Whole Weat Herb Bread

This bread is pretty easy and super yummy. I made it a few times within a week because the hubby loved it so much. The first time I made it I used all-purpose flour simply because I wasn't paying attention and it was still fabulous, which is what is pictured. The whole wheat version was better however. We loved eating this with the Carrabba's Bread Dipping SeasoningWhole Wheat Herb Bread

From: Treasury of Cooking Healthy

2/3 cup water
2/3 cup skim milk
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
4-4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in milk and sugar. Let mixture cool to 110-115 degrees; add yeast. Mix well; let stand 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Combine egg whites, oil, salt, basil and oregano in a large bowl until well blended. Add yeast mixture; mix well. Add 4 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until dough is no longer sticky. Knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is sticky. Form into a ball. Place dough in a medium bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Turn dough so all sides are coated; cover with a towel. Let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Punch dough down and place on a lightly flour surface. Divide into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.

One Hour Bread

I feel like I've been keeping something from you. And I'm a bad person because of it.

I have a great bread recipe that I love.
The reasons I love it:
It takes about an hour, start to finish.
It makes 4 loaves. Or 2 loaves, a pan of cinnamon rolls and some breadsticks for dinner.
It's extremely easy.
It's fluffy and delicious.


But it's no artisan bread. I hate that word.

One Hour Bread

10.5 c bread flour or wheat flour (not All-Purpose Flour)
1/2 c sugar
1 heaping tbsp salt
3 rounded tbsp instant yeast
3 tbsp liquid lecithin
4 c hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix for one minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry add more water. Dough should be slightly sticky. Mix for five minutes. Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing. Spray counter and pans and hands well with Pam. Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel or Saran wrap. Let rise 20-25 minutes. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes. Recipe makes four loaves of bread.

Notes:
*Lecithin can be purchased at Whole foods or other trendy healthy food store.
*Do not measure lecithin. Pour quarter sized dollops directly into the bowl. You'll thank me when you get some on your fingers.
*For whole wheat bread, use the same recipe but add one cup of applesauce as part of the hot tap water and an additional tbsp of lecithin. Mix for ten minutes.
*I make this in my Kitchen-Aid. I put all the water in the bottom, add the yeast on top. Then just add all the dry ingredients, THEN the lecithin on top of the flour, etc.

To make into cinnamon rolls:
Just roll 1/4th of your total unrisen dough into a rectangle on your greased up surface. Spread a nice thick layer of butter, then spread a lovely layer of brown sugar, then sprinkle with cinnamon liberally. Roll it up. Then use floss or whatever your preferred method is. Let rise 15-20 minutes. Bake 20 minutes or until tops are browned. Spread with your preferred icing. Mine involves a 1.5c (ISH... I don't measure) powdered sugar, 2 TBSP Butter, a tsp of vanilla and milk to my preferred consistency. YUM.



I have told people... these aren't the world's best cinnamon rolls. But they are really GOOD. No one ever complains when I make them.

This dough could easily be used for:
Pizza (just don't let it rise!)
Breadsticks
Foccaccia
Braided Loaf
Filled Loaf
Cinnamon swirl bread

I've made each of the above and they're all delicious.
Good luck!

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

I think that the pictures say how amazing these are.
Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

From: My Kitchen Cafe

Rolls:
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbs. active dry yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1 (3.5 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
6+ cups flour

Filling:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs. milk

In a small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In a large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Add pudding mixture to yeast mixture. Blend.

Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not over flour! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Then roll our on a floured surface to 34" x 21". Take 1 cup of soft butter and spread over the surface. In a bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. Using a serrated knife or thread (I always use dental floss, because that is what my mom did... lol.) cut ever 1 1/2". Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet 1" apart. Cover and let rise until double again.

Bake at 35o degrees for 15-20 minutes. remove when they start to turn golden brown. Frost warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting.

Combine butter and cream cheese; mix well. Add vanilla and sugar, mix again. Add milk until desired consistency.

Blueberry Muffins with Struesel Topping

These are by far the yummiest blueberry muffins ever.To Die For Blueberry Muffins

From: Jennie Chappuis

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Apricot Orange Cream Scones

Apricot Orange Cream Scones

From: Mom ... aka Ruth Solter

2 cups flour
3 Tbs. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup white vanilla chips
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs. orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, orange peel and salt, mix well. Add apricots and vanilla chips, mix well. Add heavy cream all at once. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 6-7 times or until smooth. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into 6" rounds. Cut each into 4 wedges. Place 2" apart on your cookie sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice to create a glaze. (I add in a little orange zest here to for a little stronger orange flavor.) Drizzle over warm scones.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

From: Mom aka Ruth Solter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 lemons (use grated zest and juice)

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 cup poppy seeds

Glaze:
juice of one lemon
a little zest (optional)
powdered sugar

Muffins: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat eggs thoroughly and add to butter mixture. Add poppy seeds, lemon zest and juice from one lemon to butter mixture.  Combine flour and baking powder and add to butter mixture, stirring until combined.   Add half and half and stir until well blended.  Spoon into well greased muffin tins or use muffin liners and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Don't let the muffins get too brown.

Glaze: Combine the juice of 1 lemon, additional zest if desired , and about 1/2 cup or more of the powdered sugar to brush on as a lemon glaze while muffins are still hot.  It works best if you just dip the tops of the muffins into the glaze for a nice even coating!

Italian Bread Bowls

So, this past week I decided to make the Creamy Broccoli Soup that Jenny raves about. And I just had to have bread bowls. So, I attempted my own. I have to admit that I'm not normally a bread-maker. But I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I'm not sure what I did wrong with these, but they didn't rise as tall as I'd hoped and were therefore not all that great for bread-bowls. But the bread itself was delicious. I think if you're better at making bread than I am, they'd turn out not only tasty, but also functional.



Italian Bread Bowls
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups).

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use silpat liners or parchment paper). Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Buttermilk Banana "Muffin Mans"

My boys love zucchini and banana bread. So a while back I found a new banana bread recipe using buttermilk, so I decided to try it and loved it. Well, fast forward to this week and I couldn't find it. So I did a google search and found a new recipe and it is exorbitantly better than the first one I found. These are amazing.

I call them muffin mans because that is what Tab, my 3 year old calls them. If I were to call it banana bread he would whine that he doesn't want banana bread, but that he wants muffin mans. Ever since he first heard the "Do you know the muffin man?" song, he has called them this. So I obligingly make them into muffins and a loaf, which to get him to eat we call muffin man bread. My kid is weird.

Buttermilk Banana "Muffin Mans"

From: Seattle Bon Vivant

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 Tbs. canola oil
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 3.4 flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter loaf pan and lightly dust with flour.

In mixer bowl beat eggs with sugar on med-high until thick and light, about 5 minutes. Add mashed bananas, buttermilk, honey, oil, remaining butter and vanilla.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the wet ingredients and beat just until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake about 1 hour.