No Fail French Bread

This recipe comes from my grandmother's ward's cookbook from a million years ago (which is probably more like 1977, but that might as well be a million years ago). I like to use this recipe for sandwich loaves because the crumb and the sponginess make for easy slicing.  It makes two large, delicious, versatile loaves.  

Combine and set aside:
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbs yeast

Combine and add to water/yeast mixture:
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup melted shortening (or oil, or butter)
3 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs salt

Add:
3 cups flour

Mix until smooth. Let it rest for 10 minutes and then stir again. Continue resting/stirring for one hour.

Add:
3 cups more flour, or just enough flour to be able to knead it.

After kneading, divide the dough in half and shape it. Place it on a greased baking sheet or bread pan. (Optional: Glaze top with one egg white and slice the top three times diagonally.) Let it rise until doubled. Bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove it from the bread pan to cool.

Pumpkin Bread

I've been making this a lot lately. It's so yummy, especially when you add chocolate chips to the batter.

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. *I use two standard bread loaf pans (not sure the measurements) and cook about 60 minutes.*

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Soft Pretzels

After seeing these pretzels made on Good Eats I decided it was something that Kendall and I could tackle during one of Gage's naps. I was really surprised at how yummy and easy they were. I gave Kendall a ball of dough to form at the end when I was rolling the rest into pretzels and she had so much fun. In the end she said hers was a dinosaur but it was just a big lump of small dough balls stuck together. I brushed hers with melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar and did the rest like it says in the recipe. They were WAY good, soft and chewy.







http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Now I know I am being a bit wheatfull, but we actually eat the stuff I have posted. This banana bread is really good, just ask Katy, Justin and Ollie. The top of it comes out almost candy-like. I think you could probably cut the butter in half, but it might not come out as crunchy on top.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

1 c banana

1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt

1 t vanilla

Mash together in a bowl or blend to make smooth.

1 1/2 c sifted wheat flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

Mix together in a separate bowl.

Cream together:

1 c sugar

1/2 c butter

2 eggs

Now put all three mixtures together and fold until just moistened. Bake in a loaf pan at 325 F for 40-50 minutes.

Eat More Wheat

Per Mical's request, I am posting wheat recipes. Last night I made a regular brownie recipe and replaced half of the flour with wheat flour and I didn't notice a huge difference in taste or texture. 

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 c wheat

1 1/4 c milk (use your powdered milk reconstituted)

(blend about 2 min.)

Add:

2 eggs

2 t baking powder

2 T sugar or honey

1/3 c oil 

1/2 t baking soda

Blend until mixed. Stir between pouring to keep mixed. Pour onto hot lightly greased griddle. Flip over when bubbles burst. Makes approximately 24 3" pancakes.

Wheat Waffles

2 c flour (1 white, 1 wheat)

4 t baking powder

6 T oil

2 eggs

1/2 t salt

1 3/4 c milk (use your powdered milk, reconstituted)

2 T sugar or honey

Mix all together and cook in oiled waffle maker.

Maren's Rolls

(can also be made into whole wheat cinnamon rolls)

2 packages of yeast

1/2 c warm water

1/4 c sugar

6 1/2-8 c whole wheat or 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat flour

1/2 c powdered milk

1 T salt

2 c warm water

2 beaten eggs

1/2 c oil

Combine yeast, 1/2 c water, and sugar. Allow to stand until yeast is dissolved. Sift flour, powdered milk, and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in water, yeast mix, eggs and oil. Stir well and add more flour if needed to make a soft dough. Cover and let rise 1 hour. To speed rising process turn oven on to 300 degrees for 3 minutes, then turn off and place dough with warm moist cloth over it in closed oven). When doubled in size, turn out onto well floured board. Knead a few times to make dough easy to handle.Form into desired shapes*. 

For rolls, take small handfuls and roll into balls. Place the balls close together in a greased 9 x 13" pan. Allow to double in size. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes until golden brown.

*For cinnamon rolls roll out dough to 1/2 inch and spread with butter, cinnamon and sugar. Roll up and slice 1 inch pieces and place together in baking dish. Allow to double in size. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes until golden brown. 

Banana Bread

I've gotten SO many compliments on this recipe.  It's from Martha Stewart.  Good Ol' Martha!

I usually mix all the ingredients together in the same bowl.  Also, instead of mixing the nuts in he batter, I just sprinkle them on top because my daughter doesn't like walnuts or pecans.  It's still yummy!

1/2 cup butter, room temp.

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups unbleached flower

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and beat to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, whisk flower, baking soda, and salt.  Add to butter mixture, and mix until combined.  Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine.  Stir in nuts and poor into pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of cake come out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Let rest in pan for 10 mintutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Enjoy!!!!!

Wheat Biscuits

This recipe is a great way to use up that last little bit of wheat flour that remains after you have ground wheat your own wheat for bread. There is always at least a cup of wheat flour leftover no matter how carefully I measure out wheat to grind to get as close to 7 cups of flour. This is a good compromise of white and wheat flours if you are trying to transition your family over to more whole wheat products because the biscuits still turn out light and fluffy, but with more nutrition and fiber than traditional buttermilk biscuits.

This is a modified recipe from Taste of Home. Their recipe only made 4 biscuits. I changed the measurements a little to make 11. I was going for 12, but oh well. I used them as buns for turkey burgers last night. The biscuits turned out really yummy, my only additional suggestion is to use a rimmed baking sheet because I didn't and the butter ran off the sheet and burned on the bottom of the oven.

All three of my kids really liked them. Even my picky bird-like eater Emma.

Wheat Biscuits

1 c flour

1 c wheat flour

3 T sugar

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

6 T cold butter, cut up

3/4 (or more) c buttermilk

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in buttermilk until just moistened. Add more buttermilk a little at a time if the dough seems too dry. Turn out onto a floured surface; knead 6-8 times. Put to a 1" thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 " biscuit cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 11 biscuits. Serve hot for best flavor.

White Bread

I made bread today. This is the recipe that Tara mentioned. It is pretty easy and very yummy. It makes two loaves but I always double it.  I mix my dough in a Bosch mixer, which does all the kneading for you.  I highly recommend using one if possible.

5 1/2 - 6 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

2 pkg. yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp)

2 1/4 cups water 

1/4 cup butter

Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Heat water and butter until very warm (120 - 130 degrees F). Add to dry ingredients, stirring well.  Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 12x8-inch rectangle. Beginning at short ends, roll up tightly as jelly roll. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place loaves, seams down, in greased 9x5-inch loaf pans. Cover and let raise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes or until done. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves.