Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! It is officially 2010 and the year of the tiger! Having been born in the year of tiger, I feel that this is going to be a great year. I hope I am correct as the thesis needs to be written and a job needs to be found by May. I guess since it's a sign that I was born and will have to grow up in the same animal year.

Anyway, to ring in the new year I spent a quite evening at home with the rents. They got back from Vegas where they did not hit the mega buck and therefore are not able to buy me a kitchenaid stand mixer. Rather they both got sick. So I spent the evening at home watching TV, listening to music, hunting for recipes, and baking bread. I made Ina Garten's honey white sandwich bread and I think it is the best bread recipe I have tried yet. I know...lame right? But it was a nice way to ring in the new year. I think since it was a nice peacefuly night despite all the illegal fireworks going off in the valley that it means my 2010 will be easy going as well.

As for new years day ate my zoni and got my head swept. My fortune told me that I was going to have an execellent year, to study hard, not to get caught up in love or alcohol, and that traveling will pay off. Mom, dad, and I also made mochi with the mochi maker they bought. Seriously...a kitchenaid would have been nicer, but mom said that I needed to make mochi b/c it was the year of the tiger and I needed to have a good year. So, we made mochi. I also roasted a chicken for dinner. I feel like that is all I have done this winter bread. Roast birds. Mom and dad are making me brine and roast a turkey before I leave for North Carolina again. It should be fun. I'm going to try adapt my brine a bit and see if it comes out better than the one I made for christmas eve.

Anyway that's about it. Here is the recipe for the honey white sandwich bread. Hope everyone had a great start to 2010!!!

Honey White Bread

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 extra-large egg yolks
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Place warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl. Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a prepared pan. Cover again with the damp towel and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with egg white and bake for 40-45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.