Marcia Hassel's recipes

  Genius!  A little over-easy challah dough does double duty as the foundation of these light, holiday jelly doughnuts, also called soufganiot. You can also use the dough to cut ring doughnuts and toss in sugar and a bit of nutmeg or vanilla powder. 1 1/2 cups warm water 2 tablespoons instant yeast 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup canola oil 3 eggs 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 3/4 teaspoons salt 6-8 cups all-purpose flour (or half bread flour and all purpose) Canola oil for frying Finishing Touches Jam or jelly Sugar, coarse or regular Nutmeg, vanilla sugar In a large mixing bowl, briskly whisk together the water and yeast. Add in two cups of the flour, and then briskly stir in the sugar, honey, oil, eggs, vanilla, salt and most of the remaining flour. Mix, then knead on slowest speed of mixer to form a smooth but resilient dough (a soft but elastic bread dough). Add additional flour and knead 6 minutes and then fold in the cranberries and knead gently, another few minutes until th...

This should be called the World’s Best Almost Too Rich But Incredible Rugulah Dough. It's outrageously good (and different). It makes a crisp pastry that is the richest and easiest rugulah dough I ever made and takes well to any filling. Dough 2 cups unsalted butter, melted 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 2 cups sour cream 4 1/2 cups, or more (on the pastry board) all-purpose flour Fillings, as per your preference: Jam (raspberry, strawberry, apricot) Ground nuts such as walnuts Cinnamon Sugar Chocolate chips Egg wash For the dough, blend all the ingredients in order given, in a mixer, on slow speed, with the paddle attachment until a ball forms. Turn the dough out on a flour-dusted work surface and roll in a bit of flour, if required to make a soft but manageable dough. If you think you need more flour, you probably do but that said, this dough is a bit greasy until it is well chilled. Divide in four portions, press each into a flattened disc and wrap in...

  King’s Hawaiian Rolls  are the iconic little bread everyone raves about. Traditionally made with pineapple juice among other good things like honey and buttermilk, this spongey rolls are irresistible. This recipe yields a sweet, slightly tangy side roll that is good on its own or as a slider bun or a breakfast sandwich bun. These are tender and golden and as good toasted as they are fresh.  Dough ¼ cup water 4 ½ teaspoons dry yeast ½ cup buttermilk 3/4 cup pineapple juice 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/3 cup honey 1 egg 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 ¾ teaspoon salt 5- 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons potato starch, optional Honey Butter Glaze ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 1 tablespoon honey In a mixer bowl, briskly stir water and yeast together. Then add in buttermilk, pineapple juice, butter, honey, egg, vanilla, salt, most of the flour and the potato starch if you’re using it. Stir and then adding in flour as required, knead to make a soft dough, 3-5 ...

  Vanilla Cinnamon Streusel Topping ¼ cup unsalted butter 3 tablespoons flour 1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 2 tablespoons white sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla powder, optional 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts Batter 1 ½ cups golden brown sugar, firmly packed ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 eggs ¼ cup water ¾ cup sour cream 3 cups all-purpose flour 3/8 teaspoon salt 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda Fondant 1 cup confectioners’ sugar ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract Cream, as required Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the oven to have the rack in the upper third or middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray a muffin tin very generously with non-stick cooking spray. Line 9 of the muffin cups with muffin liners. Place on baking sheet. Prepare the streusel by pulsing all ingredients in a food processor to get a crumbly mixture. Set aside. For th...

  Soft, chewy and oven baked as opposed to boil-and-bake, these bagels are just the thing with cream cheese or as a sandwich base. There’s something uniquely comforting about these rolls.  You can sprinkle them with Everything Topping or sugar and sesame seeds. You can also dip these into za’taar spice and serve with cold salads, such as eggplant, hummus or whipped feta.   Dough 1 ½ cups warm water 1 tablespoon instant yeast 3 tablespoons milk ¼ cup sugar 1 14 teaspoon salt ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 egg 2 cups bread flour 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour Finishing Touches Egg wash Everything topping Sesame seeds Sugar In a large mixer bowl, briskly mix together water, yeast, milk, sugar, oil egg, bread flour and most of all-purpose flour. Mix and then knead, adding in more flour as required to make a soft dough. Shape into a ball, cover and let dough rise 30-45 minutes. On a floured board, gently deflate dough and divide into 6 (for small bagel breads) or 10 (for smaller bagels), R...

  There are donuts and there are kingpin donuts – the sort of old-fashioned kind that break you at the knee because they are that good. This recipe is them sort of donuts. The dough fries into the lightest donut you’ve ever had and it’s further enlivened by diced, fresh apples and cinnamon. Then they’re dunked in a gorgeous vanilla-cream fondant. You can’t  buy stuff like this.  An electric frypan is the best tool for this recipe. I used this one from Starfrit,  https://www.starfrit.com/en/heritage-the-rock-12-34-electric-skillet-3 Donut Dough 3 cups diced, peeled apples ¼ cup warm water 2 teaspoons instant yeast ¾ cup warm milk 1/3 cup sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter 2 eggs 3 cups approximately, all-purpose flour Vanilla Cream Glaze 4 cups confectioners’ sugar ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional ¼-1/2 cup cream 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Oil for frying Prepare apples and set aside. In a ...

  LUSCIOUS FUDGE MUFFINS I have a crew of (adult) kids who love cake but dislike frosting. For them, I make this decadent, easy, deeply  fudgy muffin that makes up with a texture between a brownie and a cupcake. They stay fresh for days or freeze and are wonderfully satisfying without being fussy. If you know someone who likes chocolate but isn’t a fan of frosting this is for them!   Cake 2 cups sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, melted ¼ cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup cocoa - measured then sifted 1 1/2 cups warm, flat, cola 1 cup chocolate chips, optional Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 12-16 muffin wells with muffin liners and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Arrange rack in oven to middle position. In a large mixer bowl, blend sugar, butter and oil. Blend in eggs and vanilla and then fold in the flour, salt, b...

  These are big, bold oatmeal cookies that remind me of the ones you find in a glass canister near the cash in a deli. The shortening changes the texture and taste but I just as often make this all-butter and they are still beautiful, oversized oatmeal cookies. 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened ¼ cup shortening or unsalted butter, softened 1 cup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed ½ cup sugar 1 tablespoon molasses 2 eggs 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 2 ½ cups flour 1 ½ cups oatmeal 1 teaspoon cornstarch ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 ½ cup raisins or chocolate chips 1 cup walnuts, optional Preheat oven to 375 F. Stack two baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper. In a mixer bowl, blend the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and blend well, scraping bowl often. Fold in the flour, oatmeal, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and blend well. Fol...

  Popcorn “flour” comes from ground popped corn. This loaf smells like a movie theatre lobby (in a good way), toasts like brioche and is the bread I would choose for a tomato cheese or BLT. The final butter basting on the baked bread makes this irresistible while the little flecks of popcorn hulls add a slight nuttiness and bit of fiber.   5 cups popcorn, popped, and then ground in a food processor 1 1/4 cups warm water 3 ¾ teaspoons dry yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup oil 1 tablespoon real or artificial butter extract, optional 2 1/4 teaspoons salt 5 -6 cups bread flour, approximately Finishing Touches Egg wash Cornmeal 2-4 tablespoons salted butter, melted Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Spray two medium loaf pans or one large one with nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can bake this bread in one big round loaf, free form on the baking sheet. For the popcorn, pop the corn. Pulverize it in batches in the food processor until you have about...

These are moist, delicate, feathery bites, with buttery bottoms and crusty tops of either milk-sugar powder or a dusting of sugar and cinnamon. This recipe makes a panful of tiny buns that are irresistible. Instead of the milk powder, I used  Real Cream Powder from Hoosier Hill Farm  (also on Amazon). If you don’t have either, just use the sugar cinnamon topping instead. Dough ¼ cup warm water 2 teaspoons instant yeast ¾ cup warm milk 1 egg ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 – 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour Finishing Touches 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted ½ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon (mix in a bowl) ½ cup sugar and 1/3 cup milk powder (mix in a bowl) In a mixer bowl, mix water and yeast and let yeast sit a minute. Quickly stir in milk, egg, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and most of the flour. Knead to make a soft dough, 5-8 minutes and then cover and let rise 1 ½ hours. For the topping, have the butter ready. In on...

Starbucks  Raspberry Bars Back in the day my local Starbucks served the most amazing oatmeal crumble fruit bars, usually made with raspberries or blueberries. I replicated the recipe and now make it with peaches and nectarines but most often with summery raspberries. Crust/Topping 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups rolled oatmeal 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup unsalted butter, in chunks Filling 4 cups raspberries or 2 cups blueberries and 1 cup raspberries 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple syrup Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Put the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse to blend, about 20 seconds. Add the butter and pulse to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly mass - not dry but not sticking altogether. Toss the berries in a bowl with ...

Welcome to the Free Recipe of the Month! Remember the free-recipe-of-the month is free just for the month that it's featured in!  After that it's retired to the Complete Betterbaking.com Recipe Archives. This month please enjoy these moist and fragrant  Classic French Butter Croissants Who doesn’t love croissants? Flakey, buttery, golden, crescents that are synonymous with French pastry. At hotel school, we were careful to distinguish ‘croissants de boulangere’ and ‘croissants de patissiere” . The difference was: baker’s croissants called for yeast, in addition to milk, water, butter, salt, and flour where as pastry chef croissants were crisper and omitted the yeast, relying instead, only on the lamination of butter and dough, to create flakey strata. Essentially, the water content in the butter turns to steam while encountering the oven heat’s heat, causing mini explosions. These explosions of steam in turn cause the layers of dough, folded with butter, to rise. Baker’...