Cinnamon Raisin Brioche - SRC

It's no secret that I love bread - I even have a Nutrimill wheat grinder to grind organic wheat berries for the freshest bread possible. I've made homemade cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, dinner rolls, crescent rolls, sandwich bread, French bread, and of course, biscuits and a wide variety of quick breads.

But I had never made brioche.

In case you're wondering, brioche is a kind of French "pastry" bread that has a high butter and egg content and a dark, golden crust.

So when I saw a recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Brioche on my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month, I couldn't resist.

Julie is a fellow carboholic who blogs over at White Lights on Wednesday.  She has a really great assortment of DIY home projects, decorating tips, blogging advice, and of course, lots of recipes!

I was tempted to try the Crockpot Rocky Road Chocolate Cake (still haven't used my crockpots for desserts - what am I waiting for?), I love the sound of this Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Dressing, and I have a feeling this Peanut Butter Crack is gonna make it to my Christmas baking list. But I just had to try the brioche.

Now, this bread isn't something you can rush. It requires several hours of prep time, most of which is the rising periods, of course. Some traditional brioche recipes even require refrigerating the dough for a day or two to further develop the flavors. Yeah, I didn't plan ahead enough for that.
But it's really not too involved, so it's perfect for a day that you don't have to be anywhere.

Okay, another confession. The recipe called for 3/4 cup of butter per loaf- that's a stick and a half for anyone who's counting. I stood there and looked at all that butter and just.couldn't.do.it.

Butter is expensive. And that would be a ton of calories.

So I made the only reasonable decision I could at the time and only used 1 stick of butter total. Yes, I cut the amount of butter called for by two-thirds.

And you know what? The bread was still delicious. Maybe not as "pastry-like" as it could have been, but I wasn't trying to make dessert anyways. The kids and I gobbled up half on one loaf within 10 minutes of removing it from the oven. Nobody complained that there wasn't enough butter in there. :) A couple of my kids didn't like the raisins in there, but whatever. I loved them.

I made cinnamon toast the next morning with the leftover bread by slicing it, spreading on a little butter, sprinkling with cinnamon sugar, and baking at 350°F until golden brown. Simply scrumptious!


Cinnamon Raisin Brioche 
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun
Yield: 2 loaves

Starter: 
2 teaspoons sugar
2 packets active dry yeast (or 5 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm whole milk (105-110° F)
1 scant cup all-purpose flour

Dough: 
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons hot water (or milk)
6 eggs
3-4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 1/2" slices

Extras:
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions:

Starter:
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and yeast. Pour in warm milk and stir to combine. Let the mixture set for 5 minutes until it's foamy. Stir in the flour until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside, at room temperature, for 1 hour.

Dough:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, sugar, and hot water (or milk) until the sugar dissolves.
2. Using the whisk attachment, beat eggs on medium low speed with a stand mixer until the eggs are fluffy. Add the sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add 3 cups of flour and mix until combined.  Add in half of the butter and mix for another minute.
3. Remove the whisk attachment and switch to the dough hook. Transfer the starter dough into the dough mixture. Beat for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Add a little additional flour if dough is too runny and sticky. Add the rest of the butter and beat until it's incorporated into the dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a large buttered bowl. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour to prevent a crust from forming. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled. I like to use my unheated oven with the light on. 
5. Coat 2 standard loaf pans with butter. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
6. Uncover dough and punch it down a bit. Add raisins to the dough and knead them in by hand. 
7. Section the dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece in cinnamon sugar, coating heavily, and form into a ball. Place 8 balls in each loaf pan in a 2 x 4 format.
8. Cover the pans with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise until doubled, or slightly over the top of the pans. 
9. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake bread for 25-30 minutes, until the bread is set and golden. Start checking about half-way through to see if it's getting too dark. If so, cover the tops with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.  
10. Remove bread from oven. Let sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out bread from pans and let cool. 

Delicious warm with butter; also makes great cinnamon toast and French toast!

Source: Adapted from White Lights on Wednesday

An InLinkz Link-up

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Sweet Cinnamon Topping

I'm a sucker for banana bread recipes. I couldn't even tell you how many variations I've tried. 
Kind of drives Grant crazy. Pick a recipe and stick with it, he thinks. 

So when he tasted this one several months ago, he said, 
"This is it. If I ever ask you to make banana bread, THIS IS THE ONE I WANT. Not any others."

I think he made that pretty clear. :) 
And I can't say that I blame him.

It's lightly spiced, wonderfully moist and tender, and the crumb topping adds that extra delightful, sweet crunch. I love having the cream cheese in there - I feel like it makes the bread extra rich and flavorful without being over powering. And with two loaves, you can freeze one for later or share with a friend or neighbor. 

And for the record, I haven't make any other banana breads since then.  But I've made this one at least four times. It's a huge hit with the family every time. 

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Sweet Cinnamon Topping

Yield: 2 loaves

From: Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 loaf pans (8 1/4" x 4 1/4") with cooking spray or butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until very light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and bananas.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.

In a small bowl, mash together the topping ingredients until combined and crumbly.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle with the topping.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the bread is nicely domed and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let rest in the pans for 5-10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Strawberry Monkey Bread - SRC

What's your favorite part of summer?

The longer, sunny days?
Time at the pool or lake or beach?
No school/vacations?
Outdoor concerts, farmers' markets, or grilling out?

All of those things are pretty great and all, but my absolute favorite part about summer in Arkansas is the fresh, juicy, sweet fruit that we pick at local farms (or buy at local markets, if you're so inclined).  We picked strawberries in late May, blueberries several times through June and early July, and now blackberries and peaches are in season.   I LOVE supporting local farmers!! 

There is just nothing as good as summer fruit, fresh from the vine/tree/bush - I just want to eat it all plain and not even bother cooking with it.  However, for this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment, I simply couldn't resist using some (store-bought) strawberries to make this luscious monkey bread.

If you're not familiar with monkey bread, it's basically a lightly sweet dough that's rolled into small balls, covered with cinnamon sugar, layered in a bundt pan,and doused with a large serving of a buttery, cinnamon syrup to bake.  This variation uses a homemade strawberry syrup instead of the cinnamon syrup, plus there are chunks of freshly diced strawberries sprinkled throughout the dough.  YUM!

I got the recipe from C Mom Cook, where Shelley doesn't let the busyness of being a stay-at-home mom of 2 stop her from making amazing recipes like Tiramisu, where she made each component from scratch. Including the marscapone, lady fingers, custard, everything. In fact, she has her youngsters helping her out. It's so awesome. I'm totally motivated to get my kids in the kitchen more, even though they usually slow me down and make three times the mess. :)
I also made her Skillet Arroz con Pollo, which was is a great and simple weeknight meal, but I didn't get a decent photo of it. We really liked it, though!
Oh, and these Apple Buns look perfect for fall - definitely have those on the list to make!
So needless to say, I loved perusing Shelley's blog and finding all sorts of amazing things to make.  She is one talented lady!

This delightful bread was a huge success with my family and we could have probably eaten the entire pan of it in one sitting if I hadn't made the kiddos stop. :)  Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave very nicely - but the bread is BEST served on the first day.  So make it when you have a crowd to help you eat it!

Strawberry Monkey Bread
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Dough
1 cup milk
1/3 cup white sugar
5 Tbsp. butter (I used salted)
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 eggs
4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup diced strawberries

To prepare dough:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar, and butter. Heat until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and pour into your mixing bowl to let it cool until just warm (about 110°F). Stir in the yeast and let stand until foamy.

Add in eggs, 4 cups of flour, and salt.  Mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing with a dough hook or knead by hand on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add additional 1/4 cup flour if dough is too sticky. Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray.  Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat. Cover and let stand in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Combine 1 cup sugar, butter, and strawberries in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

To build the monkey bread: 
Prepared dough
about 1/3 cup of cinnamon sugar (1/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp. cinnamon, well combined)
1 cup diced strawberries
Prepared syrup

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously spray a Bundt or tube pan with non-stick cooking spray with flour, or grease generously with butter and dust with flour. Gently deflate dough and take small portions and roll into balls.  Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar, then place in prepared pan.  Interspersed through the balls, toss some of the diced strawberries so that they are evenly layered throughout the pan. Once all of the dough and berries have been added to the pan, pour the prepared syrup evenly over the top.

Place the Bundt pan on a cookie sheet and place the bread in the oven.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine was done at 40 minutes.  Check on bread periodically to make sure that the top is not over-browning. If it starts to get dark, cover it loosely with foil as it bakes.

Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a large plate and serving.

Source: adapted slightly C Mom Cook

An InLinkz Link-up

Cheddar Chive Biscuits - SRC

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was assigned to Rachel Cotterill, who lives in England and has a great passion for travel and learning a wide variety of skills, from juggling to rope splicing.  She has authored a couple of novels as well. Impressive!

Rachel has an abundance of vegetarian dishes on her blog, and many interesting ethnic foods I had never heard of, such as Kalaalit Kaagiat  (Greenlandic cake), Pastiera Napoletana (Italian Easter Pie), and Baslama (Turkish grilled flatbread).

But when I saw these scrumptious-sounding biscuits (or scones, as they're called in England), I had to try them.  I'm sorry, Rachel - I had to call them biscuits because in my house, "scones" are sweet and served for breakfast.  I didn't want to confuse my children (or husband)!

I made them as an accompaniment to this soup and the dinner was a HUGE hit.  The kids couldn't stop talking about how much they loved the biscuits and how tasty they are, without even a smear of butter inside. (of course, I was thinking that a brush of garlic butter would be fabulous, but it's really not necessary).
The leftovers reheated in the oven beautifully the next day and were nearly as good as fresh.

This is a keeper recipe for sure.  Thanks, Rachel!

Cheddar Chive Biscuits
Makes a large batch - about 10 3" biscuits and 12 to 14 1-1/2 " biscuits

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 
5 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (4 oz) salted butter
4 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
black pepper, to taste
3/4 ounce chopped chives (or other desired herb, such as rosemary, parsley, or sage)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (I used milk - and I didn't need quite all of it)

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Grate the cold butter into the flour and mix with fingers to make mixture with the texture of breadcrumbs.
Add most of the cheese to the bowl, reserving some for sprinkling on the tops.
Season with pepper and chives (or other herb).  Stir to combine.
Break the eggs into the middle of the bowl and add a little milk.  Start to pull the mixture together, adding extra milk as needed to make a soft (but not very sticky) dough.  Mix just until combined - trying not to knead it much.
Roll out the mixture to about 1 inch thick on a floured surface and cut with a biscuit cutter.  I made some large and some miniature.  Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little milk and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

adapted slightly from Rachel Cotterill 

An InLinkz Link-up

Homemade Brown Bread

We were running low on bread recently and I didn't have a trip to the grocery store planned for a few days - so I decided to make some homemade bread.  It had been awhile anyways.....a long overdue treat.

I had just spotted this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook from 1999 and it made me think of my friend Jenny.
See, Jenny was our neighbor across the street for 3 years in VA and quickly became a dear friend, as well as Corban's piano teacher.  Our kids loved to play together and we spent many a summer evening standing outside chatting in the driveway while occasionally chasing our toddlers and watching the older children ride bikes up and down the sidewalk.  Jenny is a great bread baker and there were several times that she would drop by with a freshly baked loaf, just because.  How's that for a good neighbor??? :)

Anyways, one of the breads she made had oatmeal in it.....and I really loved it.  I had never baked a bread with oats in it before and it was just so delicious.  I totally need to get that recipe from her.
When I read this one, I thought maybe it was similar to what she had made....so I couldn't wait to try it.

What's interesting is that while the bread has a cup of oats in it, after they're soaked in boiling water for awhile and mixed into the dough, you really don't even notice them in the finished loaves.  The addition of both molasses and brown sugar make this a lightly sweet bread that tastes amazing just plain, without butter.

I think it's not exactly like Jenny's bread, but I have a feeling her family would love it as much as mine did. I wish I could take her a loaf.  (of course, now that I'm in Arkansas and her family has just moved to Germany, that would be exceptionally difficult).

Homemade Brown Bread
Yield: 2 loaves

1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. bulk yeast (or a 1/4 ounce package active dry yeast)
3/4 cup warm water (110° - 115°)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
4-3/4 to 5-1/4 cups flour (I used 3 cups white whole wheat and 2-1/4 cups all purpose)
Melted butter

In a medium bowl, combine boiling water, oats, butter, and salt.  Cool to 110-115°.
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Sprinkle with sugar. Add oat mixture, brown sugar, molasses, and 3 cups of flour; mix well. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into two loaves.  Place in greased 9-in x 5-in x 3-in loaf pans.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. Brush with melted butter.

Source: Adapted slightly from Taste of Home 1999 Annual Recipes

No-Knead Dinner Rolls - SRC

I am not capable of a low-carb diet.  
There, I said it.

I can avoid processed foods with no problem, but you'd better believe I am more than happy to make and bake from-scratch carbohydrate delights.  And I don't think they're the enemy.  I just think all things should be eaten in moderation.

These dinner rolls were so yummy, my family found it hard to eat them in moderation. I made them for Resurrection Sunday dinner, for which we had 5 adult family members joining us.  I only made a half batch (24) because I thought that would be plenty, with all the other food we were consuming.  Although we did have 3 left over, I think if I had made all 48 rolls, lots more would have been eaten.  And there were great disputes over who got to eat those 3 rolls the next day.

I enjoyed perusing Betcha Can't Eat Just One  as my assigned blog for the Secret Recipe Club this month.  Katie  has some incredible baked goods and seriously MAD cake decorating skills.  I was so tempted by her Neopolitan Whoopie Pies and  I am totally making these Peanut Butter Cups as soon as I can come up with an excuse for them.

But in the end, these dinner rolls made the cut for being my highlighted recipe from her blog.  I am so glad I made them!  I've been wanting to make my own crescent rolls for ages and for whatever reason, never got around to it.  The fact that these require no kneading and no electric mixer was a huge draw - I don't mind kneading or anything, but just that extra time and effort can be a deterrent in making my own bread sometimes.  I did cut down a little on the butter in the dough, and used half white whole wheat flour, although you can certainly use only all-purpose if you prefer.

The rolls are tender and just faintly sweet.  I'll try making them with honey also.....I love bread with honey.
They're a perfect accompaniment to just about any entree and I'm sure a basket of them would disappear in no time.

My kids are begging me to make these rolls again soon.....and I'm looking forward to it!

No-Knead Dinner Rolls
adapted slightly from Betcha Can't Eat Just One
Makes 48 rolls - can be easily cut in half for 24 rolls (still use 1 egg)

1-1/2 cups milk
5 Tbs. butter
1/3 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp.
2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. salt
1 egg
9-10 cups flour (I used half all-purpose, half white whole wheat)
1/4 - 1/2 cup butter (I went on the lighter side here, but I'm sure the whole amount would be delicious!)

Start by scalding the milk with 5 Tbsp. butter and 1/3 cup sugar. You can do this for 2 minutes in the microwave or use a pot on the stove.  Cut the butter into pieces for easier melting, but don't worry if it doesn't melt completely.

Stir 1-2 cups of flour into the hot milk mixture to cool it down a bit.  Once you know it's not really hot, stir in the egg and salt.  KEEP track of how much flour you're adding!!!

In a large bowl, combine the warm water with the yeast and remaining Tbsp. sugar.  Add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture and stir it all together with a wooden spoon.  Add the remaining flour and mix until all the flour has been moistened. The dough will be fairly sticky.

Cover with a moist dish towel or greased plastic wrap and set in a warm place (I prefer my oven with the light on) to rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or grease them very well.

Gently deflate the dough and remove from the bowl onto a lightly floured work area.  Divide into 4 equal sections.

Roll each section into a circle, about the size of a large dinner plate. Smear each circle of dough with softened butter - I used about 1 Tbsp. but you can use more if you want.

Using a bench scraper or a pizza cutter, divide the dough into 4 wedges.  Cut each wedge into 3 sections.

Roll up each section from the wide edge of the triangle.  Place fairly close together on the baking sheet with the tail of the triangle on tucked under the bottom. Place 24 rolls on each pan.

Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 15-20 minutes or until  golden brown.

Once removed from oven, run a stick of butter over the tops of the rolls for a delicious buttery glaze!

Chocolate Chip Pull Apart Bread - SRC

This month I had the pleasure of being assigned to The Tasty Cheapskate for the Secret Recipe Club, where Jeanie highlights frugal recipes, eating well, and uses lots of butter.  I know we'd be great friends!
And she even has 4 kiddos, around the same age as mine.  She's got a great sense of humor and is very entertaining to read....and man, does she have some fantastic recipes.

I had such a hard time picking one to make for today.....with choices like Brownies with Browned Butter Frosting (I am SO making those....soon.), No-Rise Cinnamon Rolls with Blueberry Filling , Double Chocolate Breakfast Cookies (yes, yes, yes!) and Diana's Apple Cake of Awesomeness (which I actually made, and it was delicious!).

I ended up settling on this pull-apart bread - because I have been wanting to try different versions of  pull-apart bread for months and hadn't gotten around to it.

So it's basically a sweet and tender yeast dough, rolled flat and brushed with butter, coated with cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkled with chocolate chips. You cut it into strips, stack them on top of each other, cut the stack into sections, and stick them in a loaf pan.  Once it's baked, you slather it with a lovely cream cheese frosting and try to keep from eating the whole loaf before dinner.

I only have two things that I will change the next time I make this....

First, I'll add a little salt to the dough, maybe half a teaspoon.  I think all yeast doughs need a little bit of salt.  I'm changing the recipe to reflect that preference.

Second, I won't sprinkle the chocolate chips on until I'm stacking the strips of dough....because they all just kept falling off when I moved the strips.

Thanks, Jeanie, for such a scrumptious bread, and I love your blog and great collection of recipes!

Chocolate Chip Pull-Apart Bread (adapted slightly from The Tasty Cheapskate)

Bread:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 T. yeast
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
2-3/4 cups flour (plus a little more if necessary)
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened or melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
2/3 cup chocolate chips, chopped

Frosting:
1/2 package cream cheese (4 oz), softened
2-1/2 T. butter, softened
1/2 T. sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup plus 2 T. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the dough, heat milk, butter, and water together in microwave or on the stove until the butter melts. Cool (if necessary) to about 110°.
Mix in sugar and yeast.  Add beaten eggs and vanilla and stir well.
Stir in 1 cup flour.  Then add the second cup.  Knead in an electric mixer with the dough hook or turn out to a floured surface and knead by hand.  Add additional flour as necessary to make a slightly firm dough.

Put in a greased bowl, cover with greased wax paper or a wet towel, and let it rise until doubled, about an hour.

Once it's risen, punch it down, then put on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about 12x20".
Spread softened or melted butter all over the dough.
Combine the sugars and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the top.

Cut the dough into 6 even strips.  Sprinkle some chocolate chunks on the bottom strip, then top with another strip.  Sprinkle that strip with chocolate and top with another strip.  Continue until you have one nice stack.
Cut the stack into 6 equal chunks.
Place the chunks in a greased 8x5" bread pan with the cut sides up.

 Let rise for 20-40 minutes.  Place pan on a cookie sheet in case it overflows (mine did...maybe my pan was too small!) and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, or until browned and no longer gooey.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Loosen the sides and turn it onto a plate (right side up) to cool completely.

To make frosting, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream.  Add vanilla.  Beat in powdered sugar until smooth.  Spread over bread while it's still warm.

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

Countdown to 2012: Best Bread Recipes of 2011

I love making bread - there's just something so comforting and welcoming about the smells of bread wafting through the house, and there's no denying the health benefits and superior taste of homemade breads.

Here are my favorites from the past year - at least of the ones I got posted!

Strawberries and Cream Bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Homemade Wheat Bread


Old Fashioned Corn Bread


Be sure to check out other favorites over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen!

English Muffin Bread

In the past few months, in a further attempt to decrease our breakfast cereal consumption, I started making English muffins once a week.  I would usually make them on Thursday nights to have for breakfast with scrambled eggs on Friday, with any leftovers making their way to our Sunday morning breakfast.  I tried numerous muffin recipes and finally decided this one was our favorite.  They really are great muffins. 
However.
I found that I had to bake the muffins in two batches on my griddle, which required a lot of attention with the flipping, testing, dropping more muffins, etc.  Not hard by any means, just time consuming.
Then I saw this recipe for English muffin bread.  I was intrigued!  Could we really have the flavor of English muffins in an easy to bake bread? 
Yes, we could.
Admittedly, the texture is a bit different than the muffins because of the shape and baking difference, but there are plenty of nooks and crannies to soak up the butter and jelly, the taste is great, and I love the fact that I can just spoon the dough into the bread pans and put them in the oven (after they rise), not worrying about standing over a griddle for 30 minutes. 
The other great thing about English muffin bread (as compared to regular bread) is that you do NOT knead it, you just stir it together until mixed, cover it and let it rise.  So fast and easy! 

It really is best toasted and is wonderful as a sandwich with eggs or spread with jam or just plain butter.
The family voted unanimously that they prefer it to store bought whole wheat bread as toast with breakfast.   

Recipe:  (From Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
Yield: 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS:
2-3/4 cups very warm water
1-1/2 Tablespoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 Tablespoons sugar
5-1/2-6 cups all-purpose flour (I use at least half white whole wheat)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl or bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix. Add half of the flour. Mix. Add remaining flour. Mix. The dough will be very, very sticky. Don’t be alarmed! Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled. Stir down the dough with a wooden spoon.
Grease two loaf pans (8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch) generously with cooking spray. Divide the dough between the loaf pans. I just spoon it in there. The dough should fill the pans about halfway. Cover the loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap and let the bread rise until doubled. It will look puffy and bubbly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes until lightly golden brown on top and baked through. Remove from the oven and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack. Butter the tops while still warm.

This bread can be frozen and/or it lasts, covered or bagged, at room temperature for several days

Old Fashioned Cornbread - Seriously Good Stuff

This is definitely the best cornbread I've ever made, hands down.  I love the texture, the flavor, everything about it.  It's delicious as leftovers, it doesn't dry out and get super crumbly like most cornbreads I've made.  It was wonderful served with bean soup, a perfect accompaniment to brown beans, and just amazing on its own, either with a little butter or with some honey or molasses drizzled on top for a sweet ending to our dinner.

I had honestly never known that you could grind up popcorn to make corn bread - did you know that?
I also never knew or considered how important it is to have organic popcorn.  Apparently popcorn is one of the most heavily sprayed-with-pesticides crops there is,  and obviously we don't wash it before we pop it.  Not to mention that regular popcorn is a GMO (genetically modified organism), which carries its own set of risks.
You can probably find organic popcorn at health food stores, or order from Amazon.  I got the 5 lb bag of Great Northern Organic Yellow Gourmet Popcorn for less than $8, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

Recipe: (adapted from the Nutrimill owner's manual)

2 cups cornmeal (I grind mine from organic popcorn)
2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or canola oil)
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. coconut oil or bacon grease (butter can be used)

Preheat oven to 400°.  While oven is preheating, put a large (12") cast iron skillet in the oven with the 2 T. oil or bacon grease.
Mix all remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl for two minutes.
Remove the very hot skillet from the oven and pour in batter.  Place back in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Banana Bread

Who doesn't have a go-to recipe for banana bread?  I didn't.  

There are several I'd use from time to time, one from my good old standby Betty Crocker cookbook, one from a friend's mom, a couple of different variations from cooking websites or blogs.  

When I had a stack of quickly over-ripening bananas recently, I decided to give this recipe a try, with a few modifications to make it even healthier.  It turned out so tasty, I don't know if I'll ever resort to banana bread browsing again.  

Can I tell you again, if you've never bought or tried barley flour, give it a shot sometime.  It adds such a light and lovely texture to baked goods, without altering the taste if used in small amounts......I just love it!

  

Recipe (adapted from Tammy's Recipes)

3 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup barley flour (can use whole wheat or all-purpose)

4 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 cup sucanat (can use white sugar)

2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 large)

2/3 c. coconut oil, melted (can use melted butter or substitute some applesauce in equal amounts)

4 T. milk

4 eggs

1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

Cinnamon/sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk, making a well in the center.

In another bowl, mash together the bananas, oil, milk, and eggs.

Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and stir briskly until well combined.  Stir in nuts, if using.

Pour batter into greased and floured loaf pans. 

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  If bread is browning too quickly, lay a piece of foil on top of the loaves while they're baking.

Cool on a wire rack.  Remove from pans after 10 or 15 minutes.  When cool, slice with a thin knife.  Bread can be frozen.

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

I am loving our new grain mill.....and making lots of things with freshly ground hard white wheat.  It is just so satisfying to know the nutrition level of the bread products we're eating is significantly better than before, not to mention absolutely delicious.
When Grant asked for Spicy Turkey Burgers this week, I decided to try out homemade hamburger buns.  Believe it or not, I had never really considered making our own buns before.  But as I stood in the bread aisle of Wal-Mart analyzing the ingredient list of the only 100% whole wheat buns available and saw that the list was at least a couple of inches long and included who knows what, I thought, "For heaven's sake, I can do better than that."  So I did.

These are lovely - nice texture, slightly chewy, full of homemade goodness.  The whole family enjoyed them, although the girls were a bit disappointed when they came in from playing outside and thought from the bread smell we were having homemade pizza......but they sure didn't complain when they were eating the burgers!

The original recipe included directions for using an egg wash and topping with sesame seeds, which would make them look more like hamburger buns, but I don't really prefer sesame seeds on buns anyways, so I omitted that step.

Recipe: (adapted from Annie's Eats)

1 c. warm water
3 T. milk
1 T. instant yeast (or 1 packet)
2-1/2 T. sugar
1-1/2 t. salt
1 large egg
3 c. white whole wheat flour (can use bread flour if desired)
3 T. gluten (omit if using bread flour)
1/2 t. lecithin (omit if using bread flour)
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2-1/2 T. butter, softened

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, milk, yeast, sugar, salt, and egg.  Mix briefly to combine.  Add the flours, plus gluten and lecithin if using, and mix until incorporated.  Mix in the butter.  Knead for about 6-8 minutes.  The dough may be somewhat tacky, but don't add too much extra flour which could create tough buns.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal parts.  Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart.  Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 30 minutes or so, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

Set a large pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400°F. with a rack in the center.  Bake the buns about 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Got a zucchini surplus from your garden?  This is the perfect way to use some of it up.  We didn't plant zucchini this year because of the poor results we had last year (that is to say, 0 zucchini and diseased plants) but there are pretty good deals at most of the grocery stores on it now so we're eating it pretty frequently.

One day I remembered I had this recipe tucked away in a folder, not having been used in several years.  That is a crying shame, I tell you.  This recipe deserves to be made all throughout the year, especially during zucchini season.

Now, I have two daughters who don't like zucchini at all, and a son who thought that zucchini in a bread would be gross.  He almost didn't even want to taste it.
One bite later, they were all converted.

"This is like CAKE!"
"You don't even need frosting!"
"I want this for my birthday cake!"
"I want this for my birthday BREAKFAST!"
"This is the best chocolate bread EVER!"

Yeah, those are the comments I heard from my kids.
And they are right.  It is like cake, it definitely doesn't need frosting, and it is certainly birthday meal worthy, although probably we'll make something else for the actual "cake".

It really is one of my favorite recipes, all the way around.  And one of the best parts - you get two loaves, which becomes seriously necessary once people taste it and can't stop eating it.

Recipe (adapted from Allrecipes)

2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs
1-1/2 c. white sugar
2/3 c. applesauce
1/3 c. oil  (I used expeller-pressed coconut oil)
2 c. grated zucchini (about 1-1/2 medium)
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. white whole wheat flour (you can use all purpose if you want)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In a microwave safe bowl, microwave unsweetened chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, applesauce, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and melted chocolate; beat well.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

Strawberries 'n' Cream Bread

When we had a bunch of fresh strawberries last week, I was looking around for different sorts of recipes and found this one in a Taste of Home cookbook.  It sounded  really good, so Corban and I made it.
It's very much like a coffee cake, just in a loaf form. It was awesome warm from the oven, although it would cut better if you let it cool completely.  Soft and moist, with chunks of strawberries imparting flavor in every bite....it is one I'd love to make again.  I'm sure it would be delicious with raspberries or blueberries also.  We'll have to give that a try later in the summer.

Recipe:  (from Taste of Home)

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla extract
1-3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped fresh strawberries
3/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted, divided (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after addition.  Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened.  Fold in the strawberries and 1/2 cup walnuts if desired.

Pour in to a greased 8x4x2" loaf pan.  Sprinkle with remaining nuts.  Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted  near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  Yield: 1 loaf

Homemade Wheat Bread

After making our Strawberry Freezer Jam last week, I knew I had to try it first on homemade bread.  I hadn't made bread in quite awhile but knew that this was one of our favorite recipes.  Annika and I baked it in the morning, taking it out of the oven just in time for lunch.

Now, I don't claim to be an expert bread maker, especially since I don't bake it for our everyday life (although one day when I get the wheat grinder I'm dreaming of, hopefully that will become a reality) and it's just an occasional treat.  But this recipe has never failed me and it is just wonderful.  The kids would have polished off the whole loaf if I hadn't insisted we save some for Grant.

Corban even asked me, "Mom, is it really expensive to make bread?"
I replied, "No, it's actually cheaper than the store-bought bread we get."
He queried, "Then why don't you make this bread every day?"

Well, I wish I had the time to do that, or the planning ahead ability to make several loaves and freeze them until we need them (not sure how they taste after that, I'm guessing still good), but for now it's just not happening.

This is just a great all-purpose bread, wonderful to serve with dinner with butter or for breakfast with jam.  Or fresh from the oven just plain.  Just sayin'.

Update:  I have made this with 100% whole wheat that I ground fresh with my Nutrimill - and it was amazing!  I added the dough conditioners that Tammy recommended on her site to make the bread softer, and I really couldn't believe how it turned out.  Soft, no crumbles, perfect for sandwiches.  The difference was remarkable.  If you want a good sandwich bread, add the following to the recipe:

• 3 T. vital wheat gluten (replace 3 T. of the flour called for in the recipe with this)
• 1/2 t. soy lecithin (granules - add to the water at the beginning)
• pinch of citric acid (use sparingly!)
• sprinkling of ginger

I think I prefer the normal recipe for just eating plain, like as a dinner bread, but with the conditioners added, you can't beat it for sandwiches.

Recipe (from Tammy's Recipes) 
Yield: 1 loaf

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast 

Instructions: 

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover.  Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil over the top. 

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm!  Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

Italian Cheese Bread

So this is really just a cheese pizza, but that's okay.  We can still call it Italian Cheese Bread, right?  

My whole family loves this stuff.  It's dee-licious.  Not to mention easy.  I'm thinking it could make some great breadsticks, if you  made it in a cookie sheet or something.  

Recipe: (from Tammy's Recipes)

Bread:

2-1/2 to 3 cups flour, (whole wheat, all-purpose, or bread flour)

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

1 T. active dry yeast

1 c. warm water (110-115°)

1 T. olive oil

Topping:

1/4 c. prepared Ranch or Italian dressing (I've only used Ranch)

1/8 t. salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. ground oregano

1/4 t. dried thyme

Dash pepper

1-2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

• In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients.
• Combine water and oil; add to flour mixture.  Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and elastic (or use Kitchen Aid Mixer)
• Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.  (Optional: if in a hurry, just skip this rise)
• Punch dough down; place on a greased 12-16" pizza pan and pat into a circle.  Brush with salad dressing (use the back of a spoon)
• Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over top.  Sprinkle with cheeses.
• For a fluffier cheese bread, at this point allow the bread to rest for 15 minutes or so.  If you're in a hurry, just skip this rise.  Bread will still rise in oven.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Bake for 11-15 minutes or until golden brown (12 minutes for me). 
• Slice into 8-12 slices. Serve warm. 

This post is linked to Finding Joy in My Kitchen - Countdown to 2011: Breads.

Check it out to see other delicious breads!

Caramel Glazed Apple Bread

If loving caramel is wrong, I don't want to be right.  


Seriously....this topping is so yummy, I just wanted to eat the pan of it straight.  


I managed to restrain myself and pour most of it on the bread.  The bread itself is delicious.....not too sweet, nice and moist, nice apple flavor.  I might add a little vanilla next time, but it was really good.  But the glaze takes it over the top.  I wish I had pecans mixed in the bread, but since my family would all revolt, I settled with sprinkling some on top of part of one loaf.  Still good, but I would love more nuts!  


Recipe: (adapted from Pass the Sushi)


1-1/2 c. grated, peeled apples (I used 3 small Gala)
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. oil (canola)
1/4 c. applesauce
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 c. white whole wheat flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)


Topping:
2 T. butter
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. milk
1/2 c. powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease bottoms only of 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray or butter.
In a large bowl, stir together apples, 1 c. brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, applesauce, and eggs.  Stir in remaining bread ingredients just until moistened.  Pour into pans.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool on wire racks.


Meanwhile, prepare topping.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in 1/4 c. brown sugar.  Heat until boiling, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low.  Boil and stir for 2 minutes.  Stir in milk.  Heat to boiling; remove from  heat.  Cool for 10-15 minutes. 
Gradually stir powdered sugar into glaze mixture.  Stir in additional milk, 1/2 t. at a time, if mixture is too thick.  Beat until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.  
Drizzle glaze over loaves. 
Wrap tightly and store at room temp. up to four days or refrigerate up to ten days. 

"E" is for Elephant Ears

We tried a new recipe this week, making Elephant Ears for my friend Ellen, her daughters Elizabeth and Esther, and Everyone Else in their family.  

Anyone else never heard of Elephant Ears?

Basically, it's a flaky dough rolled up and sliced like a cinnamon roll and then flattened into circles and baked like cookies.  So it's a cinnamon roll cookie.  Sort of.  

Anyways.  Apparently these are treats found at county fairs....(I think it's been about 20 years since I went to a fair, so I cannot confirm that) but often times they're deep fried. I wanted to avoid that......so this recipe fit the bill.  I found it on my good old standby, Allrecipes.  

I did make some changes, because things were NOT working according to the original directions.  For example, if you don't knead enough flour into the dough before rolling it out, it will be too sticky to do anything.  Also, parchment paper is your friend for baking these.....and don't forget it!  

Be sure to plan ahead because the dough has to chill for a couple of hours.  

The result: my kids LOVED them and are begging me to make more.  I thought they were really good too, despite the mess I made in the kitchen.  It's fun to try new things.  I did double this recipe to make enough for both families.

Recipe: (yield - 14 to 18 rolls)

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast (or 2-1/4 t. bulk yeast)

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 cup warm milk

1 egg yolk

2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat)

1-1/2 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup butter, cold

2 T. butter, softened

2 cups sugar, divided

3-1/2 t. cinnamon, divided

4 T. melted butter (optional)

1/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Dissolve yeast in water with 1/2 t. sugar.  Combine with milk and egg yolk and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1-1/2 T. sugar, and salt.  Cut in butter until pea-sized or smaller.  Add the yeast mixture and stir well.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  

Preheat oven to 400°.

Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface - (read at least 1/2 cup, maybe more of flour).

Knead lightly, then roll out into a rectangle 10"x18". 

Spread with softened butter.  

Combine 1/2 c. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough.

Roll up like a jelly roll, sealing the edge.  The roll should be 18" long. Cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch slices.

Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Pour some onto your pastry board.  Take one slice of dough at a time, flatten into a large circle on top of the cinnamon sugar, and sprinkle with nuts if using.  

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (seriously, don't skip this....you'll be sorry if you do). 

Brush with melted butter (if desired) and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 10-12 minutes (10 was perfect in my oven).

Cool on wire racks. 

Sorry if these seems confusing....I kind of had to wing a few things as I went so writing it down can be a little hard to explain.  Just ask me if you have any questions!