Easiest melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies

This may not be health, but it's darndest tasty cookies! Melded from several sources, and tested a

number of times (mmmmm).


Cream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
         Softened not melted.
         Soften overnight on counter or 10s in microwave.
         NO butter substitutes!
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed!)

Add & mix:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp cornstartch 
     (replace with flour if you don't have this)

Dump the dough on wax or parchment paper roll into 1 - 1.5 inch diameter log.
Chill in fridge for at least half hour.
Cut into 1/2 inch disks. This batch will make about 20 cookies.
Bake at 300 for 15-20 minutes.

These cookies shouldn't spread much and won't rise at all.
And they are greasy enough that you don't have to grease the pan.
When they are done, they will look brown around the edges but mostly light on top.

Cool for 5 min on pan.
Cool on rack.

Don't eat too many at once. One of these 1 inch cookies have just about same caloric value (~70 Cal) as a regular sized chocolate chip cookies ...

Potato Bread

Easy to make potato bread. Original recipe HERE.

Makes 32 rolls or 2 loaves.

Ingredients:
1/2 c mashed russet potato
1/4 c potato water

1 c milk
3 tbsp vegetable shortening

1/4 c white sugar
1 tsp salt

2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 egg, beaten
4 cups all-purpose flour (for the pictured bread I used 2 APF and 2 bread flour)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (up to 1/2 cup) for dusting

Procedure:
(1) Peel, cube, and boil a potato until mashable. 
    Reserve 1/2 c mashed potato and 1/4c potato water for bread.

(2) Scald or microwave 1/2 c milk to hot. Melt in milk: 
    1/4 c sugar
    3 tbsp shortening
    1 tsp salt 
    1/2 c cold milk

    Cool until warm to touch.

(3) Cool the potato water until warm to touch. Mix in:
    1 pkt of active dry yeast
    1 pinch sugar

(4) In a big bowl add flour. Add and mix:
    1 egg, beaten
    1/2 c mashed potato (cooled)
    (2) mix
    (3) mix

(5) Knead until kneaded. Dust as needed.

(6) Rise for 1 hr - 1.5 hr.

(7) Punch down, rest for 5 min

(8) Decide:
    - Divide into 2 and make 2 9x5 loaves
    - Divide into 2, make 1 9x5 loaf and 16 rolls
    - Make 32 rolls

(9) Cut, place dough in respecting vessel. Grease the pan!! This yeast bread sticks!

(10) Proof for 1 hr

(11) At 50 min mark, heat oven to 400. 
     Optional: Brush dough with 1 egg + 1tbsp water

(12) Bake:
     - rolls 15 minutes (check after 12 min)
     - loaf 35 min (check after 30 min)

Dinner Rolls (take 2)

Adapted from The Messy Baker's grandmom's rolls.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided)

2 tsp active dry yeast (or a whole pack)

3/4 cup hot milk

1/4 cup warm filtered water

1/2 cup cold filtered water

1 tbsp honey 

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tbsp shortening

Butter mix for glaze:

1 tbsp butter melted (about 1 min in microwave, go in 15 min inc after the first 30 min until melted)

1 tbsp powdered garlic

Procedure

(1) Place 3 1/4 cups flour in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

(2) In a small bowl, pour 1/4 cup filtered lukewarm water and sprinkle yeast on top. Sprinkle a little sugar. Stir to mix. Let sit for at least 10 min.

(3) Heat milk for 1.5 min to 2 min in microwave until hot to touch. Take off heat and add shortening, sugar, and salt. Stir until shortening melts into the milk mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup of cold filtered water to combine. Cool until comfortable to touch (slightly warm/room temp).

(4) Briskly mix now bubbling yeast from (2) and pour into the flour bowl; mix to combine with a spatula (I like chopsticks for this than spatula). 

(5) Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for 12-15 minutes or until well kneaded. Use all of the reserved 1/4 cup for dusting and de-stickifying, with up to another 1/4 cup if necessary. If too sticky let dough sit a couple minutes before kneading (if your hands are clean and dry dough will stick less).

(6) Place dough in a large, greased/floured bowl. Cover with teatowel and rise for 90 min. 

(7) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Stretch and fold dough 2xce. Let sit for 10 min covered.

(8) Cut dough into 12 pieces and place in a greased cast iron pan about a ½-inch apart. Cover and rise for 1 hr before baking.

(9) At 45th minute, heat the oven to 350. Make the butter mix and brush over the dough. When oven is heated up (even if rising hasn't reached 1 hr) bake for 25-35 min (check at 25) until the tops are golden brown. 

(10) Turn the skillet over and take the bread out once it is out of the oven. Cool on a rack for at least 10 min before breaking into it.

Quick Cabbage Kimchi

INGREDIENTS

1 (2-3 lb) head of napa cabbage, cleaned and cut
3 cups water (divided)
1/2 cup + ~2 tbs kosher salt
1/2 apple
1/2 onion
6 cloves garlic 
1" slice ginger
1/3 cup cooked rice
3/4 cup gochukaru
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp salted shrimp
2 tbsp korean fish sauce
5 sliced spring onions
 PROCEDURE
(1) Dissolve:
    1/2 cup kosher salt in
    2 cup water

(2) Pour (1) over cabbage in a large bowl. 
    Sprinkle 2 tbsp salt over the mix.
    Sit for 1.5 hrs or until wilted. 
    Stir every so often.

(3) Blend:   
    1/2 apple
    1/2 onion
    6 cloves garlic    
    1" slice ginger
    1/3 cup cooked rice 
    ~1 cup water

(4) In a bowl, mix (3) with:
    3/4 cup gochukaru
    1 tbsp sugar
    2 tbsp salted shrimp
    2 tbsp korean fish sauce

(5) Wash wilted cabbage and squeeze as much water from them.
    Put back into the bowl.
    Toss in spring onions

(6) Pour (4) over (5)

No Knead Loaf

I suggest reading the recipe one time through before touching anything. Depending on what you do, you may end up with one large loaf or bunch of little loaves.

INGREDIENTS:
3.5 cups All Purpose (AP) Flour
    (by spoon and sweep method. imPORtant!)
1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 cups water

some cornmeal (as a prep tool)

PROCEDURE:
(1) In a large bowl (about 3L/qt size or bigger) whisk AP flour, yeast and salt. 

(2) Add water and stir to mix the dough. If it's not incorporating well, step away for a few minutes and stir it again.

(3) Cover with plastic wrap.

(4) Let rise on the counter for 20 hours.

(5 Optional) At 12th hour rising, fold the dough.

(6 Non Optional) At 20th hour rising, fold the dough. 

Notes for both (5) and (6): 

- Even if you don't get to fold it as nicely as it is in the video that's okay.(6) will be oozy. (5) will be even oozier. That's expected.
- Keep your hands constantly wiped and (mostly) dry and dough won't stick to you as much. 
- You can use plastic card (gift card, old credit card etc) for a scraper!

Now choose your cooking vessel and follow directions.


Dutch oven (4+qt) as cooking vessel(produces a thicker crust):

(8) Prep either a movable flat surface (e.g. a cutting board) or tea towel. Sprinkle cornmeal if using tea towel. Lightly oil if using a flat surface.

(9) Move the dough to the prepped surface. Sprinkle flour or lightly oil the top of the dough and cover with tea towel.

(10) Let sit for 2.5 hrs.

(11) Toss in dutch oven 10-15 min before step (10) is done and preheat the oven to 450F. Yes, the dutch oven is preheating with the oven. 

(12) When it's done preheating, plop the dough into the cast iron vessel.  

(13) Shut the lid and bake for 30 minutes. 

(14) Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes 

Note: if you don't have dutch oven, you can use a cast iron skillet (9"+) and aluminum foil for lid.


Cookie sheets (produces a thinner crust):

(8) Loosely cover dough with plastic wrap.

(9) Let sit for 15 minutes.

(10) During the 15 minutes, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment (not wax!) paper. 

(11) Cut the dough into 2, 4, or 8 equalish lumps. 
If you haven't done this before, I promise this will be messy. Keep your hands, scraper and workspace well floured; and use the scraper often.

(12) Transfer the lumps onto cookie sheets. Cover with tea towels.
Sprinkle cornmeal over the top of dough to keep the towels from sticking.

(13) Let sit for 2.5 hrs.

(14) Preheat the oven to 450F 10 min before step (13). 

(15) Spray or brush the dough with water. Then put a deep slash through the top of each dough lump.

(16) Bake for 25-35 minutes; until deep golden brown.


Loaf pans (produces a thin crust):
Note: Out of the dutch oven, cookie sheet and loaf pan methods, I like this one's crust the least.

(8) Loosely cover dough with plastic wrap.

(9) Let sit for 15 minutes.

(10) Cut the dough in half.
If you haven't done this before, I promise this will be messy. Keep your hands, scraper and workspace well floured; and use the scraper often.

(11) Fit the two lumps of dough into the pans.

(12) Let sit for 2.5 hrs.

(13) Preheat the oven to 450F 10 min before step (12). 

(14) Spray or brush the dough with water. Then put a couple deep slash through the top of each dough lump.


Muffin pans:
under development
 

Dinner Rolls

makes 12 rolls
baked in 12 cup regular muffin size pan

INGREDIENTS:
3.5 cups All Purpose (AP) flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp milk
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water
2 tsp of sugar (divided)
2 tbsp shortening
1 egg
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry active yeast

RECIPE:
(1) Mix:
    1/2 cup water
    1 cup flour

Let sit for half hour.

(2) Mix:
    1/2 c + 1 tbsp of hot milk (~1.5-2m in microwave)
    2 tsp of sugar (reserve a pinch for (4))
    2 tbsp shortening
    1 t salt
    
Cool (1) to room temperature

(3) Dissolve (while (2) cools):
    2 tbsp of warm water
    2 tsp dry active yeast
    pinch of reserved sugar

    Let sit at least 5-10 min (or longer). 
    Then when ready to mix in, whisk briskly with a fork.

(4) Beat egg
    Slowly temper in (1)

(5) Mix: (2)+(3)
    Slowly add and mix in: (1) 
    Doesn't have to be fully incorporated.

(6) Beat in: 1c flour
    Incorporate: 1.5c flour about 1/3 cup at a time
    
(7) With 0.25c (at MOST) flour at hand, knead. 
    Knead for 10-15 minutes
    
(8) Let rise 2ce its size (~1hr)
    Punch
    Sit 15 min

(9) Cut dough into equal 12. 
    Roll each piece, seal up.
    Fit the pieces into a muffin pan.

(9 alternate) Cut each of the 12 pieces into 3, yielding 36.
    Roll each piece, seal up.
    Fit the pieces into a muffin pan, 3 into each cup.
    
(10) Rise for about 45 minutes

(11) Brush the top with melted butter.
   Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes or until golden brown

50% Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf

makes 1 loaf
baked in 9x5 pan

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup All Purpose (AP) flour (divided)
1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat flour
1 cup water (divided)
2 tsp of sugar/honey/molasses
1 tbsp shortening
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk powder (optional)
1 tsp dry active yeast (divided)

SPONGE stage:
(1) Mix well:
    1 cup AP flour
    3/4 cup water

Leave (1) in fridge for half hour at least to relax it.

(2) Sprinkle in and mix with (1):
    1/8 tsp dry active yeast

Leave (2) in fridge for 2-12 hours.
Take the sponge out of the fridge 1/2 to 1 hr prior incorporating into the dough.

DOUGH stage:
(3) Mix:
    1/8 c hot water (~2m in microwave)
    2 tsp molasses
    1 tbsp shortening
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 c milk powder (optional)

Cool (3) to room temperature

(4) Dissolve:
    1/8 cup of warm water
    7/8 tsp dry active yeast

(5) Mix: (3)+(4)
    Slowly add and mix in: (2)

(6) Mix in: 1/4 c All Purpose flour
    Incorporate: 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
    
(7) Knead for 10-15 minutes
    
    Fully knead dough should feel:
    - tacky not sticky
    - relatively smooth compared to the shaggy mess you started out with
    - when poking a finger into the dough (good half inch or so), 
      dough bounces back readily (even if not fully)

(8) Let rise 2ce its size (1.5-2hrs)
    Punch thoroughly
    Sit 15 min
    Roll/fold into ball, fit into pans.

(9) Rise until pan is ~80% full (about 1.25 hrs)
    - Check after about 45 minutes with a poke test
    - When poking again a good half inch, the dough should
      fill in the indentation slowly (indentation won't go 
      away entirely). 
      If it fills in too fast, proof longer. 
      If it won't fill in at all, then it's over proofed
      (may your dough never get there)-- hence check after about
      45 min and every 15 minutes thereafter.

(10) Bake at 375 for 40 minutes