Happy New Year!

Happy 2006 everyone! It's so exciting to be ringing in a new year... all the plans and fun that lay ahead! I feel that for our family this is going to be an exciting year. I hope you are enjoying a nice relaxing day with your families.

Last night the cooking bug bit me. I have been in the mood to bake bread lately but haven't had much time to myself. I found this awesome recipe for Sesame Twists on Words To Eat By that seemed very simple and I knew the kids would enjoy helping since it looked really quick to make as well. I changed the recipe a bit to go with the spaghetti and meatballs we had and it turned out great! Instead of making these into a twist shape, I coiled them and baked them in the awesome new Pampered Chef muffin pan my sweet sister got me for Christmas (... thanks Pam :) ...) The texture of these rolls was somwhere between a biscuit and a yeast roll. Here is my version of this wonderful recipe.

Garlic and Herb Sesame Rolls

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ stick (6 Tbsp.) butter, melted and cooled
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup Cheese Style Greek Yogurt (I got this product from Trader Joe's but you can certainly use sour cream as in the original recipe or homemade yogurt cheese)
4 - 5 Tbsp. milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk together butter, egg white, and yogurt cheese or sour cream in another bowl, then add to flour mixture and stir with a fork until a dough just begins to form. Add milk a little at a time if dough seems too dry, if not then omit the milk. )My dough was a bit dry).

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently 6 times. Pat out dough with floured hands, re-flouring surface if necessary, and form into a 12-inch-long log. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an rope using well-floured hands, then coil each rope and pinch the end onto the coil so it won't come apart.

Put each coil into one section of a muffin pan. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet, stirring, until they begin to pop. Remove from heat and set aside. Brush tops of each roll with egg and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to metal racks and cool completely.