2 cups of bread flour, 1/2 tsp of salt (go easy on the salt!), 2 Tbsp of dark brown sugar (3 Tbsp if you like it a bit sweet), 2 Tbsp of unsweetened coca powder into a KitchenAid Mixer bowl. Hand-stir evenly and form a well. Add the fluid mix from Step 1 into the well. Start the Mixer using the dough hook on the lowest speed. Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of veggie oil and 1/4 cup of dark corn syrup (or dark molasses) once the mixer starts. Continue to mix for 3-4 minutes. Scrape the dough off of the hook with a plastic or bamboo spatula back into the mixing bowl. Continue to mix for another 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, hand-knead the dough for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is smooth inside and out. Scrape the dough cleanly from the hook and the bowl, and form the dough into a ball. Drip very small amount of veggie oil into the bowl and place the dough ball back into the oiled bowl. Now, cover the dough with a warm, damp cloth, let it sit in a warm place for an hour or two, till the dough rise to double its size.
- Make the bread - Cut the dough evenly into 4 pieces. Hand-knead each piece into a smooth and round half-ball for 2-3 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes, covered by a damp cloth on the kneading board. Crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk. Pour some Quaker oats into a medium bowl. Brush the egg fluid on top of the bread, flip the bread up side down, dip into the oats bowl, and roll it around a bit in the oats. Place the breads in a slightly oiled baking pan 2-3" apart from one another.
- Preheat oven to 375-deg-F. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and serve. Here is a picture of the finished product.
We followed two online recipes on crustless quiche (one with kale and tomato, the other with spinach and onion) pretty closely Compared with the Quiche Lorraine recipe we posted earlier, this quiche recipe takes out the pie crust, bacon, mushroom, but adds cheese and veggies.
- Saute' 1 chopped onion in a pan (with 2 Tbsp veggie oil at low-to-medium heat) for 3-4 minutes, add 8-oz of frozen chopped spinach (half of a 1-lb pack, defrosted and drained of all the water); and (optionally) 2-3 chopped Roma tomatoes (drained of fluid), stir for 2-3 minutes; and (optionally) add ~2 cups of chopped kale and stir for a minute. Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper.
- Whisk 4-6 eggs in a bowl (i.e., 4 jumbo eggs, or 5 large eggs, or 6 medium eggs), and 2 cups of any shredded cheese you might have (in the fridge), or prefer, stir evenly. Pour the liquid mixture into a 10" pie pan, mix in the veggies from Step 1, and stir evenly.
- Preheat oven to 350-deg-F and bake for 30-45 minutes, or (more reliably) until the quiche surface is puffed and browned. Note- If the surface of the quiche is lightly browned and some vent holes on the surface are still bubbling with moisture, turn off the oven and leave the quiche in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
We followed this online Easy Pineapple Cake recipe pretty closely, with reduced sugar and baking time. We managed to resist the temptation to make the frosting. And, it's worth noting that this cake doe NOT use any oil or butter. The result is still quite a treat, moist and tasty (in one word, succulent :-)!
- Mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tsp of baking soda, and 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar (go easy on the sugar!) in a bowl. Stir evenly and form a well. Crack 2 eggs and pour 1 20-oz-can of crushed pineapple (in pineapple juice, not in syrup) into the well. Mix thoroughly manually (with a pair of chopsticks or a whisk), then pour the mix into a 9x13 baking pan. Note- No need to add Oil or Butter at all!
- Preheat oven to 350-deg-F. Bake for ~25 minutes, or more reliably, until a toothpick (or a single chopstick) inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool and serve without the frosting, with tea or coffee. Note- Some canned pineapple might have more liquid, which leads to longer baking time. Here is a picture of the finished product.
