Bread Bowls

♥ Beginner

Let's get real for a second. Like, really real. 

Have you ever heard someone say, "I hate homemade bread." Ever? Nope, that's because it's simply impossible to hate homemade bread. 

Homemade Bread might as well equal a loving embrace from your mom, because even if your mom never made homemade bread, the smell will envelope you in love. That's right I said it. The smell of homemade bread = love. 

Anyhow, who doesn't love their soup in a breadbowl? I do!!! 

These are super easy to make, and you don't have to let them rise twice, so they only take about an hour tops. Bonus!!! 

What you'll need: 

* 4 C + 4 Tbsp Warm Water
* 5 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast (2 packets if you go that route) 

* 1/2 C Butter, Melted

* 2 Tbsp Sugar

* 3 tsp. Salt

* 6 1/2 C. All-Purpose or Bread Flour

How it's done: 

1. Combine yeast in warm water and let proof until foamy (about 3 minutes). 

2. Add Sugar, Butter, and Salt, combine lightly. 

3. Add Flour at 1C increments until it's all worked in. 

4. Pull out dough, and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll into a ball, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise under a warm towel (in a warm place) for 40-60 minutes. Rolls should double in size. 

5. Bake at 425*F for 20-25 Minutes. 

6. Slice off tops, and hollow out insides - then fill with your favorite soup!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

♥♥ Intermediate

It's been far to long since the last post... but weren't those enchiladas scrumptious? I'm still dreaming about them. In fact, I might make more today.

However, these are the perfect dessert to those enchiladas - or the perfect breakfast for a nice Sunday Morning! (But they really should be eaten as soon as they come out of the oven, because they are soooo good warm.) By the way, I totally stole this recipe from my friend Kate over at A Dash of Sass. She has two cinnamon roll muffin recipes, but this is the one I like so I adapted it to my tastes.  Thanks for your help Kate!

Mixing in Flour

What you'll need:

• 1 Cup Buttermilk (or 1 Cup Milk with 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice) 
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (I even added more, because I'm a sugar addict) 
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 Egg
• 3 Cups - 3 1/2 Cups Flour
• Icing (I used a cream cheese frosting - yumm!!!) 

Filling- 

• 4 Tablespoons Butter, room temperature
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar 



Not exactly a rectangle... 

• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

How it's done:

1. Combine the Milk, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Salt, Vanilla, and Egg in a mixing bowl.  Slowly add the Flour until combined.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for a minute or two.

3. Roll the dough into a 12 x 24 Inch rectangle. Spread the butter on top, and sprinkle with the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon.

4. Roll the dough into a log, beginning on the long side. Stretch the log slightly after it is rolled. Cut the log into 2 Inch pieces and place them in the greased muffin pan (or pan with cupcake liners).

5. Bake at 375*F for 18-20 Minutes, or until golden brown. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin pan.

6. Drizzle with icing, and ENJOY!

Sweet (& Simple) White Bread

♥ Beginner

* This post is dedicated to my good friend J.Lynn, who in fact, believes that making bread is too time consuming, and/or not worth her time. Let me tell you J.Lynn, this bread is so simple and good that if you try it I can guarantee you'll want to make your own bread from here on out! (Call me Molly Mormon, go ahead, I don't care.)  

A few months ago, I decided that it was a good time for me to learn how to make bread.  I really had no idea how much money I could save, or how much more I would like home-made bread, I just wanted to test my ego and see if I could actually make it and have it turn out correctly. My first attempt was a smashing success, and ever since I've made our own bread at home.  


It wasn't only that I was able to release some pent up aggression that had me loving the process. I loved watching the yeast foam while it proofed. I loved that I could save 80% on my bread bill each week (as if all of the other reasons weren't good enough)! And most importantly, I loved the way my house smelled while it baked. The smell had me captivated; it gave my heart a little pitter patter as I recalled memories of our family home smelling the very same way while we had our family home evening lessons. There's just something heart warming about a food that can bring back such vivid memories. 


I would urge every single person on the planet to try making their own bread at home. You guys know me, I'm not about doing things the hard way.  I don't grind my own wheat into flour (although that's a great skill to have), and I like things simple.  I can't guarantee instant success on every loaf (we all have our flops) but I can guarantee that this is the simplest and tastiest recipe you'll find - and it wont hurt that your family will be a little more kind to you too. 


What you'll need: 

• 2 Cups Warm Water (Not boiling hot, just warm!) 
• 2/3 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast (*See note a bottom of post regarding yeast)
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt 
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 5-6 Cups White or Bread Flour

How it's done: 


1. Preheat your oven to 350*F. Grease two bread pans with cooking spray or butter. 


2. Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl (if you're using your KitchenAid to make the bread, make sure you use the dough hook attachment) mix together gently using a fork.  Allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes, until it resembles a creamy foam.  (If there is no foam after 5 minutes, your yeast may have been old - this happens from time to time if you're using the Fleischmann's Yeast packets) 

3. Mix salt and oil into the yeast mixture. Mix in the flour slowly, one cup at a time. When the dough becomes less sticky to the touch, you can take it out of your mixing bowl and lay it on a floured surface to kneed for 5 minutes. 


4. Grease another mixing bowl, and grease the outside of the bread dough.  Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp towel in a warm place.  (I like to leave mine on the stove while it's pre-heating.)  Leave the dough to rise, roughly double in size, approximately one hour.  


5. Turn dough out onto floured surface and punch down.  Knead for 5 minutes, and then separate into two equal halves. Roll each half flat into a rectangle, roll it up and fold the ends under placing the seams at the bottom.  Set in bread pans, score the tops lightly, and allow to rise another 30 minutes.


6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. As soon as they are done, turn out onto a cooling rack.  For a soft crust, roll in plastic wrap while still warm.  


Enjoy! It's so good, we usually eat half a loaf as soon as they come out of the oven.  


*When considering what yeast to use, I suggest using the packets of active dry yeast if you don't plan on making bread often. If you think you'll make more bread, more often, it's more cost efficient to purchase a 1 or 5 lb. block of active yeast at your local GFS or Aldis.  I suggest a Fleischmann's brand over the Red Star brand, but it's all according to personal taste.  I've had several other friends who would agree that the Red Star brand tastes and smells much more "yeasty" than the Fleischmann's brand.  It's all to preference.  If you do end up purchasing a block of yeast, make sure you store it in your freezer in it's original bag inside a ziplock.  Light and moisture are the enemy when it comes to yeast!  Happy baking! 

Lady Finger Fancy!

♥ Beginner

Lady Fingers are the base for MANY great dessert dishes, including tortes.  I am planning on making a torte later on today, and didn't want to waste my hard earned $$ on a package or two of expensive lady fingers (especially when I already have all of the ingredients on hand at home). Okay, okay, it's really the thought of getting my almost-two year old in the car and traveling to the grocery store during nap time. No thanks! So I figured I would whip up a few batches and get them ready for my torte later on.

These little beauties only take about 30 minutes to make, even though it seems like there are a lot of steps.  Don't judge mine based on the photo, I left them in the oven 45 seconds too long and browned the edges a little more than I would have liked.  Your patience actually determines the shape and size of these fingers, and as you could tell I was just in a hurry to get them done.  There is a pan you can buy that shapes them for you, but I don't really see much sense in that since more than likely you'll be covering them with a custard or something else tasty. If you are interested, here's where you can get one.

What you'll need:

• 4 Egg Whites, Large
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 Egg Yolks, Large
• 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

How it's done:

1. Preheat your oven to 400*F, and butter your cookie sheet.  (You can use parchment paper, but I'm a fan of butter or shortening because they add a moisture to the bottom of the cookie)

2. Beat your egg whites to soft peaks, and add 2 Tablespoons of sugar.  Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Move the egg whites to a separate bowl (I liked using my glass measuring cup).

3. Mix the remaining sugar with egg yolks until thick and almost colorless.  Remove bowl from mixer, and gently fold in HALF of the egg white mixture.

4. Sift flour and baking powder into the mixture, and gently fold in.  Once completely mixed up, fold in the second half of the egg whites.

5. Put the mixture into a piping bag with a 1/2 in. tip. and pipe onto the cookie sheets. I suggest 2 inches long, but they can be as long as you would like.

6. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown.  Let cool before removing.

Enjoy!!!

Banana Nut Bread

♥ Beginner

I don't have any emotional attachment to Banana Nut Bread like I do so many of my other treats, but it's still worth sharing because it's easy to make comfort food.  It's great because you don't have to be a superstar in the kitchen to make it either! 




You can see that I burnt the edges a smidgen, but it worked out perfectly because that was my husbands favorite part.  I had this goal of getting a picture of it after I sliced a few pieces, but my daughter and husband got a hold of it before I could. 


Before I get to it, I would just like to thank my friends H. Johnson & C. Heugell Futrell for providing me with such a great recipe (incidentally, they sent me the same one!), that I am now sharing with you.  They deserve all the props on this one, it was so simple and tasty I didn't change a thing! 

What you'll need: 
1 C Sugar (I added an extra 1/2 C. because that's how I roll)
1/2 C Butter or Margarine
2 Eggs
1-1/2 cups Mashed Bananas
1/3 C Water
1-2/3 C All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 C Walnuts (optional)


How it's done: 


1. Preheat your oven to 350*F, and grease one large bread pan, or several small bread pans. 


2. Combine all of the wet ingredients and sugar in a large mixing bowl. (Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Bananas, and water) Don't mix too long or you'll overbeat the eggs and it won't rise properly. You'll see that I didn't pre-mash my bananas and that's because my husband likes chunks of bananas, generally yours will looks smooth if you pre-mash.

3. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. (Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Baking Powder, and Walnuts) 


4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients folding in or mixing on slow speed. Once they are combined, pour into your greased bread pan. 

5. Bake for 60 minutes (or until top turns brown).  I checked mine at 45 minutes, but it needed just a few minutes over an hour to completely cook through.  All cook times will vary.