Breads n stuff

I love to bake, I'm really not all that great at it but I love to do it and this week I decided some baked goods would be amazing so I did an oldie (but a good one!) and tried something new. I made Cinnamon Pecan Twists with maple glaze, a much loved pastry in my family, and tried a recipe for french bread off pinterest. The french bread didn't turn out so great, but I didn't knead it all that much so I wonder if it might do better with more of that. It had a decent taste and was alright, considering it only took an hour to have fresh baked bread in my house :) This weekend I also had an early birthday weekend with my best friend Brit, and we had amazing fondue, which I will share pictures and recipes with next week :D for now, bread.

Cinnamon Pecan Twists with Maple Glaze

• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 3 T sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t nutmeg
• 2 cans Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 2 T margarine or butter, melted
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 t maple extract (I use maple syrup, not quite as strong but easier)
• 2-3 t milk

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease down one large or two small cookie sheets. In a small bowl combine the first 4 ingredients, mix well. Unroll both cans of dough, separate into 8 rectangles and firmly press the perforations to seal. Brush each rectangle with the melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the pecan-sugar mixture. Starting at the long end roll up each rectangle and pinch the edges to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut one roll in half lengthwise forming 2 strips. With the cut side up, carefully overlap strips 2 times to form twist (a picture of the process is at the end). Press the edges to seal and place on the sprayed cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon-pecan mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. While cooking, combine the last 3 ingredients in a small bowl, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the warm rolls and serve!

(step by step, rolled, cut, open and twist!)

Quick French Bread

• 2 1/2 Cups Warm Water
• 2 T. Yeast
• 2 T. Sugar
• 1 t. Salt
• 3 T. Oil
• 5 1/2 -6 Cups Flour

Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over a bowl of the warm water. Let it sit for about five minutes until you see the yeast get all bubbly on top. Stir in the salt, oil, and flour. Knead the dough for a few minutes until it is smooth and pulls away from the bowl. Then cover your bowl with a warm wet towel and let the dough sit for about 15 minutes. You can turn your microwave on for two minutes and set your bowl of bread dough in the warm microwave for the 15 minutes. This warm envirmonment makes the bread rise a lot faster. Next, divide the dough into two long loaves. Place both loaves side by side on a greased cookie sheet. Then take a knife and slash the tops of each loaf diagonally. Allow the loaves to sit for a few minutes while you preheat your oven to 375. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. For an extra cruchy crust, mix together one egg white with 1 T. cold water and brush on cooked bread and cook for another 3 minutes, but I found that my oven gave me a good crispy crust.