Quick and Easy Naan Bread

 Tonight we had curry for dinner, and with about 15 minutes left before it was done, I decided I should make some naan bread to go with it.  Luckily for me, I found a super quick and easy recipe that took about 15 minutes to make, from start to finish.  There are a lot of recipes out there for naan, most of which have yeast and require a rise, but this one didn't call for yeast and we thought it was still really tasty and added a lot to our meal!  So, if you are in a hurry and forget to plan ahead, this naan will work in a pinch!

Quick and Easy Naan Bread

adapted slightly from www.veggiedesserts.com

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. sour cream (it called for plain yogurt but I didn't have any)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  You may need to use your hands to get it to mix well.  I ended up kneading mine just a bit to get it to incorporate all together.  Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.  On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 6 inch circle.  Fry it on an ungreased griddle or frying pan for a couple of minutes on each side, until it begins to get golden bubbles.  When it is cooked through, spread melted butter and garlic on each side and serve it warm.

Grandma Losee's Famous Banana Bread

My Grandma Losee recently passed away, and it was mentioned multiple times at her funeral how she was known for her Banana Bread.  This came as somewhat of a surprise to me, because that isn't something that I remembered her for.  But, when her recipe got passed around the cousins, and I made it and then tasted it, the taste totally brought back feelings of being at Grandma's when I was younger!  And, it is a really moist, delicious banana bread.  So now, I will remember Grandma when I eat her yummy banana bread!  She was an amazing woman!  (My kids dove right into the loaf before I could even take a picture, so I put in a pre-cooked picture, but know that looked and tasted amazing).

Banana Bread

by: June Losee

3 or 4 ripe bananas (I used 4)

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/8 c. melted margarine (I used butter)

optional 1 c. chocolate chips or nuts

Mash the bananas.  Add the other ingredients and mix it well.  Stir in the chocolate chips or nuts.  Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan.  Bake it at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Homemade Bagels (for a fraction of the cost of store bought)

During quarantine, back in April, we practiced our pioneer skills of making everything homemade, and this was one of the recipes we tried at that time.  And it was one of my favorites!  To me, these bagels tasted almost exactly like Einstein Bagels, and when we figured out the cost, homemade bagels cost around .08 cents per bagel, and a fresh, store bought bagel costs $1.80!

Homemade Bagels

by: sallysbakingaddiction.com

1 1/2 c. warm water

2 3/4 tsp. instant or active dry yeast

4 c. bread flour

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 egg white, mixed with 1 Tbsp. water

2 quarts water

1/4 c. honey

In your kitchenaid mixer (or by hand), mix together the warm water and yeast, cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Add the flour, brown sugar and salt and beat it on low speed for 2 minutes.  The dough will be stiff and a little dry.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it (by hand) for 4-5 minutes.  Place the dough into a large bowl, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Cover it, and allow it to rise until it is double in size, for about 60-90 minutes.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  When the dough is ready, punch it down and divide it into eight equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball.  Press your finger through the middle of the ball to make a hole and shape it into a bagel shape.  

Cover the bagels with a light towel and let them rest for a few minutes while you prepare the hot water bath.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Fill a large pot with 2 quarts of water and the honey.  Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-high.  Drop the bagels in the water and cook them for 1 minute on each side, then remove them and place them on your lined cookie sheets.

Using a pastry brush, brush the egg white mixture on the top and sides of each bagel.  If you want to sprinkle some (or all) of them with cinnamon sugar, or some other delicious topping, now is the time to do it.  Otherwise, they will be plain bagels, which were also delicious.  Bake them for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  The bagels will be golden brown.  

Easy 100% Whole Wheat Bread (Small Batch-2 Loaves)

I have never been super successful on homemade bread.  Which is shameful because I come from a long line of amazing bread makers.  I've tried a few times, and if my mom was standing right next to me through the process, it seemed to work out pretty good, but as soon as I was by myself, I ended up with bread that looks like this:

Why?  I have no idea.  But, now that we are in a Corona Virus Quarantine, I am taking this opportunity (and this necessity) to learn to make yummy, normal looking homemade bread!  Someone recently brought me a delicious, beautiful loaf of bread, so as soon as the Quarantine started, I called her and asked her for her recipe.  It turns out I was making it much harder than I needed to.  This recipe kneads it using my Kitchenaid mixer and only rises once.  It kind of makes me feel guilty because it is so easy, but it looks like I worked really hard!

Easy Whole Wheat Bread

adapted from: melskitchencafe.com

5-6+ c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 Tbsp. active yeast

1/4 c. vital wheat gluten

2 3/4 c. warm water

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/3 c. oil

1/3 c. honey

1/2-3/4 Tbsp. salt

In the bowl of your stand alone mixer (mine is a Kitchenaid), stir together your yeast, 3/4 cup of the warm water and a pinch of sugar.  Cover it with a towel and let it sit for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.  After 5 minutes your yeast should look nice and foamy.  Add 3 cups of flour, gluten and 2 more cups of warm water to your yeast mixture and stir it using a wooden spoon.  Cover it with the towel again and let it rest for 10-12 minutes.  Add the lemon juice, oil, honey and salt and mix it on low speed, using your dough hook.  

With the mixture running on low speed, continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and it isn't too sticky.  I have found that I need a little more than 6 cups total flour to get mine to the right consistency.  I also have to occasionally use my wooden spoon to scrape the flour off the bottom of the bowl.  From Mel's recipe, she says "A little stickiness is ok, as long as the dough forms a ball and doesn't leave a lot of residue on your fingers."  And that is pretty much exactly how mine turns out.  Let the mixer knead the dough for 5-6 minutes on low speed.  (Once mine is done kneading, I find that it is a little stickier than it was when I started kneading, but the bread is coming out nice and soft, so I think that is ok).   

Turn the dough onto your greased counter (I spray mine with cooking spray) and divide it in half.  Shape each half into a smooth loaf and place it in a lightly greased loaf pan.  The pan size that I have found to be the most successful is the one that is 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 X 2 1/2.  Cover your pans lightly with a towel and let them rise for about an hour, or until they are 1-2 inches above the pans.  Here is another tip that I have had to figure out: my kitchen is never super warm, and my bread wasn't rising very well.  Now, I heat my oven to 200 degrees, and then turn it off and open the oven door.  My bread is rising on top of my oven and this little added heat seems to make all the difference for how well it rises.  Yay!  When your bread has risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the bread for 28-32 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top and baked through.  When you take it out, turn it onto a wire rack and brush the top with butter.  And, please eat a slice warm, with butter and honey, and think of me!  

Homemade Soft Pretzels

 My kids and Dustin are lovers of soft pretzels, and I am not.  Something about the salty bread, dipped in hot cheese just grosses me out.  However, after Grant begging me to make these for a really long time, and in light of the fact that we have a lot more time to bake right now (Corona Quarantine), we decided to give it a try.  This was a great recipe--easy and delicious and actually really fun for everyone to participate in.  I even enjoyed my soft pretzel (of course, I sprinkled mine with cinnamon sugar and dipped it in frosting, so it was more of a dessert, but there had to be a compromise!) 

Soft Pretzels

by: sallysbakingaddiction.com

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

3 3/4 to 4 c. flour

coarse salt for sprinkling (I used kosher salt)

9 c. water

1/2 c. baking soda

Mix the yeast, a pinch of sugar and the warm water in your mixing bowl, cover it and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.  Add the salt, brown sugar and melted butter and stir it together.  Slowly add 3 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time.  Mix it with a wooden spoon, or the dough hook on your Kitchenaid until the dough is thick.  Continue slowly adding the last cup of flour as needed, until your dough is no longer sticky.  If you poke it with your finger and it bounces back, it is ready to knead.  Plop the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 3 minutes and then roll it into a ball.  Cover it lightly and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.  This is a good time to get your water and baking soda solution ready.  

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Divide your dough in half, then each of those halves in half again and then do that again (to make 12 equal dough balls-did that make sense?).  Roll each dough ball into a 20-22 inch rope, and then shape them into a pretzel shape by "taking the ends and drawing them together so the dough forms a circle.  Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape."  We just kind of made ours into a knot shape and some were better than others, but that is what gave them their charm.  

Bring the baking soda and water solution to a boil.  I periodically stirred this with a wire whisk throughout the process.  Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water at a time, for 20-30 seconds.  Any more time than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste, which a couple of ours did.  I would lean more toward 20 seconds.  Using a slotted spatula, take the pretzels out of the water and let the water drip off before placing them onto your baking sheet.  Sprinkle the pretzels with the salt (or cinnamon sugar, if you are like me).  Bake them for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees or until they are golden brown.  When they are done, you can serve them warm with nacho cheese, or frosting!

Golden Sweet Cornbread

I have made this cornbread recipe a couple of different times, and it is always so delicious!  It is sweet, moist and my family loves it!

Golden Sweet Cornbread
by: allrecipes.com

1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk (I used 1 Tbsp. lemon juice mixed with milk to make 1 cup)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.  Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.  When it is melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the sugar.  Add the eggs and quickly beat the mixture until it is well blended.  Combine the baking soda with the buttermilk and stir it into the mixture.  Add the cornmeal, flour and salt and stir it until it is smooth.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake it at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Liege Waffles (Authentic Belgium Waffles-Like in the Train Stations)

When I was in my early 20's, I backpacked around Europe for a few weeks with my roommate.  We ate so much delicious food!  Of all the amazing things we tasted, my favorite was the waffles in Belgium, eaten fresh from the cart in the train station.  Sooo delicious!  It is more like a cookie than a waffle.  A thick, sweet, sugar crystal filled, waffle shaped cookie.  For years (before the internet was as amazing as it is now) I tried to figure out what the secret sugar ingredient was in the waffle.  Now, all you have to do is a google search, and you'll know it is Belgium Pearl Sugar.  You can buy it on Amazon for about $10 a bag, and it's worth it to have the authentic stuff, straight out of Belgium.  My sister gave me a bag for my birthday, and we loved trying out different recipes to see what we thought was the most like the waffles from the train stations in Belgium.  A downside to these waffles: they are pretty high maintenance.  You need to plan a day in advance of when you want them.  They are like bread, they have to have time to rise.  And, they are a lot of work!  But they are definitely worth it!  I am going to put on two recipes: an easier recipe, which although still delicious, was not quite authentic, and the more time consuming recipe, which was my favorite of the two.

Liege Waffles

from the back of my Waffle Pantry pearl sugar bag

1 c. milk

2 1/2 tsp. instant dry yeast

4 c. flour

2 eggs

6 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 generous pinch of salt

10 oz. butter

1 c. Waffle Pantry Belgium pearl sugar

Heat the milk to lukewarm.  In a large bowl, pour the milk in and stir the yeast into it and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the flour, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.  Mix it to form a sticky dough.  Add the softened butter and mix it until it is just combined.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 2-3 hours.  After it is good and rested, gently fold in the pearl sugar.  Divide it into 10 portions and rest for 15 minutes.  Bake it in the waffle iron until it is golden.  I baked some at this point, and saved some for the kids for the next morning.  Those that I baked the next morning tasted a little better to us.

Recipe #2 (the harder, but more authentic version)

from: ashleemarie.com

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. sugar

3/4 c. whole milk, warmed

2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

4 c. bread flour (For 1 c. worth, I just used 2 Tbsp cornstarch, mixed with enough flour to make 1 c.)

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. butter, softened

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. Belgium pearl sugar

Pour the milk, yeast and sugar into your mixing bowl, and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of the flour and mix it until it is smooth.  Sprinkle the remaining flour over the mixture to keep it from getting a crusty top, and let it rise for 90 minutes.  When it is done rising, add the brown sugar and salt and blend on medium speed.  While it is mixing, add the honey and vanilla.  Add the butter, 2 Tbsp. at a time.  Mix the dough for 4 minutes, at medium low speed.  Let the dough rest for 1 minute, then mix it again for 2 minutes, then rest and repeat the process until the dough balls up on the hook.  Cover it and let it rise for 4 hours.  When it is done rising, punch the dough down, wrap it in plastic wrap, place it in a bowl and weigh it down with something (like a bowl) and refrigerate it overnight.  In the morning, place the dough (it will be firm) on a lightly floured surface and knead in the pearl sugar, a little bit at a time.  Divide the dough into 13 balls, and let it rise for another 90 minutes.  Cook it in a waffle iron for 3-4 minutes.  If the waffle iron gets too hot, the sugar will burn, so pay attention to the temperature of your waffle iron (the recipe says to keep it at 360 degrees.  I can't tell the temperature on mine, but I didn't have any problems cooking them).  Be careful when you eat these, the sugar is very hot!  You will want to let them cool for a minute.  And enjoy, after all that hard work!

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

We have a tradition at our house to eat cinnamon rolls during General Conference .  Sometimes I remember this tradition the night before, so I make a quick run to the store and buy a Pillsbury can of cinnamon rolls.  Thank goodness for those Pillsbury cans of cinnamon rolls.  But, every so often, I remember the day before, and I actually have some time, and a willing helper or two, and I make homemade cinnamon rolls!  This time, I had just a little bit of time, so I found this recipe for easy cinnamon rolls, that also only need to rise one time.  They did end up being pretty easy, which was what I was going for.  If I had more time and less busy, I think I prefer my ol' standby recipe, which has to rise multiple times and is definitely more high maintenance, but a little softer and fluffier.  But, if you have limited time, these are a great alternative (to a late night run for Pillsbury canned rolls!).

Easy Cinnamon Rolls
from: sallysbakingaddiction.com

2 3/4 c. flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 package instant yeast
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. milk
2 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg

For the filling:
3 Tbsp. softened butter
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar

In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.  In another bowl, add the water, milk and butter, and microwave it until it is hot to the touch and the butter melts.  Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture.  Add the egg and stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, sticky dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl while you are stirring.  On a lightly floured surface, dump your dough and knead if for 3-4 minutes.  Place it in a bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray, and let it rest for 10 minutes.  While it is resting, mix your cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set it aside.  After 10 minutes, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8X14 inch rectangle, spread with the softened butter and sprinkle it with the cinnamon sugar.  Roll it up and cut it into 12 pieces.  A little trick to help with cinnamon roll cutting is to get a long piece of thread, wrap it around the roll about an inch in, and pull the two sides together.  It will cut the roll perfectly.  Does that make any sense at all?

Place the cut rolls into a greased pan (I doubled my recipe and used a 9X13 and a glass pie tin), lightly cover them with tin foil and place them in an oven, warmed to 200 degrees and then turned off.  Let them rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.  Bake them at 350 degrees, for 25-30 minutes.  I covered mine with the tin foil for the first 15 minutes, and then took the tin foil off for the last half of baking.  Top them with frosting and eat them warm!

Lemon Bread

There seems to be a lemon theme going on right now.  Three of the last four posts I've done have the word lemon in them.  Maybe lemons were on sale recently...  So, if you haven't gotten your lemon fix with tilapia or soup, go ahead and try it in dessert form!  

Lemon Bread
slightly adapted from: www.food.com

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
rind of 1 lemon

For glaze:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
juice from 1 lemon

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.  Stir in the milk.  In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon rind and stir it well (this helps your rind to not clump together when you mix it in with the liquid stuff).  Pour the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and mix well to combine.  Pour it into a greased bread pan and bake it at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  During baking, in a small bowl stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice and set it aside.  (As a side note, my lemons must have been extremely juicy, because I had to add quite a bit more powdered sugar to get the sweetness that I wanted.  Be aware and taste it before you pour it on your bread).  When the bread is done, remove it from the oven to a cooling rack.  While it is still hot, poke holes in the top with a toothpick or fork and then pour the glaze over the top of the holes.  Let it cool completely and then slice and serve!

Quick Yeast Rolls

I came across this recipe on allrecipes.com and have been using it for months.  It is the easiest roll recipe I have found (no kneading, no rolling, only mixing and plopping), and it is delicious, too!  It is fast (start to finish, about 2 hours) and the rolls come out light and fluffy.  It makes it simple for me to have fresh rolls for my family with dinner!

Quick Yeast Rolls

slightly adapted from: allrecipes.com

2 Tbsp. shortening

3 Tbsp. white sugar

1 c. hot water

1 package active dry yeast

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. flour (just a little less than that, actually)

In a large bowl, combine the shortening, sugar and hot water and stir to dissolve (the shortening won't dissolve very much).  When the water has cooled to luke warm, add the yeast and stir it to dissolve.  Stir in the egg and salt, then add the flour and stir to combine.  Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise until it is doubled in size.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.  When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into the prepared muffin tin cups.  Cover it and allow it to rise again until it has doubled in size.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Bake the rolls for 10 minutes or until lightly golden (mine have never taken more than ten minutes).

Pumpkin Bread With Cream Cheese Icing (& How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree)

This week I pureed one of the pumpkins from my garden.  I was so happy with how easy it was and how great the flavor was.  I used a medium sized pumpkin and got about 11 cups of puree!

With the fresh pumpkin, I made a couple of loaves of pumpkin bread.  Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors, especially for this time of year.  This bread was delicious and moist.  The cream cheese icing added a little more sweetness, but you could definitely eat the bread without it.  Either way, it will make you think of Autumn!

Pumpkin Bread With Cream Cheese Icing
adapted from: Better Homes and Garden

1 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/3 c. shortening
1 c. flour (again)

For the icing:
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk

Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a loaf pan and set it aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves and stir it well.  Add the pumpkin, milk, eggs and shortening and beat it on medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.  Add the 1 cup flour and mix it until it is blended.  Pour the batter into your loaf pan and bake it for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  In the meantime, make your icing by mixing together the softened cream cheese and vanilla until well blended.  Stir in the powdered sugar and then the milk and mix it well.  Drizzle the icing over the top of the hot bread, or slice it and then drizzle it.

How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

I consulted a number of websites, trying to figure out the best way to puree my pumpkin, and they were all very similar.  I will give the quick version of how to do this.

First: Wash your pumpkin, cut off the stem and cut the whole pumpkin in half.  Scoop out the seeds and pulp.

Second: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Rub a little canola oil on the cut surfaces of the pumpkin (inside).  Place the pumpkin face down on a cookie sheet (one with sides, in case it drips a little).  Roast the pumpkin for anywhere between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.  Mine cooked for almost 90 minutes.  When you can easily stab a fork into the top (outside) of the pumpkin, it is done.  Let your pumpkin cool for 10 minutes, or until you can handle it.

Third:  Peel the skin off of each half of your pumpkin.  I was able to do this using my fingers.  A knife helped to start the peel, but then it peeled away pretty easily.

Fourth:  Puree the cooked pumpkin in a food processor or blender until it is smooth.  Most websites said to strain some of the water out using cheesecloth.  Store the puree in airtight bags in the freezer, or make some yummy pumpkin bread right away!

Coconut Crusted French Toast

When Nicole visited last April, we thought it would be fun to make something different and delicious for breakfast on Easter morning.  At that time I was going through a coconut phase (still am, a little bit) and so this was an obvious choice for me.  It has taken me a long time to post it, but I have actually made it a couple more times because it is so delicious.  It definitely works best with a thicker bread, but is also yummy with regular bread.  We served ours with buttermilk syrup and fruit.  Mmmm. (P.S. this is Carolyn posting :)  

Coconut Crusted French Toast

adapted from: twopeasandtheirpod.com

3 eggs

3/4 c. coconut milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

1 c. shredded sweetened coconut

6 slices french bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices (texas toast bread would work great, too) From the pictures, you can see that we used a thicker, regular bread, but I have also used french bread.

Heat a griddle or frying pan.  In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, vanilla and salt.  Pour the shredded coconut into another shallow dish.  Dip both sides of the bread in the egg mixture, then dip both sides into the shredded coconut (to coat the bread).  Place the bread onto your griddle or frying pan and then drizzle a little of the egg mixture over the top.  It will take a little more time to cook than usual.  When it is done, serve it with syrup or fruit, or both!

5 Minute Artisan Bread

I grew up on homemade bread, but somehow I completely missed that talent.  I have never been able to bake very edible bread.  I heard about this a while ago and how easy and foolproof it is, and have been wanting to try it.  I finally decided to, yesterday, but didn't have enough time!  Don't let the name of this fool you.  It actually is going to take you a few hours, initially.  The work itself probably only totaled about five minutes, but there is time needed to let it rise.  And a great thing about this is that you can make it, one loaf at a time, and then keep the rest in the fridge for another day.  You can have fresh baked bread daily!  And it is super delicious!  Next time I'm going to try it with whole wheat flour and honey, or oats on the outside.  I'm sure if you know anything about bread (which I do not) you could come up with some creative ways to make this recipe (cinnamon bread?).

5 Minute Artisan Bread
from: www.food.com

3 c. lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt or other coarse salt
6 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl, combine your water and yeast and stir it a little.  Don't worry about it getting completely dissolved.  Then add the salt and flour, all at once.  One tip that food.com said was to not press down into the flour as you scoop, or you'll throw off the measurement.  Gently scoop it up.  I went ahead and believed them, as I have not had a lot of success in this department.  Mix it with a wooden spoon or with a kitchen aid type food processor until the flour is completely mixed in.  FYI: This took a few minutes and when it was done, it was pretty moist, not at all dry.  Next, cover your bowl loosely and allow the dough to rise until it is about double in size, anywhere from 2-5 hours.  Mine pretty much quite rising after 2 hours, even though I left it another hour.  At this point, you can use the dough or put it in the fridge for another day.
When you are ready to use the dough:
Prepare your baking apparatus.  I used my baking stone and was really happy with how it baked.  Sprinkle the top of your dough with flour.  Grab a large handful of dough (about a grapefruit sized amount) and cut it off, using a serrated knife.  Holding that dough in your hands, add a little more flour to the outside surface so that you can handle it better.  Form this dough into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough and turning it a little at a time, while you bunch up the dough on the bottom (Does this make sense?  If not, go to food.com, as they have a very detailed description of this step).  Rest the dough and let it rise on a baking sheet or on your stone for about 40 minutes.  After about 20 minutes, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  When your dough has had sufficient rest, wake it up by first dusting it with flour and then using a serrated knife to slash it across the top, multiple times (hmm, that ended up sounding a little creepy.  Sorry.).  Then put it in your hot oven.  Also put in a roasting pan (or something like that) with about a cup of hot water and quickly close the oven door.  This will make it nice and steamy while it cooks.  Bake it for about 30 minutes, or until it is a nice golden color and firm to the touch.
The rest of the dough can be refrigerated for up to two weeks and when you want fresh bread, just follow the "When you are ready to use the dough" instructions.

Super Moist Banana Bread

I didn't really know what to call this.  I wanted to convey to you that this is not your normal, run of the mill banana bread.  I am not a big banana bread fan.  I liked the coconut lime banana bread recipe, but so many banana breads are a little too dry for my taste and kind of blah.  That is not true for this recipe.  There is no better way to describe it but as super moist.  I shared it with Lynnette and you know how she described it?  Super moist.  It is super delicious and (have I mentioned?), super moist.  It has changed my view of banana bread.  And maybe my life.  And maybe it will change your life, too.


Super Moist Banana Bread
from my friend Jen P:


1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
3 crushed bananas
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a bread pan.  Cream together the sugar, butter and eggs. Stir in the bananas.  Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix it well.  Stir in the chocolate chips.   Pour it all into the pan and bake it for approximately 1 hour.  My oven bakes a little slow and it took about 1 hour and 15 minutes for mine to cook completely.  It is done when a fork poked in the middle comes out clean.

Panera Bread Custard French Toast

My husband surprised me the other day after a business trip with a yummy loaf of raisin bread from Panera Bread and a recipe to make custard french toast.  It was a fun twist to your typical milk, egg, and cinnamon french toast- this recipe used heavy cream to make it a little richer and creamier.  Their recipe obviously called for their raisin bread, which was a fun change, but you could just as well use any bread, which I can't wait to try!

Custard French Toast

Ingredients:
6-8 slices bread such as Texas Toast or raisin bread
4 Tbsp. melted butter
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. heavy cream
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. For the French toast custard, using a hand whisk combine the milk, heavy cream, eggs, honey, vanilla extract and the salt.  This custard can be made well in advance.  Give a brisk stir before making the toast.
2. Transfer the custard to a casserole or open shallow dish for dipping.
3. Dip one slice into the custard and turn over after about 15 seconds.  Transfer the slice to a plate while dipping another slice into the custard.
4. Heat a griddle or skillet and cook on each side until golden brown.  Serve with maple syrup.

Brie en Croute

There are not many recipes that I make more than once, and few that I make often. This happens to be one of them. I have made it 3 or 4 times in the last few months for dinner parties that we’ve had, and everyone seems to have liked it as much as we love it! It’s an indulgence that I take every now and then and enjoy every bite! I don’t know how many calories are in this thing, but if calories were based on yumminess (which, sadly, they tend to be) I would be eating my weight in them.

Please, please try this recipe.

Brie en Croute

Adapted from thesisterscafe.com

Ingredients:

One 8 oz. wheel of Brie cheese (see note below)

one sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed to room temperature

2-3 tbsp. brown sugar

2-3 tbsp. chopped pecans

1-2 tbsp. Craisins

one egg, beaten

Directions:

1. With a knife, gently cut off most of the white rind that is covering the cheese. (You can leave it on if you like, it’s edible. It’s a little easier to cut into if it’s off.) Try not to shave off any of the cheese.

2. Let one sheet of puff pastry thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour before using. Roll out on lightly floured surface and pour brown sugar in the center of the rolled out pastry. Top it with chopped pecans and Craisins and place Brie on top.

3. Fold puff pastry up over the Brie and pinch the seams together to seal completely (you don’t want it to overlap too much to ensure it cooks evenly, and with an 8 oz. wheel of Brie I usually cut off a fair amount of the pastry and use it in a later dish). Flip the whole thing over so the seam side is down.

4. Brush beaten egg over entire wrapped Brie. (Helpful tip from thesisterescafe.com: Be thorough with all the seams- the egg will help seal them so that the cheese doesn’t escape while baking.)

5. Now grab a little of the extra pastry, flatten it out, and using a cookie cutter or a knife, cut out any shape you want to adorn the top. Place on the wrapped Brie and brush with egg.

6. Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and cook for another 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with crackers if desired.

Side note: I use a small wheel of Brie (8 oz.) which serves about 4 people. If you’re having a larger party, you can buy a larger wheel (say 19oz.). You’ll end up using most of the pastry puff to cover the cheese. Double the brown sugar, pecans, and Craisins, and increase the baking time to 25 minutes at 400° and 20 minutes at 300°.

Pumpkin French Toast

I found this little gem of a recipe in the Jessica Seinfield cook book, Deceptively Delicious, that my mom-in-law gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.  I love the extra flavor that the pumpkin gives to the french toast.  I like to spice mine up with nutmeg and cinnamon and it tastes like a yummy slice of pumpkin pie.  You know, the kind of pie you eat for breakfast. With butter and maple syrup. Oh, just use your imagination!  My kids love it and any time I can hide some healthy veggies in any food, I'm happy to do it (as opposed to those nasty, unhealthy ones :).

Pumpkin French Toast

adapted by: Carolyn

5 eggs

1/2 c. pumpkin puree (actually just a litle less than this)

approximatly 1 c. milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

10 slices bread

Do I need to give instructions on this?  I'm going to assume you all know how to make french toast and save myself some time typing a long explanation.  Just mix it all together really well and dip the bread in it and cook it on a griddle.  Be aware that the pumpkin does clump a little bit after you have mixed it well, but it doesn't affect the flavor or really even the look of the french toast after it is cooked.  Also be aware that I totally guessed on all these measurements (except the pumpkin puree).  I just add ingredients until it looks like french toast batter should look (to me).  You do the same and I'm sure it will taste excellent!