As the weather turns crisp (finally) fall foods and holiday baking can begin. I consider October not just to be spooky season, but also the beginning of soup season. Instead of cracking a can open, this copycat Panera soup is easy and fast for dinner and you can make the bread dough ahead of time to bake off when you are ready. It keeps in the fridge for up to about 5 to 7 days and doesn’t require kneading - all of the gluten is developed by autolysis under refrigeration.
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 14 oz can chicken broth {or 2 cups}
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 15-20 Basil leaves chopped
Instructions: Combine the tomatoes, broth, and garlic bring to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sugar and butter and mix until they are dissolved, melted and well combined. Very slowly pour in the heavy cream while simultaneously stirring until all the cream is combined and the soup is creamy. Stir in the basil at the end. Serve in bowls hot with a side of grated parmesan to sprinkle on top or some nice hot bread.
No-Knead Crusty White Bread, from the King Arthur Flour Test Kitchen
The most basic of all no-knead loaves. You can make this dough the day before and then bake it while you make your soup. About 90 minutes before you want to serve bread, grab a handful of dough, shape it, let it rise, then bake for 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 7 1/2 cups (900g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 3 cups (680g) water, lukewarm (about 105F)
- 1 tablespoon (18g) salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (14g) instant yeast or active dry yeast
Instructions: Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bow. Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the dough hook for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk until everything is combined. Next, you're going to let the dough rise, it's going to rise a lot. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit. Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface,
and round it into a ball or loaf.
Place the loaf onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the bread moist as it rests before baking. Drape the bread with greased plastic wrap. Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise; this should take about 60 minutes (or longer, up to a couple of hours, if your house is cool). It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven to 450EF while the loaf rests.
Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go. When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; it will spring up in the oven. Place the bread in the oven and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly. Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
It wouldn’t be October without something Pumpkin, so here is the obligatory pumpkin recipe to make with kids.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (heaping) salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For rolling
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions: In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice for 20 seconds, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar (not until pale and fluffy, just to combined and scrape down bowl. Mix in egg yolk, then pumpkin and vanilla extract. Mix on low and slowly add in dry ingredients until combined.
Divide dough in half and place each half in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill 45 minutes (dough should be slightly sticky). Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 10 minutes of refrigeration. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Scoop dough out 2 even tablespoons at a time and shape into a ball, roll dough ball in cinnamon sugar mixture to evenly coat then transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets spacing cookies 2-inches apart.
Bake in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes (they should look just slightly under-baked). Cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
