Sandwich Bread

This is similar to my Whole Wheat Bread recipe, but also new and improved!  In fact, I just baked a loaf and it turned out amazingly!  :)  So, here it is for ya!

Sandwich Bread
1 T. Dry Active Yeast
1 c. plus 2 T. Milk, lukewarm
1/2 c. Water, lukewarm
1 T. Honey
1 t. Oil (olive or other)
1 t. Salt (1 t. kosher, or 1/2 t. regular)
3.5 c. Flour (I used 1/2 Whole Wheat and 1/2 All Purpose)

1.  In a large bowl mix together the yeast, milk, water and honey.
2.  Let sit until nice and frothy and about 30 minutes have passed.
3.  Stir in salt, oil and one cup of flour until really well combined.
4.  Add in the rest of the flour one cup or so at a time.  You'll have to knead in the last 1/2-1 c.  :)  Don't fret, that's the only kneading you have to do with this bread!  Hooray! :)
5.  Spray/grease a bread pan.
6.  Shape dough into a "loaf" and place into prepared pan.
7.  Place pan in a warm area of your house until the bread rises to your desired height or ~30 minutes.
8.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees (or 350 for high altitude).
9.  Bake bread for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top!  (You could do an egg wash if you'd like a shiny darker golden top.)
10.  Remove from pan immediately and place on cooling rack.
11.  Cut a slice and enjoy!  I think there's just about nothing better than fresh out of the oven bread! :)

I could have let it rise longer, but I like my bread to be able to fit in my toaster!  Don't you?  :)

Perfection.  :)

Have y'all ever had the "Honey Roasted Peanut Butter" from Whole Foods?  It's amazing.  It's made me love peanut butter again.  Especially on homemade bread....Yum.  In fact.  I'm gonna go eat another!  :)

Cheese Stuffed Italian Herb Bread

Here's a great recipe for Italian herb bread that's bad even better by being stuffed with mozzarella!  :)

Cheese Stuffed Italian Herb Bread:
2-3 c. Flour
1 pkg. Yeast
3/4 c. Warm water
1 t. Sugar
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Oregano (or Basil, or both!)
1/2 t. Parsley
1/2 t. Onion Flakes/Powder
1/2 t. Garlic Powder
~4 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, sliced or shredded

1.  Dissolve the yeast in the water.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Add sugar, salt and seasonings, then stir.

3.  Mix in flour until it is workable.  Then knead until it is not sticky anymore.

4.  Roll out to about 12" x 8" rectangle.

5. Place slices (or shredded) cheese in the center of the dough evenly.

6.  Fold one flap over, then the next, and tuck in the ends.

7.  Flip over and place on baking sheet.

8.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!  Great bread with a cheesy middle.  Yum! :)

French Bread

Whether you like french bread for garlic bread, fondue, french bread pizza or anything else, this recipe is sure to please!  :)  It's really not too hard either!  So, now it's easy to have fresh french bread at home, anytime!

(I've also included a few serving suggestions below the recipe. :)



French Bread:
1 pkg. Yeast
1/2 c. Water (lukewarm)
1/2 c. Milk (lukewarm)
1 T. Oil
1 t. Sugar
1 t. Salt
2.5-3.5 c. Flour

1.  In a mixer (or mixing bowl if mixing by hand) combine the yeast, water and milk.

2.  Add the sugar, salt and oil to the yeast mixture.

3.  Add 1/2 c. of flour at a time, mixing in between, until a ball of dough forms.

4.  Let dough rest for about 10 minutes.

5.  Knead dough until it is easy to work with.  Preheat oven to 350degrees.

6.  Then form into a long log and let rest in warm place for about 10 minutes.

7.  Stretch log out some more and place onto a greased and/or lined baking sheet.

8.  With a sharp knife gently put a few slices (that don't go all the way through) diagonally on the top.

9.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

10.  Enjoy!  :)  

And here are a few serving suggestions....

Cheesy Garlic Bread (this bread, butter, garlic powder and mozzarella)

French Bread Pizza

Fondue   :)

 

Potato Bread

Who doesn't like fresh, warm homemade bread?!?  I sure do!  Plus, Potato Bread is always a nice moist delicious bread even once it's cooled off.  Here's my recipe...

Potato Bread:

2 c. Potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed

1 c. Warm Water

1/2 c. Milk

1 Pkg. Yeast

2 T. Sugar

1/2 t. Salt

3.5-4.5 c. Flour

Optional egg wash

1.  Combine the water and yeast, let sit for about 5 minutes.
2.  Then combine the water/yeast mixture, mashed potatoes, sugar and milk in a mixer. (Or by hand)
3.  Add flour one cup at a time mixing in between, until the dough turns into a ball. (And no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.)
4.  Let rest for about 20 minutes.
5. Knead (or mix in mixer) for about 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed.
6.  Turn out onto floured surface and neatly place into a greased bread pan.
7.  Let rise for about 30 minutes.
8.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

Enjoy!  :)  This is also great toasted!

You may want to keep your eyes open for a giveaway coming soon.....

More butter . . .

So, I had a hankering for some homemade butter to go with the bread I made yesterday...so I whipped some up!  (Quite literally this time too!)  I had a quart of heavy whipping cream in my fridge, and instead of leaving it out to ripen (like I did last time I made butter) I just threw it, well poured it, into my Kitchenaid bowl and whipped it on high until it was butter!  It made pretty quick (and easy!) work of it too!  :)

Tip:  To prevent splattering your entire kitchen, place a moist tea towel over the entire mixer while running.

Once the butter has formed (like above pic) just pour out the milk that is left.  You can either save this milk (it's basically non-fat milk at this point) or you could toss it.  Then start rinsing out the butter. . .

Continue to rinse the butter with cold water until the water comes out clean.  (The above pic was almost there.)

Then form into whatever shapes you'd like!  I did half of this batch as a large stick of butter, and the rest as teaspoon scoops. (Courtesy of my cookie scooper.)

Enjoy!  You can either add salt, honey or just leave it as unsalted butter!  But whatever you do, please enjoy!  :)

Whole Wheat Bread

This is my new standby recipe.  Versatile because it can be used for:  bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, pizza dough and much more....  :)  And it's only made from 5 wholesome ingredients.

1 T. yeast
3/4 warm water
3/4 milk
2 T. honey
3-3.5 c. whole wheat flour (fresh ground is best, since I don't have a mill I prefer King Arthur's)

1.  In a large bowl whisk yeast and warm water together.  Then let rest for about 10 minutes.  When you come back it will look kind of frothy.

2.  Stir in milk and honey.  Then add about 3 c. flour and mix.  Depending on the climate you may need more flour at this point.  (I do in NC, but you may not in CO.)  Once it's a firm, but not sticky dough let it rest to rise for about 1 hour.

3.  Get out bread pan/baking sheets (spray if desired) and punch down the dough.  Then make into a loaf, rolls, etc... and let rise for another 15 or so minutes.  (While it's rising this last time, preheat the oven to 350degrees.)

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 for bread, 15 for rolls or pizza.  (Other things keep an eye on the oven, and experiment!)  :)

5.  Enjoy!

Apple Butter

I did my first batch as a test batch and it was really small in case it didn't turn out.  So, if you'd like more than 8 oz. of apple butter in the end, you should make a quadruple or so batch of this.  :)

Apple Butter
4 apples, peeled  (Sweeter apples like Braeburn, Gala, Fuji, Delicious...I used braeburns)
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. water
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

What you'll need:
Pot to make apple butter in.
Canning supplies (Canner, funnel, tongs, rack (optional))

1.  Core and then cut up the peeled apples into small pieces.  Put the pieces into a pan and also put the cores in the pan.  (We all know that apples have a lot of pectin in them, and rumor has it that a lot of that pectin is in the core.)

2.  Add the lemon juice, vinegar and water to the apples.  Then bring them to a boil on high for about a minute.  Then let them simmer for about 30 minutes or until very, very tender.

3.  Once they are cooked they should look something like this....(above)

4.  Then in order to get a smooth texture you'll want to put the cooked apples through a sieve or mesh strainer (like shown).

5.  Getting it all through the strainer will take some time, but be patient because it will be worth it in the end! :)

6.  Once it's all been strained place it back in the pot on medium-high.  Then add the sugar and cinnamon, stirring until it comes to a boil for one minute.

7.  Then place in clean jars, with lids and bands.  Water Process for 10 minutes at sea level and adjust for higher elevations.

Canning

Well, it's that time of year.  I suppose it always could be that time of year actually though.  Anyway, I did some canning today.  I made one batch of peach jam, one batch of organic peach jam and a test batch of apple butter.  So, I should be stocked up on homemade jam for a while!  (Which is always fantastic!!)  :)

I was so into my groove in the kitchen that I hardly took any pics.  Literally....I took 8, and most of them are from the apple butter test.  So...that's a sad day.  But, truth be told I didn't do anything too special with the peach jam anyway...just went with the traditional recipe in the box of Sure-jell.  (You know, the one that says 4 c. peeled, pitted, chopped peaches, 5.5 c. sugar and 1 pkg. Sure-jell.)

So for my first batch I used regular peaches I had gotten at wal-mart.  They were ripe, but still firm.  That batch went well and gave me 2 pints, and 7 little 4 oz. jam jars worth!

My second batch was made from Organic peaches that I got at King Soopers.  They were also ripe but firm.  This batch went well too and yielded 2 pints, one 1/2 pint and 3 or 4 little 4 oz. jam jars.

Of course after I had gotten each batch in their jars (respectively) I water processed them for 10 minutes.  It seemed weird to only have to process them that short...since back in CO it was SO longer because of the elevation!

So after I did the jam, I wanted to try some apple butter.  I looked for recipes but they all added so much sugar and used tart apples.  So, I bet you know what's coming, I made my own recipe.  :)

Quick Breads

Well, who doesn't like a good quick bread?!?!  Okay, maybe you....but the rest of us sure do right?  ;)  So, when I went to make snacks for my hubby's dissertation defense this week I thought quick breads would be nice.  (Because they are quick, easy and yummy!)  I actually went the super easy route this time though and made them at home but used mixes, as opposed to making them from scratch.  I got a great response from the Lemon Poppyseed especially though, so thought I would talk them up.

I used Krusteaz Lemon Poppyseed mix.  You can use it for muffins, quick bread or even pound cake.  I just followed the instructions for High Altitude for the quick bread, and it turned out perfectly! :)

As for the other I used Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip mix.  You can also use this for muffins or quick bread.  So I made the quick bread for high altitude as well--turning out well too.

Then I just baked them according to the directions and waited till they cooled to cut them into slices.  Then I arranged them on a platter.

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Muffins:

1 c. Bisquick
1 c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. Sugar
1 ½ c. applesauce, unsweetened (Can use homemade or storebought)
1/2 c. milk, preferably skim
2 eggs
½ t. salt
1 ½ t. cinnamon

Topping:
4 T. sugar
3 T. flour
2 T. butter
1/2 t. cinnamon

1.  In a large bowl mix bisquick, wheat flour, sugar, applesauce, milk, eggs, salt and cinnamon together.

2.  Line or grease muffin pan, and preheat oven to 400°.

3.  Spoon muffin mixture into the 12 lined/greased muffin spots evenly.  (Should fill 12 nicely.)

4.  Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter for the topping using a fork or pastry blender.  (Until it looks like streusel.)

5.  Spoon about 1 T. of topping on each muffin.

6.  Bake muffins for about 25-30 minutes at 400°.

7.  Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes.  Then remove from pan and finish cooling on a cooling rack.

8.  May be served warm or room temperature for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or snack!  :)

Have you ever?

Ok, this is SO embarrassing to admit...especially as a self-proclaimed "Foodie" but here it goes....  Have you ever read a recipe wrong and put that many Tablespoons of something in your dish instead of teaspoons?  Well...you may not have ever had this happen.  But I sure do from time to time.  And well, today was one of those times.  :(  I will tell you about it....

Also, consider this your "warning" instead of having to get a "ticket" like I did.  Ok, I didn't get a ticket, but I should have heeded warnings for reading more carefully because it stinks (sometimes literally!) when you make a mistake like this!

Ok, I found this great recipe for "Honey Oat Quick Bread" on EatingWell.com.  Sounds great right?  A healthy, hearty bread done in minutes?  Yep.  That's what I thought!  So, excited to try my new recipe I couldn't wait to get home.  When I did, I whipped out the bread pan, flipped the oven on and got to it.  I wasn't cruising along nicely until I realized that I had put 2.25 TABLESPOONS of baking powder in it, instead of the 2.25 teaspoons it called for.  Being an optimist I finished adding things and mixing it together...thinking to myself how much of a difference can that make???....boy I was wrong.  Ok, nothing terribly tragic happened...it just overflowed several times and smoked up my kitchen.  Then ended up looking a little out of sorts.

Surprisingly it still tastes pretty good.  Now I use that qualifier because it's certainly not the way it should taste...but it will work I suppose.  I can definitely taste the baking powder though...which mostly just makes me thirsty.  I guess that part that makes me the most sad, is that I wasted all those ingredients...1/4 honey....1.33 c.  whole wheat flour...etc.....oh well.  I guess we can still probably eat it.  Just is disappointing.

In order to be real with you on this blog, I've got to share the good, the bad and the ugly...well of sorts...with you.  So here's my ugly...or bad...or well, you decide.  :)

So my question is....have you ever?

Honey Oat Wheat Bread

If you like making homemade bread like I do, here's a new recipe for you!  I am constantly experimenting to figure out yummy, healthy combos.  And this one is a such show stopper!  :)  Perfect balance of healthy things and everything.  So give it a try and let me know what you think! :)  I'm going to be sending this loaf to work with my hubs for lunches this week.  So I will let you know what he thinks too!  :)

Honey Oat Wheat Bread:

1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. warm milk
1 pkg. yeast
3 T. honey
1/2 t. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. quick oats

1. In large bowl dissolve yeast in the warm water and warm milk.
2. Add honey, salt and dash of oil. Stir.
3. Stir in wholw wheat flour.
4. Mix in all purpose flour.
5. Start kneading dough and instead of on floured surface, use oats on the surface. (Quick Oats.) Knead until the 1 c. of oats are combined.
6. Let rise in warm place for about 30 minutes.
7. Punch down and place into the desired pan for baking.
8. Let rise again for about 30 minutes.
9. Then bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You may also egg wash the top so it turns nice and golden brown.  I just decided to put some more oats on top to show off the oaty flava!   :)

Poppy Seed Roll

Perhaps you have never heard of this delicatable sweet bread.  It's found in Ukraine, Hungary and Poland, in addition to many other countries.  It basically consists of a sweet poppy seed paste rolled up in a sweet bread.  There are a lot of variations of what is exactly in the poppy seed paste, but this is what I came up with and it's delicious!  :)  I've got to thank my in-laws for introducing me to "Poppy Seed Bread" as they call it.  My husband's grandma used to make this treat for them.  I think you'll like it too...so go on and try it!  :)

Additional:  You can also do smaller loaves.  See below.  :)

Here's my recipe:

Dough:
1 c.  Warm Water
2 t.  Sugar
2  Pkg. Yeast
7-8 c.  Flour ( I use half All purpose and half Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. )
1 c.  Sugar
3/4 c.  Butter/Margarine
2  Eggs
1 t.  Lemon Extract
1.5 c.  Warm Milk

Poppy Seed Filling:
1 lb.  Poppy Seeds, ground.  ( You can grind them easily in a coffee grinder! )
1 c.  Hot Milk
1/4 c.  Butter/Margarine
2/3 c.  Sugar
2 T.  Honey
1 t.  Vanilla Flavoring
1/2 lb.  Seedless Raisins

Instructions:

1.  In large bowl dissolve  yeast and 2 T. sugar in 1 c. of warm water.

2.  Stir in sugar, butter, eggs, lemon extract and milk to yeast mixture.

3.  Add flour until a soft and sticky dough ball forms.

4.  Knead for about 5 minute incorporating more flour, so it is workable and not sticky.

5.  Grease bowl and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

6.  While dough is rising mix together ingredients for the poppy seed paste in a separate bowl.  Set aside.

7.  After the dough has risen for 45 minutes, punch it down and lay it out on a floured surface.

8.  Divide the dough in half and put half back in the bowl.

9.  Roll out half of the dough into a somewhat rectangular shape.  Try not to roll it too thin though.

10.  Spread half the room temperature poppy seed paste over the rolled out dough.

11.  Carefully start rolling the dough up like a cinnamon roll.  Be gentle because the dough is very soft, which will make it so delicious!  It's easy to tear though.

12.  Finish rolling up the roll and pinch the seam closed.

13.  Transfer to baking sheet and eggs wash.

14.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

15.  It should look something like this when it comes out!

Serve and enjoy!  Oh, and do the same with the other half of the dough!  :) Wait until it is completely cooled to wrap it up.  This is great any time of year, but especially great for the holidays!

Smaller loaves....

You can make a half batch of the above recipe and then split into 3 pieces.  Then roll out each piece, spread the filling and continue as directed above.  :)

Homemade White Bread

So, as per my hubby’s request I made some nice white bread today to go with the fresh butter.  I also wanted to use the “buttermilk” that came off the butter.  It’s not the same as the commercial “Buttermilk” you can buy at the store, because  it’s not cultured or anything.  So, since the butter is just to fat from the whipping cream, the milk that is left is basically non-fat.  Here’s my recipe from today.  It really turned out well.  I made us sandwiches for lunch on it and they were great.  Turkey, Alphalfa Sprouts and a touch of mustard on warm, homemade bread.  Yum.  :)

White Bread:

1 pkg.  Dry Active Yeast

½ c.  Milk (I used the “buttermilk” from my butter today)

½ c.  Water

1 T.  Honey

1 t.  Salt

Dash of Oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

2.5-3 c.  All Purpose Flour

1.  Heat the water/milk to lukewarm.  (I did this in the Microwave for about 45 seconds.)
2.  Combine the Yeast and water/milk in a large bowl.

3.  Add honey, oil and salt, then stir together.

4.  Mix flour in ½ cup at a time.  (I needed 2.5 cups today in Colorado, but this may be different for you if you live somewhere humid.)

5.  Knead dough for about 5 minutes.  (I kneaded it in the bowl I used and found it to be very successful and MUCH less messy.)

6.  Let dough rest and rise in warm place for about 20 minutes.

7.  Punch down and shape into loaf.  Put on baking sheet or in loaf pan.

8.  Let rise for another 10 or so minutes in warm place.

9.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  (Optional egg wash, if you’d like the bread to come out golden brown and shiny.  That’s what I like to do, but it is a personal preference of course.)

10.  Enjoy!

Yield:  1 loaf

Homemade Butter and Honey Butter

So, have you ever thought of making butter at home? I hadn’t until recently. I follow this blog called http://valleygirlhasbabygoescrunchy.blogspot.com/. She is green and blogs about her life and experiences. She also shares awesome photos and some recipes. So I was reading it the other day and her post about making butter. Turns out it’s easy to do, so I was inspired to make some of my own. I was super impressed with my results too, so you’ll have to try it too. ;)


What you’ll need:
Heavy Whipping Cream that I ripened by sitting it on the counter overnight or so. (About 10 hours, or anything under 24 hours will work great.)
Something that seals to shake it in.
Spatula
Mesh strainer
Bowls
Salt/honey if desired
I used a pint of heavy whipping cream, but did it in two batches so I could have regular butter and some honey butter. So think about what you want and do what moves you. ;)


Basic Instructions:
1. Put desired amount of ripened heavy whipping cream into sealable container.
2. Shake. (It’s a pretty good workout and doesn’t take too long.)
3. Add salt or honey if desired.
4. Mold into desired shape and refrigerate.

More Detailed instructions with pictures:
1. Measure out 8 ounces of the ripened heavy whipping cream.
 2. Put in the sealable container.
 3. Seal it and start shaking.
4. After just a couple minutes it will feel like "whipped cream" so it’s on it’s way to being butter.
5. After 1-2 more minutes it will start getting chunky. Keep going.
6. After 6 minutes it will start to look like whipped butter. Keep going.
7. After a few more minutes it will definitely become butter. Keep shaking until you know it is butter. It will clump up nicely and feel much different when you shake it.
8. Drain off the "buttermilk" using a spatula, like shown. I poured it into a measuring cup so I could see how much there was. You don’t have to.
9. To get more of the liquid out, put the butter into the mesh strainer gently. If you are too rough it will come out the bottom.
10. Stir around slightly in the strainer and some more liquid will come out.
11. If you want unsalted butter, then just shape and refrigerate. If you want salted or honey butter continue on.
11. Wipe out bowl and place the butter in it.
12. Add either salt (I used ½ teaspoon for my batch this size.) or honey (I used 1.5 Tablespoons for my batch this size.)
13. Mix together with a little whisk for best results.
14. Shape into desired shape and refrigerate.
15. After it is chilled and firm, use as desired. (Doesn’t take too long to get firm in fridge…maybe 30 minutes or so.)
16. Enjoy!


16 ounces of Whipping Cream yields 2 sticks of butter and about 1 c. of that "buttermilk" or basically skim milk.
Note: Save the "buttermilk" if you’d like. It’s not like the buttermilk you would buy at the store, but it is basically fat free milk that can be used as such in recipes. See my white bread recipe that I used it in after I made this butter.

Foccacia Bread: Take 2

Ok, so I tried foccacia bread again tonight.  I used a bit of a different recipe.  I like the flavor better, but the texture wasn't as focaccia-y and I would like it to be....so yet again I am on the quest.  I will try more in the coming weeks. :)

Foccacia Bread:

1 c.  warm water

1 teas.  yeast

1 tsp.  sugar

1/4 teas.  salt

splash of olive oil

~1/2 c. flour

~1/2 c. whole wheat flour

Instructions:

1.  Combine the water and yeast.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.

2.  Add sugar, salt, oil and stir.

3.  Add flour slowly until just getting sticky.

4.  Spray a baking sheet and spread dough onto it.  Top it with whatever toppings you'd like.  (I used some basil and Parmesan cheese.)

5.  Bake for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!  :)

Focaccia Bread

Who out there likes Focaccia bread? I know I do and my mom does too. So, as per her request I am on a bit of a quest to make the perfect Focaccia bread. I also want it to be easy and cost effective. So, this is my first attempt and I already enjoyed the results. So, I will try another twist in my recipe next week. :)

I started with my pizza dough, and then added a little less flour. So here's the ingredients for my first foccacia bread:

1 package active dry yeast
3/4 c. warm water
1-3/4 c. All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
Olive Oil to brush on top
Herbs for top
Optional Parmesan cheese for top

1. In a medium bowl combine the warm water and yeast.
2. Add flour, olive oil, salt and sugar to the yeast mixture.
3. Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
4. Take out the fluffy dough and spread onto a baking sheet. (Spread to your desired thickness.)
5. With a fork poke holes in the dough so bubbles don't form during baking.
6. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle herbs and cheese. (I used 1/2 t. Thyme and 2 T. Parmesan Cheese.)
7. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

This is how mine turned out:

It didn't turn out too bad for the first try.  :)  It tasted really yummy too, which is always my favorite part!  ;)

Dilly Bread

I love to bake bread at home. Sometimes I use my bread machine, and sometimes I use the oven. I have fallen back in love with Dilly bread recently though. I made it on Friday and ate half the loaf before my husband even got home from work! We devoured the rest of it the next day. So naturally I had to make more of it today. (Even though I had baked some other bread--honey oat--on Sunday.)

I actually mixed it in the bread machine this time which made it even easier! My bread machine is a "Breadman" and has 12 or 13 different settings. So it has a couple for just mixing/kneeding doughs, one for just baking and they others for doing both. I think I may have to try this with other bread from now on. I just like the look and shape of bread that has been baked in the oven better than the machine. I suppose it comes down to the crust factor. I enjoy the top crust, and with the bread machine you really don't get any of that.

Ok, on to the recipe. This is one my mom has used for years. I just found out that it was the Pillsbury Bake-off winner back in 1960. Here's a link to it: Dilly Casserole Bread. I highly recommend this bread! It's just fantastic! Flavorful and moist with a lovely crust. This time I tried it with half regular flour and half whole wheat and it is just as wonderful! Ok, now go get your bake on!

Wheat Sourdough Rolls

I still have my sourdough starter in the fridge and wanted to make some rolls for sandwiches this weekend. So I started out using the basic sourdough recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, then added my own ingredients to it. They really turned out well with a sweet sourdough/wheat taste that was moist and perfect for a turkey sandwich!

Here's my recipe and a pic of them baking in the oven!

1/2 c. Sourdough Starter
3 c. flour (I used 2 c. all purpose and 1 c. whole wheat)
1 pkg. Active Dry Yeast
1/2 c. Water
1/2 c. Fat-free Cottage Cheese
1.5 Tbsp. Sugar
1.5 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1. I mixed, kneaded and had the dough rise in my bread machine. If you don't have a bread machine you can do this all according to the directions on link above.
2. After it has doubled in size, shape into rolls. I wanted some different sizes of rolls for my family. (As you can see in the pic.) This makes 8 good sized rolls, and obviously more smaller rolls.
3. Put rolls on baking sheet and preheat oven to 375degrees. Cut the tops of the rolls, if desired.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Enjoy! I think you'll love these! We sure did! I am going to make more today! :)

Anniseed Braid

Do you like Anise or licorice? Well, I don't like licorice but I LOVE the taste of Anise. So when I picked some up this weekend I just had to bake something with it! I found this great recipe for an Aniseed Braid. This recipe makes two braids, so cut it in half if you would like only one. (That's what I did.)