Best Pizza Dough

I've tried several homemade pizza dough and this one is by far my favorite.  The crust ends up perfect and the taste is just right.  The downside to this dough is that you cannot use it right away.  You need to let your dough rest for about an hour, but if you plan ahead then you should definitely give it a try.  If time is an issue for you, I'll soon be sharing a different pizza dough recipe that you can use right away.  It's also pretty good, but like I said, this one is my favorite.

This recipe will be enough to make about 3 large pizzas,  We have large family and when my kids want to have a "make your own" pizza night, I like to make 1.5 times the recipe to ensure I have enough dough for them and still have enough dough to make 2 large, and one smallish pan of bread sticks.

INGREDIENTS:

4.5 tsp yeast

4 tsp sugar

3 c warm water

6 tbsp olive oil

3 tsp salt

2 tsp white vinegar

8-9 c flour 

In a bowl combine 1 cup warm water with the sugar and yeast.  Stir to dissolve the yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups of water, olive oil, salt, and vinegar.

Begin mixing on medium-low speed, gradually add the flour and knead for about 7 minutes, or until your dough is smooth and elastic.  You might need to add a little more flour than what I listed on here.  The dough should be slightly sticky, but not so sticky that it really sticks to your fingers.

Cover bowl and let the dough rest in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Punch dough and place on lightly greased or floured counter top.  Divide dough into 3 large pieces.

Roll and stretch to desired thickness.  You can let dough rest while you preheat the oven to 440-450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brush pizza dough lightly with olive oil and prick it all over with a fork.  Pre-bake dough on a hot pizza stone for 6 minutes.

Remove from oven and add your favorite pizza sauce and toppings.  Return to oven and bake for 8-15 more minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.  Enjoy!!!

Glazed Zuchinni Bread

This recipe was shared by a friend from church.  This zucchini bread is delicious!!!  I think the glaze is the best part to it.  Really, you have to try it.  I'm sure you'll love it as much as we did.  Also, these loaves freeze very well.

INGREDIENTS:

2.5 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 eggs

2 c sugar

1 c oil

3 tsp vanilla

2 c grated zucchini

GLAZE (whisk all ingredients together):

1 c powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp water

Mix the first seven ingredients together and set aside.  Mix the last five ingredients together with a mixer and then slowly fold in the dry mix you set aside until all your ingredients are well mixed.  Pour the batter evenly unto 4 small greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let the bread cool for about 20 minutes, then take each loaf and glaze bottom, top, and sides while still warm.  Let the loaves dry for 1 hour after you glaze them.  Enjoy!

Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 c sugar
1 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
5 large eggs
3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4  tsp salt
1 c milk or evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour the bottom and sides of tube pan, bundt pan, or 2 loaf pans, set aside.

In a large bowl beat sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs for a few minutes.  Then add flour, baking powder, and salt, mix well.  Slowly add milk and continue mixing until everything is well incorporated.  Spread batter in pan.

Bake in bundt pan for about 1 hour 10 minutes, loaf pans for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 20 minutes.  Remove from pan and place top side up.  Cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

For Lemon Pound Cake:  Substitute 1 tsp lemon extract for the vanilla.  Fold 1 tbsp grated lemon peel into batter.

Blueberry Lemon Loaf

I found this recipe through "pinterest" and I have made it so many times.  

It's one of our favorites!  The recipe makes one loaf, so we usually triple it and give some away for others to enjoy as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 c flour, plus 1 teaspoon for blueberries
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or slightly less table salt)
1/2 c butter, room temperature
3/4 c sugar
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
3 large eggs
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 c fresh or frozen blueberries

For the Syrup:
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp sugar

For the Glaze:
1/2 c confectioners sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

In a bowl, mix your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt), set aside.  In a separate bowl, using a mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and mix until they are incorporated.  Continue with the milk and vanilla.  Once all the wet ingredients are well mixed, add your dry ingredients and mix just until everything is well incorporated and you have a cake batter.  Add the 1 teaspoon of flour to the cup of blueberries and fold into your batter.  Pour batter on a buttered and floured loaf pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F., for about 50-55 minutes (bread will be light brown on top, and if you insert a toothpick in the middle, it should come out clean).

While bread is baking, make syrup by boiling the two ingredients (lemon juice and sugar) in a small pot.  Your syrup will be ready when sugar has dissolved and syrup thickens a bit (just a couple of minutes).  Set aside.

When bread is done, poke holes on the top using a skewer, and pour the syrup on top to make it moist.  Remember to pour the syrup slowly, so that the bread absorbs it well.  Let bread cool completely.

Mix ingredients for the glaze and drizzle over your loaf.  Enjoy!

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

This is my mom's Mexican bread pudding recipe.  This is not only delicious but it also makes your kitchen smell fantastic!  You will note in the ingredients that some ingredients are optional.  My mom always adds them but my kids are not big fans of raisins so it's not a must to add.  The same with the dates, but I think they are a great addition.  I also substituted honey for the sugar, but either one is fine.  A definite must try!

INGREDIENTS:

5 Bolillo rolls (You can also use french bread, about a loaf or loaf and a half)

2 tbs vanilla

1 cup chopped dates (optional)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup raisins (optional) 

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup sugar or honey

5 cups of milk

sprinkles ;)

Rip the bread into large chunks and place them in a large mixing bowl.  In the blender mix: vanilla, eggs, butter, honey, sweetened condensed milk, and some of the milk.  Pour mixture on top of the bread.  Add dates, coconut, raisins and the rest of the milk.  Add the milk slowly.  You want everything to be pretty moist, if 5 cups of milk is not enough to moist all of the bread then add some more.  Once everything is well mixed, place mixture in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle top with sprinkles! Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about an hour or until set.  Enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli Braid

This recipe was shared by a friend from church.  It's a quick, easy, and sure tasty.  I made some changes to the recipe just because, but either way it's delicious.  Instead of refrigerated crescent dough I used the "Best Rolls" recipe found here on the blog.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (or 1 can chicken)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp dill weed

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp minced garlic 

1/4 tsp salt

Best rolls dough (or 2 pkg (8oz) refrigerated crescent dough)

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tbsp slivered almonds (optional)

NOTE:  When preparing the chicken, I usually spray a broiler pan with cooking spray.  I get some chicken breasts and season them.  I lay them on the broiler pan and broil each side for 6-7 minutes.  After both sides have been broiled, I get the chicken out and cover it with aluminum foil for 10 minutes (meat still cooks outside the oven).  Make sure juices run clear and your chicken is fully cooked.  If not, put it back inside the oven for a few more minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine broccoli, chicken, cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, garlic, and salt in a bowl: Mix well.  

If you make the "Best Rolls" recipe, you'll only need a quarter of the dough for this recipe.  Roll bread dough to cover the bottom of a large cookie sheet.  

If using refrigerated crescent dough: do not separate.  Arrange longest sides of dough across width of cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining package of dough.  Press all seams together.  

On longest sides of cookie sheet, cut dough into strips 1 1/2" apart, 3" deep. 

Spread filling down center.  Braid strips across center, twisting each strip one turn.  Tuck ends.  Brush with egg whites and sprinkle with almonds.

Bake 25-28 minutes until golden brown.  Enjoy!

The Best Rolls!!!

Thank goodness for Pinterest right!

I came across this recipe on Pinterest a few years back and had to try it.  Since then, this recipe has become my go-to recipe for rolls.  They taste AMAZING and are fast and easy to make.  There's only one problem though, they are soooo good that it is hard to stop eating them!

This recipe can be used for a lot of other recipes as I'll mention in the bottom of this post, and a few others later on. 

Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.  

Recipe from:  How does she?

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp yeast

2 cup warm water

9-10 cups flour

butter

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water along with 1 tablespoon of sugar, set aside.

In a microwavable bowl add milk, 3/4 sugar and one stick of butter (1/2 cup).  Microwave for  2 minutes.

Transfer the milk, sugar and butter mixture into a big bowl and add one to two cups of flour to cool it down a bit.  Then add egg, salt, and yeast mixture.  Mix well.

Incorporate flour, 2 cups at a time.  Mix well, cover, and let rise.

Divide dough in 4 balls.  Take each ball and roll it in a circle.  About 1/4 inch thick.   Smear some butter on top of each rolled circle.  Using a pizza cutter cut the circle in quarters, then do two more cuts in each quarter in order to end up with 12 triangles per circle.

Roll triangles beginning with bigger side first and finishing up with the tip.  Place rolls in a greased cookie sheet and let rise until double their size.  I usually let them rise for about 20-30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.

Run a stick of butter on top of baked rolls for an extra buttery taste. Enjoy!

 

Did you make a lot of dough?  Don't want to make all the rolls?  

Well how about a dessert!

Just add a little bit of melted butter to the top of one of your rolled circles.  Sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar, then roll it (like making cinnamon rolls).

Using a knife, cut rolled dough in half, just don't go all the way so that the two pieces are still connected.

Grab both pieces of dough and twist together.  Form a ring and pinch ends together.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.  

Frost with cream cheese frosting or your favorite glaze.  Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Bread

 

This is my mother-in-law's recipe for whole wheat bread and we love it!

It is easy and overall fast to make.

I have a kitchen-aid mixer and the whole recipe doesn't fit in my bowl so I usually half the recipe.  My mother in law has a Bosch and she says the whole recipe fits just fine in her mixing bowl. 

When I make this bread, I tend to make 4 of the half batches at a time and freeze the bread. Last time I made it, I ended up with 9 small loaves and 3 large ones.

INGREDIENTS:

11 c whole wheat flour

2 tbsp yeast

5 c warm water

1 1/2 c powdered milk

2/3 c oil

2/3 c honey

2 tbsp dough enhancer

1 cup vital wheat gluten 

2 tbsp salt

Mix all ingredients and knead for 10 minutes.

Let rise, punch down.  Let rise.  Use oil instead of flour to make loaves.  Makes 7 small loaves or 5 large ones.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Here is a picture of the Wheat Gluten and Dough Enhancer I have.  You can find these products in the baking section of your grocery store.  Hopefully it will give you an idea of what to look for although it will probably be different brands.

Note:  This bread freezes great!

Rustic Bread

While at a church activity, a friend and neighbor gave a presentation on crock pot cooking.  At the end of her presentation she provided samples of several dishes including this bread which is simply AMAZING!!!!!!

Not only is it delicious, it is also pretty easy to make.  You will need the insert to your crock pot (the stone bowl) to bake it in.  Of course since you'll stick this in the oven, use aluminum foil instead of the regular pot lid (because the plastic in the lid is not oven proof!)  I've made it twice already :)  Give it a try, I promise you will love it. 

As you will see in the recipe, there's different variations.  The one I made (and pictured above) is Crasin White Chocolate.  If you try any of the other kinds, let me know how they turn out.

Here is the recipe in her own words!

INGREDIENTS & WAY OF MAKING:

3 c Flour

1/4 tsp Instant yeast (if you add other ingredients increase to 1/2 tsp.)

1 1/4 tsp salt

Mix above ingredients (if desired, this would be the time to add any spices, nuts, or other condiments to the bread) then distribute evenly.

1 1/2 c water (add an extra tablespoon if adding additional ingredients)

1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

Stir all the above until combined

1.  In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt.  Mix ingredients to distribute evenly.  Add vinegar to water.  Mix with flour mixture and stir until flour is incorporated.  Dough will be pretty stiff.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rise at least 12 to 18 hours at 70 degrees.  When surface is dotted with bubbles, dough is ready.



After the 12-18 hours of rest, place dough on floured surface, sprinkle dough with a light dusting of flour, gently knead dough 7-8 times.

Spray bowl with non stick spray.  Place dough inside, cover and let rise for about 2 hours until it has doubled in size.

After dough has been rising for 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 435-450 degrees for 30 minutes with a covered crock pot (don't place a lid with plastic on it inside) or dutch oven.  Oven and pot should be blazing HOT.  Pot needs to be 4- 8 quart.

When dough has risen for the 2 hours, carefully remove HOT pot from oven.  Dump dough out of bowl and into HOT pot.  Place lid on (I use foil with my crock pot) and bake for 27 minutes.  Uncover, and continue baking for an additional 6-10 minutes or until browned on top.  Dump bread out onto wire rack to cool.

VARIATIONS:

ITALIAN: add to one loaf 1 TBSP Italian seasoning, 1 TBSP dried garlic

PARMESAN/KALMATA OLIVES: add to one loaf 1 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup pitted Kalmata olives

CRASIN WHITE CHOCOLATE:  add to one loaf 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1 cup crasins

PECAN/CRASIN: add to one loaf 1/2 cup crasins, 1/2 cup pecans, 1 tsp cinnamon

GRAIN: add to one loaf 1 TBSP Millet, 1 TBSP Quinoa, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.



Harvest Bread

This bread has everything that reminds me of autumn: pumpkin, spice, and apples.  It made my house smell soooo good and it tasted just as good.

Harvest Bread

2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
15 oz can pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 apples pealed, sliced and diced (or shredded)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Topping
2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 3 small loaf pans.

Combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a bowl.

In another bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Beat in eggs, pumpkin and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, stirring until just moistened.  Stir in apples, raisins and walnuts. (I didn't add the walnuts in mine)  Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake the loaves for 45-50 min. or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Meanwhile, place all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and stir to blend.  Set aside.

When the bread comes out of the oven, sprinkle with the topping.

Let stand for 15 minutes, then remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack.  Makes 12 servings

*This will also make 24 muffins.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Tongan Pie

 This is a yummy recipe from my friend and neighbor Gen.  Definitely worth making and super easy to make!  This actually makes a lot so I suggest you half the recipe unless you have a big group to feed.  Also, for the jam I used my home made strawberry freezer jam, but I don't see why you couldn't use any flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

6 c flour

6 tbsp baking powder

1 c sugar

3 sticks (1.5 cups) softened butter

Milk

Strawberry jam

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, add milk a little at a time until you get somewhat of a slightly sticky consistency (like pie dough).  Roll out dough into rectangles about a half inch thick (mine where pretty large over all, I had a lot of dough). Spread jam on top and fold.  The picture below gives you a better idea of how it was folded, but essentially all you are doing is bringing one side to the center, and then fold the other side on top of that.  Place pie on top of a lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 365 degrees fahrenheit (edges should be light golden).  Let pie cool down for a bit and enjoy!!



Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe is my Mother-in-law's and it's really yummy.  I was not a fan of whole wheat bread, but this bread is delicious.  I've been grinding my own wheat whenever I make it to use fresh flour and this is becoming a weekly thing.  My girls and husband LOVE bread and this is turning out much cheaper than bread from the store.  Hope you like the recipe as much as we do.

Note:  I usually only make half of this recipe and make 5 small loaves

Mix together:

7 cups   whole wheat flour

2 tbsp yeast

5 cups warm water

1 1/2 cups powdered milk

Once those ingredients are mixed, cover your bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.  You'll see that the dough will start to rise up a bit.

After 10 minutes add the following to your mix:

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup honey

2 tbsp dough enhancer

1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten

4 cups flour

2 tbsp salt

Mix for 10 minutes

Let rise, punch down.  Let rise.  Use oil instead of flour to make loaves.  Makes 5 large loaves or 10 small loaves.  Once you've rolled and placed your loaves in the pans, cover and let rise.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Brazilian Stuffed Bread

In Brazil, when you have visitors over, it's pretty much tradition to sit down and "tomar um lanche", which is literally translated to "take a lunch", but it's a way to say eat a snack, or have some tea (if you're from Europe).

And this bread is just perfect for that. I would say, in a typical Brazilian home, you would have as an afternoon snack: some bread (from french bread to cheese bread), cake, and Coca-Cola (okay, maybe Guaraná). Just kidding, but it is very common.



This recipe is so easy, the hardest part really is just waiting patiently for the dough to rise. AND you may just have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Ingredients:

- 3 to 3 1/2 C Flour (Start with 3 and keep adding until it doesn't stick to your fingers anymore)

- 4 tbsp. Oil (I think I used canola)

- 2 tbsp. Sugar

- 2 Eggs

- 1 tsp. Salt

- 1 C water

- 1 tbsp. Yeast

- Mayo

- Shredded Parmesan Cheese

You can use anything to put inside the bread, here are some suggestions:

- Muzzarella chesse, diced tomatoes, and basil

- Pepperoni and cheese

- Just Cheese

- Ham, cheese, tomato, onions, and oregano (I made this one and it turned out delish, except I used some left-over salsa fresca since I didn't have any more onions and it turned out pretty good)

You can also use any kind of meat like salami, turkey, hot dogs (this would need to be chopped)...Just use your imagination!

Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl, except for the water and yeast. In a small bowl, add water and yeast and let it sit for a few minutes (while you mix everything else in the large bowl).
Add the water and yeast to the large bowl and mix it all up with your hands.
Flour a flat surface and knead the dough for a few minutes.
Cover and let it rise for at least 30 minutes (I would do about 45 minutes).
While the dough rises, you can prepare your toppings. Make sure to chop everything up, except the cheese, if it's already grated.
Separate the dough into two equal pieces. Open one in a rectangle, spread the mayo, add chesse and other toppings. Roll it up lengthwise. It doesn't need to be rolled up super well, I usually only do it a couple times. Spread some more mayo on top of the bread and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. You can also add parsley on top to make it look prettier, or, in my case, to differentiate from the other bread, which had a different topping. Make sure you pinch the ends so the cheese doesn't run out. Repeat everything with the other piece of dough and put it in a floured (spread butter first, and then the flour) cookie sheet.

Bake for aproximately 40 minutes at 350 F.

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

This is one of my favorite recipes for cinnamon rolls. They are easy to make and the apple filling in them is just delicious. The recipe comes from the cookbook "Best-Loved Recipes of all Time." This book is filled with lots of easy delicious recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

5 to 5 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
2 envelopes of yeast (1 envelope is about 2 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp salt
1/2 c water
1/2 c milk
1/4 c butter or margarine
3 large eggs
Apple filling (See below)
Cinnamon-sugar topping (See below)

In a large bowl (I just used the bowl from my Kitchen Aid), put 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, milk and butter until very warm. Gradually add to dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping the sides. Add eggs and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half and roll each into rectangles. Spread apple filling evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly and pinch seams to seal. Cut each roll into equal pieces, it's really up to you how big or small you want to make them, I believe I got about 11 rolls out of each rectangle. Place, cut sides up, in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 min. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar topping and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Enjoy!!

Apple Filling:
2 large cooking apples (I usually use about 4 granny smith apples), chopped
2 tbsp flour
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c butter or margarine

Combine the above ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. You can let it cool, but I usually don't wait, I just use the filling as soon as I roll out the dough.

Cinnamon-sugar Topping:
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Stir well

Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls

This is another recipe found in my family cookbook. It was super fast and easy to make and most importantly...it was really good.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c chopped pecans

28 frozen Rhodes rolls

3 oz pkg regular butterscotch pudding mix (dry, do not use instant)

1/2 c butter

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 c brown sugar

Place nuts in bottom of greased bundt pan. Add rolls. Sprinkle pudding over top. Melt together in saucepan the butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pour over rolls. Leave rolls out overnight to rise. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes.

Note: Try and assemble everything late at night. I started mine about 9pm and by 7:30 am, the rolls had risen so much they were overflowing.

Pita Bread

I wanted to try a recipe that required pita bread. I had actually never tried pita bread before and wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. I didn't want to go to the store to purchase them so I decided to look for a recipe and make them at home. The bread turned out really good and it was very easy to make, totally recommend it. I found the recipe on "about.com." I will write the recipe here, but you can also go directly to their site for the recipe by clicking here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 c warm water
3 c flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 c lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast and 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast water, slowly also add the 1 cup of warm water. Stir with a wooden spoon until elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. You have kneaded successfully when the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.

Coat large bowl with oil and make sure your dough is coated as well. Place covered bowl in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

When ready, roll out in a rope and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface, cover and let sit for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, preheat your oven to 500 degrees farenheit and make sure the rack is at the very bottom. You should also preheat your baking sheet.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles (about 5-6 inches accross and about 1/4 inch thick).
Bake each pita for 4 minutes until bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and continue baking the rest of the pita bread.

Sinful Bread

I made this bread one night with a recipe called Mushroom Soup.
It was truly delicious. I couldn't get enough of it.
Unless you have a large group, I would recommend cutting the recipe in half.

Sinful Bread

***

2 loaves French Bread

1 cup parmesan cheese (grated fresh)

I cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup minced onion

***

Combine ingredients. Split French bread horizontally, spread mixture and sprinkle with paprika (if desired... the above picture is minus the paprika). Broil to crisp up.

***

Enough for 2 loaves of French bread.

Apple Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

I got this recipe from Food Network as I was walking on the treadmill one day. Not a good thing to watch while you are hungry and exercising:) but anyways thought I would try it. This was my second try. The first time I used Grands Cinnamon Rolls and they are too big. You have to use the smaller ones. They are really fast and easy so they are good for breakfast!!!

1 Granny Smith Apple
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Walnuts (my kids don't like nuts so I don't do quite that much and add them later)
2 TBS. Butter (melted)
2 Tubes (8 count) Cinnamon Rolls
1 container Frosting
1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Tbs. Water

Slice Apple into small pieces. Add brown sugar and walnuts and mix together. Butter 12 ct. muffin tin with butter. Place a small amount of Apple mixture in each tin and place cinnamon roll, cinnamon side down, in each tin on top of apple mixture and press down. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min. Let sit for a few minutes and invert onto a cookie sheet. Mix frosting with water and pumpkin pie spice. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls and enjoy:)

Same Day Amish Friendship Bread

Years ago, I received a starter baggie for Amish Friendship Bread. I had never heard of this bread and was a little intrigued (and can't deny it...grossed out) by it. The thing is that you receive this batter in a ziplock bag and you keep it in your kitchen counter for 10 days. Most of the days you just mush the bag and a couple others you add a few other things to it. Along with the starter and instructions, our neighbor also gave us a small loaf of the bread and oh my goodness that bread was delicious! That's really why I was intrigued, because it tasted so good and at the same time, all I keep thinking was that the contents of that baggie would spoil (if they hadn't already). I guess the purpose of it was for the contents to ferment. Anyway, I did try to follow the instructions but by the 6th day, my husband accidentally added the wrong type of flour into the mix so we had to throw it away. I really liked this bread and I wanted to try it again, but definitely didn't want to do that whole 10 day thing. After a lot of searching and not finding a recipe for same day, I combined several kinds for starters and ended up with a pretty good one. Try it, I think you'll like it.

***

STARTER:
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
1 c milk
1 c sugar
1 c flour

You can warm-up the milk a little if you like. Mix all ingredients and set aside. If you actually wanted to do the whole 10 day deal, I'm sure you can use this starter and find the directions online.

MIX the following ingredients and add to your starter:

3 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
1/2 c milk
1 c white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c flour
1 large instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix
1 c chopped nuts or raisins (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 large loaf pans. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with half the mixture. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the batter. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Cool until bread loosens from the pan and turn onto serving dish. For muffins, bake at the same temperature for 30 minutes.

New York Rye Bread

New York Rye Bread is a light, soft rye bread, typically shaped into oblong or round loaves. It complements any meal or makes delicious deli meat sandwiches.

Recipe Source: Kitchen Aid Best Loved Recipes Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 cups rye flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

Pam spray

Cornmeal

*Note:  I found Rye flour in the health food section at my grocery store, not in the baking section where I thought it would be.* 

Directions:

Stir together warm water, sugar, salt, oil, yeast in bowl of mixer until yeast is dissolved. Add 2 cups bread flour. Turn mixer to low and mix about 2 min. Gradually mix or stir in rye and wheat flours, 1/2 cup at a time, and add enough remaining bread flour until dough begins to form a ball. Knead 7 to 10 min. or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Spray Pam in a large bowl and place dough in bowl. Spray pam to grease top of dough. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Grease 1 large cookie sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Punch dough down. Divide in half. Shape each half into a football shaped loaf, about 10 inches long. Place loaves on cookie sheet.

Cover and let rise in warm place 45 to 60 min. or until almost doubled in bulk. Heat oven to 375 F. Carefully cut 3 (1/4 inch deep) slashes on top of loaf with a sharp serrated knife.

Bake 25-30 min. or until loves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from cookie sheets to wire rack.

While Bread is warm, brush tops with melted butter. Let cool.