Showing posts with label small batch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small batch. Show all posts
Bread and Butter Pickles are my favorite of all the pickles you can make. Crisp and sweet, they are not too sour and have a nice flavor that goes with just about anything.
No surprise that they are amongst the most popular pickles out there. They have been around a very long time and have been gracing many a table for many, many years!
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This recipe which I am sharing today is for a refrigerator version, so there is no real cooking involved. A simple brine is made and poured over cucumbers and onions, along with a few seeds, in jars. The jars are then left in the refrigerator to "age" for a few weeks.
The end result is a pickle that everyone is going to love! This is a small batch recipe, making only two pint jars. But to be honest, you don't want to have any more than that cluttering up your refrigerator! Small batch recipes suit me well because there is really only myself to please these days!
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When my children were growing up I made tons of pickles every year. And they all got eaten. My children's favorites were always the dill pickles, but mine were always these! They are sweeter than dills and go well with just about anything.
It was said that they got their name from back during the depression days when people could only afford pickle and butter sandwiches for their lunch. It has also been said that people traded these pickles for essentials such as bread and butter in yet another theory.
Whatever the origin of the name is, one thing is for certain and that is that these are really delicious pickles!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE REFRIGERATOR BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
Only a few basic ingredients, not including the jars. I have used canning jars, but in reality you can even do these in plastic tubs. No specialized equipment needed.
- 1 pound (450g) pickling cucumbers (about 4 small ones), blossom and stem ends removed and cut into spears or slices
- 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (240ml) white vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) filtered water
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt or pickling salt
- 1 tablespoon whole yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns (optional)
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
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Pickling cucumbers are cucumbers which are specifically grown for use in making pickles. Their thinner skins, crunchy texture and smaller seeds make them ideal for pickling.
That is not to say that you cannot use regular cucumbers. You can use any cucumber if it is not over-ripe. I have even heard of people making these pickles with small zucchinis.
I never use the black peppercorns because I don't like them in my bread and butter pickles. I like my bread and butter pickles with just the mustard and celery seeds.
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I have seen people add all kinds of things to these pickles however. Hot peppers or red chili flakes seem to be very popular. I like them just as they are however.
I use my mandolin to slice them into 1/4 inch coins. I also use the mandolin to slice the onions. It makes for better uniformity in the sizes. Some people like to crinkle cut them. By all means do so if that is what you enjoy and if you have a crinkle cutter!
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HOW TO MAKE REFRIGERATOR BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
Nothing could be easier. No real cooking involved. Nothing but patience is needed while you wait for the brine to do its job and then they get better tasting with every week that follows!
Make sure your jars are scrupulously clean. Wash them in hot soapy water, rinse well and dry with a clean dish towel.
You can cut your cucumbers into 1/4 inch coins (crosswise) or into spears (lengthwise). If cutting into spears you will get about 8 spears per cucumber. I cut into coins using a mandolin.
Pack the cucumbers and onions slices into the jars, using onion slices to keep the cucumbers separated.
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Top with the mustard and celery seeds, and peppercorns (if using).Combine both vinegars, the sugar, salt and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved and the mixture is hot.
Pour the hot mixture over the cucumber mixture in the jars to cover completely. I fill them to the top. If there isn't enough you can add a bit of boiling water to make sure. You want to make sure the cucumbers are completely covered.
Screw on the lids and place into the refrigerator. Leave for at least two weeks before using. These will keep for three to four months in the refrigerator.
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As I said, the hardest part of making these is waiting for the brine to do its job. It is the same with any pickle I guess. The longer they sit the better. These are lovely and sweet and crisp.
I enjoyed some on this day with an air fryer grilled cheese sandwich, made on bread machine white sandwich bread. Oh boy but this was a delicious lunch.
To make a grilled cheese in the air fryer. Just butter your slices of bread and put them together with sliced processed cheese, butter side out.
Pop into your air fryer basket and fry at 370*F/185*C for 8 minutes, flipping the sandwich over halfway through the cook time. Delicious and crisp with perfectly melted cheese!
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This is the season for pickling. If you are a person who loves do make pickles and relishes you might also enjoy these recipes:
GREEN TOMATO CHOW - The perfect recipe to use up some of the green tomatoes in the garden. This was my MIL's recipe and my family just loved it. I love this sweet green tomato chow better than any other kinds I have tried. Its perfectly delicious!
MILLION DOLLAR RELISH - Another small batch recipe, this tasty relish goes with just about anything. Nice and sweet, its is wonderful on hotdogs and hamburgers!
Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles
Yield: 2 pint jars
Crisp and sweet, these are my favorite pickles. This is a small batch recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) pickling cucumbers (about 4 small ones), blossom and stem ends removed and cut into spears or slices
- 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (240ml) white vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) filtered water
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt or pickling salt
- 1 tablespoon whole yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns (optional)
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Make sure your jars are scrupulously clean. Wash them in hot soapy water, rinse well and dry with a clean dish towel.
- You can cut your cucumbers into 1/4 inch coins (crosswise) or into spears (lengthwise). If cutting into spears you will get about 8 spears per cucumber. I cut into coins using a mandolin.
- Pack the cucumbers and onions slices into the jars, using onion slices to keep the cucumbers separated.
- Top with the mustard and celery seeds, and peppercorns (if using).
- Combine both vinegars, the sugar, salt and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved and the mixture is hot.
- Pour the hot mixture over the cucumber mixture in the jars to cover completely. I fill them to the top. If there isn't enough you can add a bit of boiling water to make sure. You want to make sure the cucumbers are completely covered.
- Screw on the lids and place into the refrigerator. Leave for at least two weeks before using.
- These will keep for three to four months in the refrigerator.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread is always a real winner in my house. Quick and easy to make, you can have this fabulously tasty bread on the table in less than half an hour!
This is a simple garlic pull-apart bread with biscuits. I have given you the option of using either a refrigerated brand of biscuits or a homemade one from scratch.
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Obviously it will take you a bit longer when you are making them from scratch, but they are still not really labor intensive. Trust me on this.
If you are like me, time is always of the essence. This was never more true than when I was bringing up five children. They were always starving and I couldn't get dinner onto the table fast enough most nights.
That's when something like this simple, quick and easy bread option always came in handy! And the children loved them.
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Not only are they excellent served with soups, stews and salads, but they also make a fabulous side dish on Italian nights, or even game nights, with hot marinara sauce for dipping them in!
Using only a very few ingredients and a minimum of effort, they are sure to become a firm favorite. This is a small batch recipe, but quantities can very easily be doubled to serve more. In that case, use an 8 inch square baking pan.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GARLIC PARMESAN PULL-APART BREAD
Very few and very simple ingredients.
- 1 (7.5 ounce/215g) tin of refrigerated biscuits (see notes)
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
- 1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and finely minced
- 3/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese to finish
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The most common and popular biscuit dough sold in tins here in Canada are the Pillsbury ones. You can use whichever ones you are able to buy. The tin I used today makes 10 biscuits.
If you are in the UK, I appreciate that this is a very difficult commodity to find. I have given you the option of making your own dough from scratch, which is not very difficult to do and uses simple ingredients.
By biscuit dough here I mean a scone type of dough, not a cookie dough. (Cookies are called biscuits in the UK.)
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Today I used already grated Parmesan cheese. It works fine for this as it is a bit coarser than when you grate it yourself.
I used my own homemade Italian seasoning, but you can use any commercial brand that you like. I normally like to create my own spice blends. Its not very hard to do.
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Make Your Own Italian Seasoning: Mix together 3 TBS dried basil, 3 TBS dried oregano, 3 TBS dried parsley, 1 TBS garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
You can find a whole list of my own homemade seasoning mixes here. There are quite a few options.
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That will never happy here. I promise you, not if I can help it anyways!! I just wanted you to know that! Ask away!
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HOW TO MAKE GARLIC PARMESAN PULL-APART BREAD
This is so simple to make, even if you do make the biscuit part from scratch. (See recipe notes.) So easy a child could do it!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 4 inch loaf tin and line with some baking paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
Whisk the butter, Italian seasoning, garlic and Parmesan cheese together in a bowl.
Open the biscuits. Separate and cut each biscuit into thirds. Drop several at a time into the butter mixture, turning to coat them and then place in the prepared pan. Repeat until all of the biscuits have been coated and placed into the pan. Its okay for some of them to overlap. (You really don't want any gaps)
Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and return to the oven for a few more minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve warm. This is delicious as is or with a Marinara sauce for dipping!
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As I said, you can always double the amounts and bake it in an 8-inch square pan to feed more people. This is a great party food!
I could not resist pulling bits off before dinner. They are just so yummy! I would call them darn near impossible to resist!!
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BUTTERMILK BISCUIT MUFFINS - These Buttermilk Biscuit Muffins are fabulously tasty with a crusty, buttery exterior, and all of the best qualities of a biscuit, except they are baked in a muffin tin like a muffin. Just mix together and drop.
MILE HIGH GREEK YOGURT BISCUITS - When it comes to flaky, they don't get flakier than these Mile High Greek Yogurt Biscuits! This is a biscuit that is light as a cloud, and filled with lots of flaky pockets.
Sorry for the poor photos today. Its a rainy day and the natural light is appalling!
Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread (small batch)
Yield: Serves 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 23 MinTotal time: 33 Min
This quick and easy pull-apart bread goes together in minutes and can be on the table in less than half an hour. Delicious served with soups and stews, salads or as an appetizer with some Marinara sauce for dipping!
Ingredients
- 1 (7.5 ounce/215g) tin of refrigerated biscuits (see notes)
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
- 1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and finely minced
- 3/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 4 inch loaf tin and line with some baking paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
- Whisk the butter, Italian seasoning, garlic and Parmesan cheese together in a bowl.
- Open the biscuits. Separate and cut each biscuit into thirds. Drop several at a time into the butter mixture, turning to coat them and then place in the prepared pan. Repeat until all of the biscuits have been coated and placed into the pan. Its okay for some of them to overlap. (You really don't want any gaps)\
- Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and return to the oven for a few more minutes to melt the cheese.
- Serve warm. This is delicious as is or with a Marinara sauce for dipping!
Notes
If you cannot get the refrigerated biscuits, it is possible to make your own from scratch. Whisk together 1 1/2 cup (105g) plain flour and 3 tsp baking powder in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt. Drop in 4 TBS cold butter and cut it in with a pastry blender or two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in just enough milk to give you a stiff-ish dough. (Should be soft and not sticky) Pat out to a rectangle which is 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1 inch cubes and use as above.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
One of our favorite cookies has to be the classic snickerdoodle. Soft, crisp edged, chewy middled, buttery and coated with cinnamon sugar. What's not to love about that!!
Not all snickerdoodle cookie are created equally however. This recipe I am sharing with you today is the best Snickerdoodle recipe. Adapted and small batched from a recipe found in Lee Bailey's cookbook entitled Country Desserts.
I love Lee Bailey's cookbooks. When I cooked at Brenchley Manor, my boss had a lot of his cookbooks and would often request that I cook a recipe from one of them for a luncheon or a dinner party. She especially loved his recipe for angel pie.
I would make that for her in the summer months with plenty of berries on top. I have made it on here as well. You can find that recipe here.
Living on my own as I do not, I don't often bake a full recipe of anything anymore, preferring to size everything down. There is less waste that way. Unless I am sharing with my family or neighbor, I do small batches of everything these days.
And so I did with the cookie recipe. I small batched Lee's snickerdoodle recipe so that it makes 1 1/2 dozen of the tastiest best snickerdoodles ever!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
Simple, ordinary, store cupboard baking ingredients. One thing that I really love about this recipe is that it used butter and not shortening. I am all for using natural fats these days, not trans fats.
- 1 1/3 cup (185g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1 large free range egg
To coat:
- 4 TBS granulated sugar
- 1/2 TBS ground cinnamon
The flour used in this recipe is plain all purpose flour. Not self raising. I have seen some snicker doodle recipes which call for the use of baking powder. This recipe does not and that is what makes them softer and chewier.
The use of cream of tartar is what gives them the beautiful cracked appearance. Do not leave it out. The use of cream of tartar is what separates a tangy, chewy snickerdoodle from an ordinary cinnamon-coated sugar cookie.
The acid in cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their distinctive tangy flavor, and the chew happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing into crunchiness. Its called Chemistry!
Some people add cinnamon to the dough when making snickerdoodle cookies. Some people add vanilla. I can tell you that neither one is necessary or even traditional.
These are pretty perfect just as is. The cinnamon sugar coating gives them plenty of cinnamon flavor without you having to add any more.
HOW TO MAKE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
These are relatively simple to make. The key to their shape is refrigerating them. Skip this step and the butter in the cookies will make them spread out on the pan. Do not skip the refrigeration if you want a lovely shaped cookie.
Preheat oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
Sift together flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt, and then sift again.
Whisk the sugar and cinnamon for the coating together in a bowl. Set aside.
In separate bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and the first amount of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, mixing it all well together.
Add the dry ingredients in four parts, mixing well after each addition.
Cover and chill for at least an hour. (I usually chill for about 2 hours.)Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place the balls two inches apart on a lined baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until cookies are done, but still soft. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack.
You can prepare the cookie dough and chill it for up to three days before baking it. I would let it sit on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes before shaping and baking in that case.
You can shape the dough into balls and freeze the balls in a zip lock baggie if you wish. (Without the cinnamon sugar coating.) When you are ready to bake bring out of the freezer. Let sit at room temperature for half an hour, roll them in the cinnamon sugar and then bake as per the recipe.
You can freeze the baked cookies for up to three months.
I really hope that you will be inspired to want to bake and enjoy these lovely cinnamon sugar coated buttery cookies! If you want to bake a full batch, simply double the ingredients for the recipe.
If you are a fan of the small batch, why not try out some of my other small batch baking recipes!
PEANUT BUTTER CUP PRETZEL COOKIE - With these you have a crisp edged chewy middle-d brown sugar cookie. Just like a chocolate chip cookie, but with the added touch of peanut butter flavor. Filled with crisp and salty pretzel pieces. Sweetened and studded with sweet peanut butter cups with a slight tang of the semi-sweet chocolate for balance. Recipe makes 8 delicious cookies.
MISSISSIPPI MUD BARS (SMALL BATCH) - Rich and fudgy with a beautiful dense moist texture. Filled with toasted nuts. Topped with toasted marshmallows and a chocolate fudge icing, this recipe makes an 8-inch square pan of deliciously moreish bars.
Lee Bailey's Snicker Doodles
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen
Prep time: 2 H & 10 MCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 2 H & 20 M
This is a delicious small batch recipe for one of my favorite cookies. Recipe adapted from Lee Bailey's cookbook, Country Desserts
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup (185g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1 large free range egg
To coat:
- 4 TBS granulated sugar
- 1/2 TBS ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
- Sift together flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt, and then sift again.
- Whisk the sugar and cinnamon for the coating together in a bowl. Set aside.
- In separate bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and the first amount of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, mixing it all well together.
- Add the dry ingredients in four parts, mixing well after each addition.
- Cover and chill for at least an hour. (I usually chill for about 2 hours.)
- Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place the balls two inches apart on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until cookies are done, but still soft. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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