Category: Baked Goods
Kiflis: An Eastern European Holiday Staple
Last week we posted some pictures of some AMAZING Hungarian Cookies that have been a huge hit. Both the online response and in store sales have been overwhelming. So, we wanted to take a few minutes to give you a little info on the history of these cookies and the bakery that makes them!
Fall Comfort Foods: Baked Fondue
The leaves are turning, the temperature is dropping and we are ready for ALL of the comfort food of fall. As long as there’s cheese involved…
Cupcake Tour 2020 – September 25 & 26
Last year’s Wayne County Cupcake Tour was a huge success! This year we thought it might not happen due to the pandemic. But, the organizers have decided that cupcakes will prevail and Shisler’s Cheesehouse is on board for being a stop at this year’s event!
Butterscotch Caramels: Baking Ideas
Today we’ve put together a selection of brilliant baking ideas for you to try out with Heggy’s Butterscotch Caramels.
Shisler’s Cheese House has been in existence for over fifty years and we spent thirty of them trying to get local distribution rights for Heggy’s Chocolates. They are one of the few candy companies that match our tradition of excellence, and because of that they have always had a strict distribution strategy. We had to wait until a local competitor retired to get the distribution rights in our area and in the ten-year partnership we have built, we have become their second largest distributor. Now we are, of course, aiming for number one. We absolutely love their quality candies and we know that you will too.
Butterscotch Caramels: Cookies
We like to make a simple oatmeal cookie dough and then pop a butterscotch caramel in the middle of each cookie before they go into the oven. This allows the caramels to melt and create an incredible flavor along with a chewy texture that it sure to have you going back for more. You can even add broken up pretzel pieces for extra crunch and a fabulous sweet and salty contrast.
If you want to make something really visually impressive, make a simple cookie dough and cut out your chosen shape. Place the cookies on baking paper and cut out a shape from the middle of the cookie. Put a caramel in the hole and bake the cookies. The caramel will melt and create a window!
Butterscotch Caramels: Blondies
You might love brownies, but do you ever make blondies? Blondies have less cocoa than a brownie and instead focus on brown sugar to create a fudgey baked treat. We like to push butterscotch caramels into the pan before baking so that they create pockets of caramel for you to find in the blondies.
Butterscotch Caramels as a sauce
Melting down butterscotch caramels is a quick and easy way to make a delicious butterscotch sauce when you don’t have time to make one from scratch. This is a great way to create a quick and simple dessert. Simply drizzle over ice cream, fresh fruit, or even cake for a perfect caramel finish.
Of course, you can still always enjoy your butterscotch caramels straight from the wrapper. We certainly won’t judge you for it; they are delicious! How do you like to eat them? Let us know in the comments!
Quick Baking Mixes to Get You Through the Week
You know how it is. Sometimes you just need some quick baking to get you through the week. Whether it’s for packed lunches or unexpected guests, we have the perfect solution for you: our baking mixes.
We offer a wide range of quick baking mixes. You can take them home and get them in the oven before anyone can even say “I’m hungry!”
Bread Baking Mixes
Bread becomes quick and easy to make at home. Everything you need comes in a beautiful bag. You’ll have bread on the table in no time. We stock beer bread, cheezy beer bread, golden cornbread and red hot cornbread baking mixes. There’s something for everyone’s taste!
If you have guests coming at the last minute or you’re just pressed for time, you can turn this bread into a whole meal. Blend up a quick soup or even put out lots of cheese, pickles, and crackers. Let people help themselves and they’re sure to be happy. Everyone will be impressed that you have made your own bread. You don’t have to tell them it’s from a mix if you want to keep it as our secret!
Cheezy Biscuits Baking Mix
Another savory choice is our cheezy biscuits baking mix, which is sure to wow a crowd or even keep the kids happy after school. Of course, we would serve cheezy biscuits with some cheese, but if that’s too much for you then they are great with some delicious rolled Amish butter. Ours is produced locally. Butterfat is one of the byproducts of cheese making. Because there are abundant amounts available from the local cheese artisans, Northern Ohio is a production hub for fresh Amish butter as well. It is made using milk from hormone-free cows and no preservatives are added. The taste is incredible. We stock it in both salted and unsalted varieties.
Muffin Mixes
For the sweet tooth, we have a great range of muffin mixes. These include strawberry, apple cinnamon, chocolate chip, pumpkin raspberry and “bran”ana.
Every sweet craving will be satisfied by these. You can take them to bake sales or serve them for an afternoon snack.
We hope that you enjoy our recommendations for baking mixes. Most of all, we hope that you have fun baking this week! Which are you going to try? Let us know in the comments!
How To Make Pizza From Scratch
It’s one of America’s most loved dishes: pizza.
The perfect combination of dough, sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings comes together to create a taste explosion. But do you know how to make it from scratch? Read on to find out how.
Make your dough
Whilst the toppings become the star of the show, the dough is arguably the most important part of pizza. Without it, the dish literally falls apart.
You will need:
35oz white bread flour
1tsp sea salt
0.5oz dried yeast (2 sachets)
1tbsp sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
A mixing bowl
A jug
Start with the white bread flour. Sieve it into a bowl and mix in the salt.
In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and oil with 22 fl oz of lukewarm water. Leave it for a few minutes. It may foam slightly, this is normal.
Mix the water, yeast, sugar and oil into the flour gradually, pulling in more of the flour each time you mix.
Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes, until it is soft and springy.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with cling wrap and leave it to double in size. This should take about an hour.
After the proving time, take the dough out and knock the air out of it. Knead it again.
Divide the dough into enough balls to make your pizzas. This should make 6 to 8 medium pizzas.
If you are saving them for later, cover them with cling film and keep them in the fridge. Otherwise, go ahead and move onto the cooking stage.
Baking your pizzas
One of the best ways to get restaurant quality pizza at home is with a pizza stone. This allows the top of the pizza to cook whilst keeping the base of the dough crisp.
If you have one of these then first you will heat it in the oven until it is very hot. Do this by placing the stone into a cold oven and then switching the oven on to let it come up to temperature. Be very careful when moving it in and out of the oven.
Roll your pizza dough balls out to make flat rounds of dough.
Whilst the stone is warming, you can get on with the fun part – topping your pizzas!
First add your sauce, then your toppings, then your cheese. Experiment with variations on all 3 to find your favorite pizza. This is such a fun activity for a party because everyone gets to try out their own ideas.
Do not grease or oil the stone, but you can add some cornmeal to stop your pizzas from sticking. When the pizza stone is hot, add your pizza to bake. You can do this using a pizza paddle but it is not necessary if you don’t have one. Wait for your pizza to be lovely and golden before taking it out of the oven.
Let it cool slightly, slice it and dig in.
We hope you enjoy making your own pizzas at home. Let us know what your favorite toppings are in the comments!
Bread: How to Make It
We all love bread. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, our preference is to eat it with cheese. Today, we’re going to show you three ways to make your own bread.
1. Make it completely from scratch
If you’ve never made bread before, you’ll find that it’s much easier than you think. All you need is flour, salt, yeast, some kind of fat, and water. You can change various elements of this, but we’ll show you how to make a simple white bread.
You will need:
500g/18oz strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for dusting
2 tsp salt
7g/ 1/4oz sachet of dried yeast
3tbsp olive oil or melted butter
300ml/10 fluid oz water
A mixing bowl
A loaf tin
1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast together in a bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre and pour in the water and oil/melted butter a little at a time.
3. Mix everything together until you have a dough. You may not need all of the liquid to achieve this, but likewise, if it is a little stiff you can add more water.
4. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until you have a silky, smooth dough. There are lots of videos available online if you haven’t kneaded a dough before.
5. Put the dough into an oiled bowl and leave it to rise for one hour. It should double in size.
6. “Knock back” the dough. This involves pushing the air out of it and kneading it again briefly.
7. Shape the dough into your loaf tin. If you don’t have a loaf tin, line a baking sheet with parchment and form the dough into a ball. In both cases, leave it to prove for another hour.
8. Bake at 420F for 25 – 30 minutes until it is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.
9. Cool on a wire rack.
You’ll want to dig in straight away, but allow it to cool slightly so that it is easier to slice.
2. Use a bread maker
A bread maker essentially involves putting the ingredients above into the bread maker and letting it do the work. They will usually come with lots of recipes so that you can make different types of bread as well as preparing pizza dough or cakes that you can then bake in the oven.
Often, you can even set a bread maker so that it makes bread overnight and you wake up to the smell of freshly baked dough in the morning.
3. Use a pre-made mix
These are available in lots of supermarkets. Usually, you simply add water, knead the dough and put it in the oven. This is a quick way to make bread but we would recommend making it from scratch if you have time. It only takes a little longer but the taste is incredible.
Once you’ve conquered the technique, you can start changing your creations. Try wholemeal, multigrain or even add herbs and spices.
Now all you have to do is decide how you want to eat your bread. Slather it with butter, add some cheese, dip it in soup: the choice is yours!
Create A Cheese Board Perfect For Fall
Let’s be honest… it isn’t a party until there’s a cheese board included. This season is one of the best for warm cozy nights followed by a bottle of wine with a delicious cheese board amongst friends.
The most important part of a Fall cheese board is white cheese, but let’s begin with all of the other festive components of our board that is needed before assembling.
The first component is honey. At Shisler’s Cheese House we stock Pure Clover Honey Comb which is perfect for this board. It pairs well with many different kinds of cheese, especially goat cheese.
Fresh fruit definitely gives a fall vibe and flavor. Using a fresh mix of figs and grapes give that whole harvest feel and they go well with cheese.
Nuts is another important component of our board. There are no specific nuts advised, it is all based on your personal preference. Personally, we like to add some Marcona almonds and candied walnuts to our cheese board. The almonds give off a savory flavor whereas the walnuts have notes of sweetness to them from the candying process. This makes them a match made in cheese board heaven.
We always need something a little brim on our board, Olives add that perfect effect. Castelvetrano Olives, in particular, tend to be a good pick.
Finally, crackers and breadsticks. Can’t go wrong with cheese and crackers. Going back to childhood, cheese and crackers were always a delicious snack- nothing changes! Pick out a few different types of crackers in all shapes, flavors, and sizes to give the board some personality.
Now to get into the cheese! Each board needs a variety of cheese.
Firstly, aged cheese. An aged White Cheddar from our website is a delicious addition to our Fall cheese board. The little crystals that develop within the cheese during the aging process give the cheese an extra crunch, which complements the next cheese in particular, really well.
Next, we need a soft cheese. Goat cheese is ideal for this. You need to absolutely try this cheese with the honey, it will change your life!
What is a cheese board without a Blue Cheese? Exactly. Any blue will work for this addition, but at Shisler’s we recommend our Danish Blue. The flavor isn’t completely overwhelming and makes a perfect contrast to go with the other cheeses.
The last cheese needed for a cheese board is, of course, a firm one. A particular favorite to use is our Smoked Cheddar. The flavor is sharp and pungent with a firm texture. Not only that, it adds some Fall color to the board, which is perfect as it is a Fall board after all!
Now that you have all you need, you can get started assembling your board! Get yourself a big board and start arranging it how you like. It’s important to keep the presentation simple and bountiful. Tuck the cheeses into each other and then add your fresh fruit when you need to add some color. Your board is then ready for all of your Fall entertainment!
Christmas At Shisler’s Cheese House
It’s amazing how fast the year passes by. It feels like just yesterday that we were picking up our Easter chocolate and gift boxes from Shisler’s Cheese House.
With Christmas just around the corner, it is time to start thinking about what gifts would be ideal for our family and friends.
A lot of the time, it can be extremely difficult to think of gift ideas year after year, but here at our store, we feel that we have something for everyone with our wide selection of gift boxes.
Check out our high quality, affordable gift boxes here:
Gift Box #1: Baby Swiss Cheese: $25
This gift box includes a 4 lb. wheel of our signature Baby Swiss Cheese. Our Baby Swiss is one of our local selections that is made in Charm, Ohio by the original producer Guggisberg Cheese. It is a young, semi-soft whole milk cheese which is distinguishable by its myriad of small holes. Although Baby Swiss is closely related to Swiss Cheese, the holes are smaller and it has a milder flavor which is delightfully creamy and delicious.
This gift box makes a perfect gift for pretty much anyone who likes cheese as the flavor is not as acquired as some of our other complex cheeses. It also comes with assorted chocolates that you can find!
4 lb. Baby Swiss Wheel
Assorted Chocolates
Gift Box #2: Troyer’s Trail Bologna and Cheese: $25
This box contains a mixture of meat, cheese, and chocolates- what an amazing combination!
For three generations we at Shisler’s Cheese House have prided ourselves on providing the best examples of local fare to tourists and locals alike. Troyer’s Trail Bologna is one of the best examples of local fare we can recommend. Our Trail Bologna comes from the fourth generation of the Troyer family. Don’t be fooled by imitators. There is only one Troyer’s Trail Bologna, made in Trail, OH and sold exclusively by Ohio retailers so this gift box will be a one of a kind gift for your family or friends!
Also in this box comes two of our delicious cheeses Farmers and Colby. Farmers Cheese is a mild unripened white cheese made by adding rennet to cow’s milk. When the milk coagulates it separates into solid curds and liquid whey, which is drained off. The result at this stage is sometimes referred to as pot cheese. Further pressing out of the moisture results in a more firm and crumbly Farmer’s Cheese. It is often enjoyed in a sandwich with delicious bologna from our store, which is why it why this gift box is an amazing combination.
Colby cheese is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese native to the United States. But today Colby cheese is made in other regions of the world as well. It is often compared to cheddar cheese since the two both typically appear orange or creamy yellow. But two kinds of cheese taste very different. The flavor of Colby cheese is much milder and creamy. Washing the curds reduces the acid content, making Colby cheese less tangy when it is finished. Colby also has a higher moisture content, and it tends to be much softer than cheddar. Colby often goes well with rye bread, pears and apples. It can also be used as a table cheese, the possibilities are endless.
Like gift box #1, the box also comes with assorted chocolates, because who doesn’t love chocolate at Christmas?
1 Lb. Troyer’s Trail Bologna Ring
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Colby
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Farmers
Assorted Chocolates
Gift Box #3: Cheese Lover’s: $23
This is the ultimate cheese lover’s collection. With a selection of some of our most amazing cheese, this gift will not be forgotten this Christmas!
It comes with 3/4 wheels of 4 kinds of cheese:
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Cheddar
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Cojack (Marble)
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Farmer’s Cheese
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Pepper Jack
Orange Cheddar is traditional white cheddar with Annatto, an extract from the tropical achiote tree, and oleoresin paprika added. These added ingredients give the orange cheddar its orange color and a milder flavor. Many connoisseurs claim that White Cheddar is slightly sharper than orange cheddar, but that is more dependent on aging than color.
Marble Cheese is so named because of its two-toned color. It is made by taking the curds from Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses or white and orange Cheddar curds and pressing them together into a Longhorn. Because Marble Cheese is made from Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses, it is sometimes called “Cojack.”
Farmers Cheese is a mild unripened white cheese made by adding rennet to cow’s milk. When the milk coagulates it separates into solid curds and liquid whey, which is drained off. The result at this stage is sometimes referred to as pot cheese. Further pressing out of the moisture results in a more firm and crumbly Farmer’s Cheese.
Pepper Jack Cheese is just one of our selection of many spicy pepper kinds of cheese. Pepper Jack Cheese is a cow’s milk cheese which blends the creamy, buttery flavor of jack cheese with the intensity of spicy peppers, most notably jalapeños, but also includes some serrano peppers and habañeros. Pepper Jack Cheese is used in a wide variety of recipes, and it is particularly popular in the American West, where people have an acquired taste for spicy peppers.
This gift box also comes with assorted chocolates.
Gift Box #4: Amish Cheese and Goodies: $50
With Amish country being a big part of our store production and community, we had to include a gift box packed full of amazing goodies:
1 Lb. Baby Swiss Wheel
1 Summer Sausage Link
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Colby
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Pepper Jack
Shisler’s Private Label Mustard
Home Style Amish Jam
Carr’s Crackers
Assorted Chocolates
6oz. REACH Coffee
Baby Swiss is a young, semi-soft whole milk cheese distinguishable by its myriad of small holes. Baby Swiss is closely related to Swiss cheese, made by substituting water for the milk’s whey to slow bacterial action, Baby Swiss has smaller holes and a milder flavor. Baby Swiss is often made from whole milk. Baby Swiss has a delightfully creamy and mild taste, a delicious favorite!
Summer sausage is a type of sausage that can be kept without the use of refrigeration. It earned its name from its ability to be kept during the summer without electricity.
Colby cheese is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese native to the United States. But today Colby cheese is made in other regions of the world as well. It is often compared to cheddar cheese since the two both typically appear orange or creamy yellow. But two kinds of cheese taste very different. The flavor of Colby cheese is much milder and creamy. Washing the curds reduces the acid content, making Colby cheese less tangy when it is finished. Colby also has a higher moisture content, and it tends to be much softer than cheddar. Colby often goes well with rye bread, pears and apples. It can also be used as a table cheese, the possibilities are endless.
Pepper Jack Cheese is just one of our selection of many spicy pepper kinds of cheese. Pepper Jack Cheese is a cow’s milk cheese which blends the creamy, buttery flavor of jack cheese with the intensity of spicy peppers, most notably jalapeños, but also includes some serrano peppers and habañeros. Pepper Jack Cheese is used in a wide variety of recipes, and it is particularly popular in the American West, where people have an acquired taste for spicy peppers.
Gift Box #5 – Baby Swiss Cheese and Troyer’s Trail Bologna: A Classic Amish Country Combination: $50
This box gives a classic combination of Amish county, with a well-rounded selection of each of our special delicacies. This can be a perfect give for a family, neighbors or to bring along to a Christmas gathering. There’s plenty of delicious food to go around and enjoy while supporting not only Shisler’s Cheese House but our very own Amish Country.
The box includes:
4 Lb. Baby Swiss Wheel
Large Troyer’s Trail Bologna Ring
Shisler’s Private Label Mustard
Carr’s Crackers
Assorted Chocolates
6oz. REACH Coffee
Gift Box #6: Amish Country Sampler Gift Box: $75
This gift box is the biggest gift packed full of a huge selection of all Shisler’s Cheese House has to offer. This is the ultimate gift for people who are passionate about fine foods and complex tastes.
The best that Amish Country has to offer!
Our Amish Country Sampler Gift Box includes:
Large Troyer’s Trail Bologna Ring
1 Lb. Box of Heggy’s Chocolates
Home Style Amish Jam
Shisler’s Private Label Hot Jalapeno Mustard
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Cheddar
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Cojack (Marble)
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Farmer’s Cheese
3/4 Lb. Wheel of Pepper Jack Cheese
Baby Swiss Cheese Wedge
Summer Sausage Link
Townhouse Crackers
6oz. REACH Coffee
Other Gifts
If you would rather leave the choice to your family member or friend, you can always purchase them their very own gift certificate to be used at Shisler’s Cheese House so that you can be sure they get exactly what they desire.
These gift certificates are valid for one year and can be used all at once or for multiple transactions. We’ll just subtract the amount spent!
You will be provided with a Gift Certificate code immediately after checkout. Gift certificates can be mailed via US postal service on the following business day if selected.
Select from these set amounts:
$25
$50 (+ $25.00)
$100 (+ $75.00)
$200 (+ $175.00)
Create A Delicious Bologna Spread Using Our Bologna
Here at Shisler’s Cheese House, we have a number of products on sale which will help you create an amazing Bologna spread for any occasion.
This recipe is super easy to create and at our store, we have high-quality bologna and cheese which would be perfect for this spread.
The bologna recommended for this recipe is Lebanon Bologna. You can buy 12 Oz. for only $6.29 at Shisler’s Cheese House, be it in store or on our website. Our Lebonan Bologna is a type of cured, smoked, fermented, semi-dry sausage. It is similar in appearance to Salami, just slightly darker in color. The flavor is distinct and tangy, which makes it delicious.
Also included in this recipe is a cheese, we recommend you use our Colby cheese. However, the choice of cheese is entirely yours and you can look through our wide selection!
Recipe
