Challah Bread

I've made quite a few yeast bread recipes in the past. I probably make pizza dough every other week and I regularly make rolls, pita bread, cinnamon rolls, or a loaf of bread to have around. So, when I stumbled upon this recipe I was thrilled because there is no kneading and much less rise time involved than a typical yeast bread recipe. No Knead bread has been popular for the past year or so, I've seen it everywhere on nearly every blog, but I still hadn't given it a try until I saw this recipe for a Nutella Challah Bread over on the Steamy Kitchen blog. It just looked too good to resist so I whipped up a half batch of her master challah dough recipe in about 5 minutes last night. It is seriously easy...dump, stir, and cover. That was it. I only had to wash a wooden spoon and a couple of measuring cups. I didn't even put the dough in a clean bowl.

This was so easy and it was a big hit with the boys. Gabe loves rolling the bread "snakes," painting the egg wash on, and licking the leftover Nutella off of the spoon. I almost think he could do this recipe alone because it is just that easy. Give it a try...it is worth it. Here are a few other options for this dough and a couple of very similar recipes. The sticky buns look scrumptious!!
No-Knead Nutella and Hazelnut Challah Bread
No-Knead Sticky Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Rolls
Original No-Knead Bread
I'm also reposting the master Challah Bread Recipe just so that it is easy for me to find the next time I want to make it.

Master Challah Bread Recipe
as posted on Steamy Kitchen from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Mix the master dough first and place it in the refrigerator overnight. You'll be using about a grapefruit sized piece for one batch of cinnamon rolls or one braided challah bread recipe. Leave the rest in the refrigerator for another use, it will last for days. This amount would make about 4 loaves...I made half of this and it worked perfectly.
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbl instant yeast
1 1/2 tbl kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp table salt)
4 lg eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. Stir until flour is completely incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you leave it in the refrigerator, the better tasting the dough will be.

Finger Lickin' Ribs

These ribs are delicious and so so easy. Talk about tender, fall off the bone, yummy.  People get so excited when I make these for get togethers.  Sometimes I take them out of the oven 30 minutes early and put them on the grill to finish them off and add a bit of smokey flavor.

Oven Ribs
1 rack baby back ribs
salt and pepper
garlic powder
bbq sauce
Heat the oven to 250 degrees and prep the ribs. I cut away the thin layer on the back that isn't very good and then I put salt, pepper, and garlic powder on them. I loosely wrapped them in tin foil and then bake them in the oven for about 5 hours. During the last 30 minutes or so I brush on a couple layers of bbq sauce.

Bacon and Egg Crostini

We've had a couple of rough nights in our house. Gabe developed a double ear infection the other day. He seems fine most of the day and then the terrible drainage begins a couple hours after putting him to bed. Once it starts he's up repeatedly through the night and he isn't easily consoled. Two nights of interrupted sleep have taken their toll, mainly on my husband. This morning I came down to find the little one sprawled out on top of Joseph...both sound asleep on the couch with Mickey Mouse playing on the tv. Mickey Mouse happens to be recorded on our Tivo because, at times like these, he is the only one that can bring calmness back into our lives.

Feeling greatly appreciative of Joseph's help I decided to surprise him with a tasty breakfast. I've only tackled poached eggs a time or two, so I was pleased with this morning's outcome. He even had seconds so I know he really liked it.

Bacon and Egg Crostini

1 baguette

olive oil

1 clove garlic

4 slices bacon (cooked-we had leftover from yesterday's BLTs so I just reheated them)

2 eggs

1 tsp vinegar

salt and pepper

flat leaf parsley

Slice bread into two 3/4" slices. Drizzle with olive oil and broil on high until lightly browned. Remove and rub with the raw garlic clove. Place cooked bacon on top of bread. Place in oven (turn the heat off first and they will stay warm from the residual heat.)

Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer, add a splash of vinegar (about 1 teaspoon). Crack each egg into a small cup or bowl. Slide the egg into the water and cook over a low simmer for 3 minutes. Once cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and place on top of the bacon. Poke egg to allow the yolk to ooze out and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley.