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When you need a quick snack that everyone will love and doesn’t involve tons of dirty dishes, this hot crusty Italian loaf with drippy, melty Jack cheese, bacon and green onions will drive your family wild! It’s deliciously simple, but definitely party-worthy. It will be the hit of any hor d’oeuvres table you contribute to. At [...]
When you need a quick snack that everyone will love and doesn’t involve tons of dirty dishes, this hot crusty Italian loaf with drippy, melty Jack cheese, bacon and green onions will drive your family wild! It’s deliciously simple, but definitely party-worthy. It will be the hit of any hor d’oeuvres table you contribute to. At any party where you arrive carrying it, you’ll be going home empty-handed and it will be the MOST requested recipe of the night. Some time ago, I pinned a recipe from keyingredient.com and when I recently had time to test it out, you know I had to put my own spin on it. The basic premise is ingenious and there are so many different ways you could take this by changing up the cheese, the toppings, etc. I’m envisioning a pizza pull apart or a nacho pull apart or maybe even a cinnamon roll pull apart that wouldn’t use cheese at all. Go crazy! This recipe will make you famous in your neighborhood! lol Yes, ma’am, it’s THAT good! You’re only five ingredients away from YUM! So here’s my twist on a great idea. Enjoy!
…
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1/2 cup chopped bacon, cooked and drained (Use real bacon, you won't regret it!)
- 3 - 4 green onions, sliced thinly
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Slice your Italian loaf diagonally, but don't slice all the way through. You want to leave the bottom crust intact.
- Turn the loaf and slice diagonally in the other direction. It will create a diamond pattern on the bread and the loaf will start to open up or "bloom".
- Be smarter than me and at this point, transfer your loaf to a foil covered baking sheet. (I assembled mine and then made the transfer, which worked, but it would have been so much easier to build it on the baking sheet, to begin with.)
- Drizzle melted butter over the top of your loaf and be sure to let it drip down into all your diagonal cut marks.
- Sprinkle your pieces of chopped bacon over the melted butter.
- Next distribute the green onion slices and then cover the entire loaf with cheese.
- Bake it on a foil-covered baking sheet, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 15 -20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to lightly brown, in places.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm. Take my word for it. You won't have to call the family to let them know it's done. The smell of the toasting bread and bacon, wafting from your kitchen, will have had them waiting at the counter for you to pull it out of the oven.
- To serve, simply allow guests to pull the pre-sliced chunks from the loaf. This is most definitely finger-food! Enjoy!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/cheesy-bacon-onion-pull-apart-bread-delish/I have loved Taste of Home magazine, for years, and have often tried, and experimented, with the recipes featured in each new issue. When I was in New York, this summer, at the BlogHer conference, I had the great pleasure of previewing their new Best Loved Recipes cookbook and meeting with Taste of Home’s Food [...]
I have loved Taste of Home magazine, for years, and have often tried, and experimented, with the recipes featured in each new issue. When I was in New York, this summer, at the BlogHer conference, I had the great pleasure of previewing their new Best Loved Recipes cookbook and meeting with Taste of Home’s Food Editor, Karen Berner. Karen had worked as both a private and sous chef, after attending The Culinary Institute of America, focusing most of her creative cooking energy on French cuisine, so I was curious as to what had drawn her to Taste of Home. It turns out that it isn’t any different than what draws me to the magazine — real food, for real families with stories and memories connected to the tasty recipes. There is a familiarity, a homey-ness, a family “comfortableness” about Taste of Home magazine and the recipes they share that draws me into each issue and gets me excited about trying out the dishes pictured in their delicious photos! The recipe creators cook the way I cook, or maybe it’s better described as “feel” the way I cook. I have a passion for creating beautiful, tasty dishes that create family memories and bonding time in the kitchen and around the table, just the way I want to do. It is comfort food, family and “home”, at its finest. The magazine seems to have that affect on most all of the people fortunate enough to pick up the latest issue.
My new cookbook from Taste of Home, "Best Loved Recipes".
The most unique characteristic of Taste of Home is that all the recipes are reader-submitted, not chef-created in a test kitchen, somewhere, which probably explains its wide appeal. Karen told me that Taste of Home receives over 40,000 recipe submissions each year, but only 3,000 can make the cut, to be included in the magazine. The recipes that are selected for inclusion are tested and prepared in the Taste of Home kitchen and then photographed for the magazine. After 20 fabulous years of recipes, Taste of Home rose to the challenge of selecting their best loved recipes over the the last two decades. Out of those 60,000 or so recipes, 1,485 have the great distinction to be called “Best Loved” and have been included in Taste of Home’s new cookbook, Best Loved Recipes. You won’t be disappointed with the variety and scope of the highlighted recipes and it won’t take long to see how they were selected as “best loved”. Recipe categories included are: Appetizers, Beef, Beverages, Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Cakes, Candies, Celebrations, Holidays, Condiments & Sauces, Cookies & Bars, Cooking for One or Two, Desserts, Grand-Prize Winners, Mealtime Express, Mom Made it Best, Our Favorite Contributors’ Meal, Pasta, Grains & Rice, Pies & Tarts, Pork & Lamb, Potluck Picks, Poultry, Salads, Sandwiches & Pizza, Seafood, Sides and Soups.
There are so many recipes I want to try from this beautifully illustrated cookbook, that it will take me years to get through all of them. My husband sits and browses through the full-color photographs of the finished dishes and makes his request list. :) Today, I decided to share a unique and delicious bread recipe I discovered in the cookbook’s treasures, Buttercup Yeast Bread. It’s perfect with squash coming in season, now, and cooler weather ushering in those stirrings to have the oven going. There is nothing like stepping into the house after a time out in the brisk, fall air and being greeted by the warmth and aroma of something delicious baking. This recipe is a tasty way to get you back into your fall and winter baking routine. Your family and guests will be delighted!
We loved this delicious Buttercup Yeast Bread! It made fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches and toast! The golden color it gets from the butternut squash is so pretty and "fall-ish". :)
Ingredients
- 3 pkgs (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/2 cups mashed buttercup or butternut squash
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 13 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Peel, cube and steam your squash. Then mash it.
- In a very large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes.
- Add the squash, milk, brown sugar, butter, eggs, salt and about 6 cups of the flour.
- Beat on medium speed for three minutes.
- Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elatic, about 10 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/4 hours.
- Punch dough down and divide into three equal portions. Shape into loaves. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool ten minutes and then remove from pans to wire racks to finish cooling.
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The recipe, above, is exactly as it was included in the cookbook (contributed by Kelly Kirby). I adapted the recipe, slightly, to accommodate the ingredients I have in my own kitchen and it turned out really well. I always by my yeast in bulk and it is SAF Instant. I used 3 Tablespoons. I also used whole milk, instead of 2%. Next time I make this slightly sweet and gorgeously golden bread, I will also add 3 Tablespoons of granulated lecithin to increase the softness and flexibility of the slices. We loved the flavor of this bread and it made the best grilled cheese sandwiches you’ve ever tasted! It’s only one of more than 1400 fabulously, tasty dishes your family is going to love eating as much as you enjoy making them! Be sure to get your own copy of Taste of Home’s Best Loved Recipes to try them all!
I received a copy of Best Loved Recipes in order to test it in my own kitchen and gather data for this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own, and based on my personal experience with the product.
What a fabulous opportunity I’ve had this week, to try a wonderful new product at Wal-Mart — Ecce Panis Bread. If you love homebaked bread, but just can’t find the time or motivation to tackle baking your own from scratch, or remembering to thaw frozen bread dough, Ecce Panis is a yummy solution. I had [...]
What a fabulous opportunity I’ve had this week, to try a wonderful new product at Wal-Mart — Ecce Panis Bread. If you love homebaked bread, but just can’t find the time or motivation to tackle baking your own from scratch, or remembering to thaw frozen bread dough, Ecce Panis is a yummy solution.
Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread in an Ecce Panis bread bowl and served with Ecce Panis Ciabatta crisps made by slicing the ciabatta loaf and putting the slices under the broiler for 2 or 3 minutes. DELISH!
I had quite a bit of shopping to do, so I sat down and made a quick list, adding this new bread to it. I was anxious to not only see how it would look, but to taste it and see if they really could achieve that homemade flavor in just a handful of minutes in my oven. I wasn’t 100% sure where I would find it in our store. The bread aisle seemed like a logical choice, and yet, I swung by the bakery/deli department first and was happy to find the bread, right away. Next to our deli counter, there are wooden “islands” of baked goods. On the bottom shelf of the island closest to the deli, I found FOUR different varieties of the new Ecce Panis bread. Not wanting to play favorites, and seeing that they were all around $1.88 a loaf, I threw all four into the cart and headed off to get the rest of my groceries. After our experience with it, which I will relate, below, I heartily encourage you to find Ecce Panis breads in your local WalMart, for your own family!
Ecce Panis Neo-Tuscan Mini Boule
Ecce Panis Ciabatta Loaf
My challenge, with this mission, was to create a delicious spread recipe to use on Ecce Panis breads, so I added several other things to my list as an idea for the spread started swirling in my head — cream cheese, (of course 
), green onions, bell peppers in red, yellow and orange, bacon, cheddar cheese… This definitely seemed to be going in a savory direction and I was envisioning something like the wrap filling I had come up with for our daughter’s graduation party that incorporated cream cheese, my homemade hot pepper jelly, lots of veggies and fresh herbs, cheddar cheese and diced chicken breast. It was really tasty and with some simple modifications, I thought I could transform it into a delicious spread. Ideas were churning as I continued through the grocery aisles. Thank heavens I had taken a list, or I would have had one of everything in the store! As it was, I did succumb to the beautiful selection of fresh berries on display and made it home with a pint of gorgeous blackberries. If you want to see more pictures of my shopping trip (I apologize in advance for the picture quality. When I got to the store I realized the only camera I had with me was on my phone. ), check out my Google+ album.
Ecce Panis French Rolls
Ecce Panis French Demi Baguettes after baking at home. They come two to a package.
The Ecce Panis lived up to it’s “freshly baked bread in minutes” label. It is truly delicious; and warm from the oven, you would be hard pressed to know it wasn’t white bread baked in your own kitchen. Our family ate each variety with pleasure and gusto – no shrinking violets in our house, when it comes to homemade bread! We had the french baguettes, sliced on the diagonal for crostinis and the french dinner rolls made great sandwiches for a quick chicken salad lunch. I used the ciabatta and Neo-Tuscan Mini Boule to serve the fabulous Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread that I’m about to share with you.
Okay, so I drove home from WalMart, unpacked my groceries and quickly started my recipe idea’s transition from wrap filling to spread. Epic fail! -lol- It actually tasted great and my son probably ate 2/3 of it in the first hour or so, but it was not as “pretty” as I pictured it and I wanted this to be really special, so….rewind! What else did I have on hand that would make a delicious spread and look as beautiful as it tasted? I’m starting to think that deviation from my grocery list was God-inspired. Blackberries! Well, to say it was a success to change courses, would be an understatement. We loved the color, the flavor and the texture of this delicious spread. It’s only five ingredients and we will make this over and over again, easily substituting whatever fresh berries are in season. Your family will think you’re amazing!
This will be one of your most requested recipes, whether you are serving it with appetizers at a party or on bagels for breakfast or as a simple snack at home! Other berries could easily be substituted. It can be whipped up in minutes and will satisfy all comers with it's lightly sweet, fresh flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 pint fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use a hand mixer) and mix thoroughly, until the ingredients are well blended into a creamy spread. The individual blackberry segments will still be visible in the beautiful purple spread, as will a few small lumps of cream cheese.
- Serve on toast, bread, crostini, bagels, biscuits, or even crackers! Use your imagination and this spread will end up being one of your most requested recipes!
- Refrigerate leftovers, if you're fortunate enough to have any.
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This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #EasterMeals As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
I had the most unique and delicious opportunity, last weekend, to partner with Eggland’s Best to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to celebrate some inspirational women in my life. When I was asked to be one of “Eggland’s Best Double Dozen” and host this party, it was an easy decision. I [...]
Eggland's Best "Pink" Eggs
I had the most unique and delicious opportunity, last weekend, to partner with Eggland’s Best to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to celebrate some inspirational women in my life. When I was asked to be one of “Eggland’s Best Double Dozen” and host this party, it was an easy decision. I have both friends and family members who are breast cancer survivors. My guess is that most any person you speak to could say the same thing; and the need to find a cure, once and for all, is obvious. Eggland’s Best has generously donated $100 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, in my name, and I am incredibly grateful, not only for that gift, but that Eggland’s Best steps to the forefront and moves the cause for awareness into the spotlight, even around our dinner tables. This is the second year in a row that their signature red EB icon will “go pink” on their eggs and include the SGK pink ribbon. For every dozen of their “pink” eggs sold, Eggland’s Best will make a donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to a total of $50,000!
Eggland's Best sent coupons, gifts and great products to make the Brinner and a Movie party a huge success!! I love those little ramekins and isn't the egg timer adorable? Some of these are the great prizes included in the giveaway set, below!
I was asked to build my guest list around women who inspire me to “do good in my community”. The total number of women belonging on that list exceeds any logical number for the guest list of a dinner party. I am definitely blessed with incredible, godly models in my life. As the idea of “Brinner and a Movie” began to swirl in my head, three women in particular came to mind. Yes, they have encouraged, cajoled and inspired me to get active in a project I never considered undertaking and actively argued against – becoming a leader in our church’s Jr. High Youth Group. They were 150% correct! I was definitely being called to serve in this area and it has blessed my life tremendously to be part of it. But, not only are these women inspirational and encouraging, these women would also have no problems showing up at my house in their pj’s, eating breakfast for dinner, laughing until our sides ached and just relaxing from the daily grind, while sharing my love of OLD movies in an all-night moviethon. Dinner would, of course, include their families (a fun assortment of men, women and children, numbering 14, in all), because that’s just the way we roll, but after that — GIRL’S NIGHT!!!! Now that’s a party!
It was bread baking day, today. Do you have any idea how good toast made from homemade bread is? AMAZING!
We had an extraordinary feast for our brinner, with Eggland’s Best eggs at the center. I love that no matter what else you serve with them, Eggland’s Best eggs are a healthy, delicious protein you can feel good about having in your diet. Eggland’s Best hen feed is a patented all-natural, all-vegetarian feed that contains healthy grains, canola oil, and an all-natural supplement of rice bran, alfalfa, sea kelp and Vitamin E. Hens that receive superior care and nutrition lay eggs with superior nutritional value. With only 70 calories per egg, Eggland’s Best eggs provide twice the Vitamin D and Omega-3 of other eggs, as well as 10 times the Vitamin E and lower saturated fat and cholesterol. That’s awesome! Getting the most nutrition for the calories we consume is important, since we already know that being overweight puts us at higher risk for breast cancer.
Eggland's Best eggs scrambled and ready to go into my cast iron skillet. Love that whisk!
Do we love pancakes? YES WE DO!!!
Well, I’m not going to kid you and tell you that we ate only healthy food at “Brinner and a Movie”, but with Eggland’s Best eggs as the star, our breakfast for dinner had a higher nutritional value than it would otherwise have had. Oh and for the record, it was DELISH!!!!! Early in the day I baked up our favorite bread (I’m giving you the recipe below.), so we had fresh homemade slices for toast. We scrambled eggs with diced red bell pepper and green onions and mixed in shredded cheddar cheese. I baked thick-sliced bacon in the oven and since one of the younger guests attending this party had already been promised pancakes by me, I whipped up two batches of this perfect recipe! Orange juice rounded out the menu and we ate as though we hadn’t eaten in days. The conversation was lively, loud and full of laughter and young and old enjoyed the fellowship. But once the dinner dishes were cleared away, the guys and kids vamoosed! And the movie marathon was on!
My friends love me and definitely love lounging in their pj's for a party at my house, but the bounds of their love DOES have limits. While I was not allowed to put pictures of their pj'ness on my blog, they happily allowed the pictures of their children devouring a delicious brinner!
I love, love, love old movies and classic “chick flicks” and the guests at this pajama party are die-hard fans, as well, which made it twice as fun. Who else would watch the entire five hours of Pride and Prejudice and THEN be all fired up to watch The Scarlet Pimpernel? IT. WAS. MARVELOUS. We all collapsed shortly after 4 am to get a few hours of sleep, only to rise and get in one more movie, Ladyhawke, before officially ending our party and re-entering the “real world”. It was just the fun and relaxation this busy wife and mom needed. I’m so grateful to Eggland’s Best for the opportunity and fun gifts they provided to make it possible.
The decor over our movie marathon snack bar!
The movie snacks line up and....
- The snack line-up wouldn’t have been complete without our favorite taco dip! Click this picture to get the recipe.
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Does Brinner and a Movie sound like an excellent “escape” to fun? One very blessed Busy-at-Home reader will have the chance to find out for themselves! Eggland’s Best is generously sponsoring a giveaway that includes: 2 Free EB Dozen coupons (Any variety- classic, cage-free, or organic), 1 Free EB Hard Cooked and Peeled variety coupon, 4 EB ramekins, 1 EB apron, 1 EB whisk, 1 EB spatula, 1 EB egg timer, 1 EB eco bag and 1 EB plush egg.
Giveaway Rules:
You must be 18 or older and a resident of the U.S. to enter. Mandatory Entry must be completed before any optional entries will count. Winner will be selected in a random drawing using random.org. Deadline to enter is midnight, (CST), Sunday, October 16, 2011.
Mandatory Entry:
Visit Eggland’s Best, and in a comment below, tell me something you learned that you didn’t know before.
Optional Additional Entries:
- Like Eggland’s Best on Facebook. Leave a comment below with your Facebook Name to let me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Eggland’s Best on Twitter. Leave a comment below with your Twitter handle to let me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Like Busy-at-Home on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Google Friends Connect. (click the JOIN button in the right-hand sidebar.) Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Subscribe to the Busy-at-Home Newsletter with this link or in the right-hand sidebar. You will receive an email confirmation with a link that must be clicked to confirm your subscription. Once you click the email link to confirm your subscription, leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
- Tweet this giveaway (maximum of 1x per day, please). Win a Girl’s Night Out Giveaway! “Brinner” & a Movie @egglandsbest @busyathome #EBPink http://ow.ly/6HMKV Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.
- Post this giveaway on your Facebook page. Win a Girl’s Night Out Giveaway! “Brinner” & a Movie @Eggland’s Best Eggs @Busy-at-Home http://busy-at-home.com/blog/brinner-and-a-movie-with-egglands-best-a-girls-night-giveaway-ebpink/ Leave a comment below with a link to your post.
This recipe makes 4 over-sized or 6 regular loaves. It is soft and delicious, perfect for sandwiches and toast and if you omit the optional grain mix, much less expensive than anything you can pull off the shelf at the store. It's our favorite everyday bread.
Ingredients
- 5 cups warm water
- 1 cup brown sugar or honey
- 2/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
- 6 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup wheat gluten
- 1½ t. sea salt
- 1/3 cup lecithin, granulated or liquid
- 3 Tbls. yeast
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup grain, seed and nut mix (optional)
Instructions
- Mix warm water, yeast, oil, and brown sugar.
- Add whole wheat flour, gluten, sea salt and lecithin. Mix thoroughly.
- At this point, I begin adding the white flour, one cup at a time. Humidity has a dramatic effect on bread dough, so the required amount of flour will vary based on that. I continue adding flour to the dough as the mixer is going. At the moment when the dough begins to pull cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, (The sides of the bowl will be completely clean, no dough sticking.) I stop adding flour.
- Add the grain, seed and nut mix, if desired. I use the Harvest Grain mix from King Arthur Flour. The bread is just as wonderful without it, but I am a texture fanatic and I love what the seeds and grain add to this delicious bread.
- Once, you have added the grain, set your kitchen timer for 7 minutes and let the Bosch do the kneading for you. If you are mixing and kneading by hand, you will want to knead this for about 10 minutes.
- Turn dough into a large, well-greased bowl. Cover with a warm, damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 4 equal portions. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover with warm, damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled.
- Bake in 350° oven for 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when the top is thumped. It will be hard to buy a loaf at the store after you taste this yummy bread! Enjoy!
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My husband is in bread heaven! He has been asking for a while, now, if I would try to make some rye bread. The problem was that I knew full well he was not talking about the dark pumpernickel loaves of traditional rye. What he likes would definitely be classified as light rye. He is [...]
My husband is in bread heaven! He has been asking for a while, now, if I would try to make some rye bread. The problem was that I knew full well he was not talking about the dark pumpernickel loaves of traditional rye. What he likes would definitely be classified as light rye. He is also not a fan of artisan shaped loaves. He wants a traditional-shaped, light rye bread that is soft and makes wonderful sandwiches. If you have ever tried rye bread baking, you understand that it isn’t necessarily a simple task to produce such a recipe. And then, a week ago Friday, I received an email from King Arthur Flour with the subject line, “This is the best sandwich rye bread ever!!!” Of course, I didn’t have any rye flour on hand, but I fired off an order to King Arthur for their medium rye flour and made plans to try this new recipe when it arrived. I received it early in the week and couldn’t wait to surprise David with the bread.
The best rye bread I ever baked!
King Arthur offers several varieties of rye flour:
- Rye Flour Blend – This blend takes a lot of the guesswork out of making rye bread, especially if you aren’t an experienced bread baker. It is a blend of medium rye, white rye, pumpernickel and unbleached bread flour.
- Medium Rye Flour – This flour is milled from rye berries, is darker in color than white rye and has had the germ and some of the bran removed. By itself, it will make a dense tasty rye bread, but mixed with all purpose flour will create the delicious sandwich loaves most of us associate with “light” rye bread from bakeries and markets.
- White Rye Flour – This is rye flour milled from the heart of the rye berry with both the germ and bran removed.
- Organic Pumpernickel (Rye) Flour - This is 100% rye flour with all the germ and bran, which means it is loaded with the fiber and nutrition of whole grain, as well as strong rye flavor. It will produce a much darker loaf.
I ordered the Medium Rye Flour and put it to good use as soon as it arrived. We will be making this (slightly adapted, as usual) rye bread recipe, over and over again! It was soft and intensely flavorful. I didn’t have potato flakes or flour on hand and so left it out. I added wheat gluten and lecithin to accomplish some of the same moisture, lift and tenderness that the potato would have added. Absolutely delicious! The other perk is that this recipe costs 1/2 or less of what I would have had to spend on rye bread at the store. Oh and one more perk? It’s nutritious. I control all the ingredients. Perfection!
Store-bought rye bread will never quite measure up after making this recipe. Delish! (When you print this recipe, the bold-face captions from under the pictures will show up. If you want to use the full picture-tutorial, be sure to visit the website at http://busy-at-home.com/blog/?p=9927.)
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
- 2/3 cup lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard seed
- 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 1 1/2 cups medium rye flour
- 2 T. wheat gluten
- 2 T. granular lecithin
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, a pinch of sugar and 2 or 3 Tablespoons of water. Set aside and allow it to proof for about 5 minutes. (Be sure you mix this in a dish that allows room for the mixture to bubble and expand.) I used instant yeast, which you really don't need to proof, but I think it deepens the flavor in my bread, so I almost always do.
- Mix the yeast and all other ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer and use the dough hook.
- Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and hold together as a dough. (See how the dough has cleaned the sides of my bowl?) The dough may be somewhat dry at this point. Leave it in your mixer and let it stand for 20 minutes, so the flours have time to absorb all the moisture.
- After 20 minutes, set your stand mixer on 2 (medium power) and allow the dough to knead for 7 minutes.
- The results of the kneading will be a soft, smooth dough. Place it in a greased bowl to rise. I sprayed some plastic wrap with non-stick spray and covered the bowl to help with the rising time.
- Let the dough rise 1 to 2 hours, until it is nice and puffy.
- After rising, deflate the dough and shape into a loaf.
- Place the loaf in a greased loaf pan (Mine is slightly over-sized [10"x5"]).
- Let the dough rise to 1 or 1 1/2 inches above the top of your bread pan.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Tent foil over loaf and bake for additional 20 minutes. Tenting the foil will keep the crust from over-browning.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove from pan and finish cooling on wire rack.
- Once cooled, slice the bread. I love this slicer. I use my electric knife.
This is how the yeast mixture looks after being stirred together.
This is the yeast mixture after the yeast has had five minutes to lunch on sugar water and grow.
These ingredients will make the most delicious rye sandwich bread you will ever eat! Dill pickle juice is the surprise ingredient. King Arthur Medium Rye Flour and Bread Flour are the products that will help achieve consistency in this recipe, each time you make it. Yes, there really is a difference in flour brands. I am 100% convinced of it and I'll be teaching you why, in an upcoming post.
Here's everything in the mixer, ready to be combined.
Here is the dough, mixed, but slightly dry, prior to the 20 minute wait.
This is the dough, right after kneading.
I actually set my kitchen timer for 1.5 hours and let this dough rise. This is the result.
I'm not a precision loaf-shaper. lol Once in the pan, I pressed the dough down and even then, didn't quite get the corners filled. No worries. It turned out perfect!
Risen bread dough, ready for the oven.
I put the loaf in the slicer, cut off the end, slice the loaf and then switch the small end I cut off into the slicer and finish those slices, too.
See how soft and flexible these slices are? They will fold easily without cracking or tearing and my handy-dandy slicer keeps them all a uniform thickness.
Yum!
We served this with chicken breasts, wrapped in cured dried beef and baked in a cream sauce, plus a fantastic pasta salad recipe, I'll share later.
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/best-sandwich-rye-bread-recipe-kingarthurflour/About 10 pm on Friday night, I started reading The Stocked Kitchen, by Sarah Kallio and Stacy Krastins. By midnight, I was finished. Seriously, I read a cookbook cover to cover and was so excited, I couldn’t go to sleep. It seems a little silly to call this just a cookbook. It’s more like “kitchen [...]
About 10 pm on Friday night, I started reading The Stocked Kitchen, by Sarah Kallio and Stacy Krastins. By midnight, I was finished. Seriously, I read a cookbook cover to cover and was so excited, I couldn’t go to sleep. It seems a little silly to call this just a cookbook. It’s more like “kitchen curriculum”. I’ve been cooking for at least 40 years, and I would venture to say I’m fairly good at it. Yet, I learned so much from The Stocked Kitchen that I had never previously considered. I can’t wait to share it. It is going to take a busy woman’s view of her kitchen, and cooking, and literally turn it upside down. I will venture to say that you have never seen another cookbook like it and though there will probably be many who will try to copy this ingenious concept, you get to hear about the one and only original, right here, on Busy-at-Home. (Enter to win a copy for yourself, at the end of this post!)
The first two “chapters” of the book are made up of a total of only three pages. After reading them, however, I was hooked. I felt a kinship with these women who knew exactly what the challenges are in a busy woman’s kitchen, day-to-day — you know, that 4:30 or 5:00 standing and staring into an open refrigerator or pantry and feeling like you have nothing to make for dinner challenge? They’ve been there, done that, AND they have a solution. The difference between understanding a dilemma, and solving a dilemma, is action. Sarah and Stacy’s actions are going to rock your cooking world! The system and recipes they have developed are going to save you time — they’re going to save you money — and they’re going to give you a confidence in the kitchen that will leave smiles on the faces of your family and guests at every meal. (I’m just a little stoked about this cookbook. ) Frugal, fast and made from scratch — everything we love at Busy-at-Home!
I have made several recipes from The Stocked Kitchen, already. One of them is their Taco Meat. It's delicious, cheaper than seasoning packets and this is definitely one I would cook in bulk and freeze in 1 lb packages. Taco meat is used as a base for several recipes, like Beef Enchiladas.
The short and sweet of the premise behind this book is one awesomely simple, yet comprehensive grocery list. Keep your fridge, freezer and pantry stocked with these items and you will always have what you need to create ANY of the more than 300 recipes in this book. The grocery list is included in tear-out pages in the back of this wonderful, hard cover cookbook. Stick it to the fridge, check off items as they are used (and train others in your house to do the same), so you know it needs to be replenished and then carry the list to the store with you every 7-10 days to restock your kitchen with the few items you need. You could easily just make copies of the page to have one for each week, or even simpler, visit The Stocked Pantry website and print the list on your printer at home. Do you realize how this will revolutionize the way you shop — how many “extra” things you will not be buying — how much time and money that can save? It boggles the mind.
Have I ever shown you how to roll a nice, tight burrito or enchilada? To make the beef enchiladas from The Stocked Kitchen, roll the taco meat in a flour tortilla. Fold the side edges in first.
So, what’s the secret to this grocery list? What makes it so magical and special? Have you ever seen a recipe online or in a magazine and thought it sounded amazing and decided to make it, only to find you needed some exotic ingredient that you have never purchased in your life, much less have sitting in your pantry? Have you made an extra trip to the store to get that item, and a few others you find along the way, just to bring it home, make the recipe and have the rest of that product sit untouched on your shelves for months or even years? I definitely have. The secret to The Stocked Kitchen grocery list is that all the items are everyday, normal food that you probably keep in your kitchen most of the time. When I first glanced at the list, I thought, “That’s a LOT of groceries!”, but after taking the time to read through it, I already had about 85-90% of those items in my kitchen. The few things that aren’t on your normal list of staples, will quickly become familiar to you, because they are so commonly used in these recipes. You won’t be buying exotic, but you WILL be buying cost-effective, common ingredients that can be used to create delicious, nutritious meals and that will save you money on 1) pre-packaged, processed food and 2) going out to eat at the last minute because you “don’t have anything to cook at home”.
Once the ends are folded in, roll tightly.
These recipes are certainly family-friendly, but they will be equally great for entertaining. There are options for every palate and quite a few vegetarian options, as well. That was actually one of my biggest concerns before reading the book — “Won’t we get tired of having the same old dishes day in and day out? How can there be enough variety, with only one shopping list?” Let me ask you a question. In a 30-day span, are there any of your family’s favorite dishes that you prepare more than once? We sure do and sometimes it’s because we want it, sometimes it’s because I can’t think of anything else to make. The Stocked Kitchen has enough soup, pasta, and meat main dish recipes that you would be able to eat a different dinner (no repeats) every night for more than two months. I know, because I counted. Our family is not huge on seafood, (though I may try incorporating it more often with these recipes), so I counted how many meals I would be able to make if I never used ANY of the seafood recipes. There were over two months worth and that doesn’t count the times we will eat breakfast for supper or have a baked potato bar, etc. This grocery list doesn’t limit you, it uses ingredients you typically keep on hand, anyway, and provides you with the recipes to help you create a delicious, expanded repertoire of meals for your family without needing to run to the store before you cook each night. If you’re like me (and I know you are 
), you’ll immediately recognize how many of your family’s own recipes fit the grocery list, which expands your possibilities even further. I don’t know about you, but that’s exciting to me. What has become a drudgery and a chore – grocery shopping — will become streamlined, simple and quick. Happy, happy mama!
There you have it! This method works well for burritos, enchiladas and chimichangas. This is an enchilada from The Stocked Kitchen. Now, all it needs is a half dozen more and the sauce and cheese. You'll love their recipe! This is the point at which I would take advantage of a simple freezer-cooking technique. You could easily make and roll these in bulk, flash freeze them and then store in gallon Zip-loc bags in the freezer. Pull out the number you need when a "quick fix" dinner or lunch is in order. Put them in the pan with sauce and cheese and bake. All the prep work being done ahead of time makes this a cinch to prepare and the oooohs and aaahs over how good they taste will make you feel like a master chef in your own kitchen!
I also believe there are many recipes in the Stocked Kitchen that would lend themselves well to freezer cooking, another of my favorite time and money savers. The Stocked Kitchen has recipes for main dishes and soups, pasta dishes, appetizers, desserts, pizzas, breakfasts and brunches, salads, breads, beans, potatoes, rice and veggies! Plus, you’ll learn to make your own sauces, salsas, dressings and condiments from ingredients on the list, saving money and space in the fridge. What’s left? What’s not to love? It’s pure genius!
This Cucumber Dressing is another recipe I tried. (See all the yummy minced cucumber and dill flecks? Mmmmm!) It took about 3 minutes to whip up, using ingredients right out of my kitchen. Fabulous! It was great on salad and we are going to try it as a veggie dip and a spread on wraps, as well.
You’ve read a lot of my reviews, so you know I take pretty seriously what I recommend. It’s one thing to be able to like and recommend a product. It’s another to say you need it. We have a pretty clear understanding of the difference between wants and needs in our house. So, understand I am not speaking lightly when I say, “You NEED this book.” I seriously believe it will save you time and money, help your family to eat healthier and take the panic out of mealtime preparation. You will do your job more efficiently, effectively and happily because you have the tools you need to pull it off. I will be giving this book as a wedding or bridal shower gift each time I receive an invitation. If it were the only cookbook a new bride owned, she’d be set. Seriously! Yes, it’s a cookbook, but it’s also a tool, it’s a plan for being successful in the kitchen. It equips you to masterfully prepare tasty meals, from ingredients you already have in your kitchen and enjoy doing it. I wish I had had it years ago. You’re going to love it!
Here’s one recipe, I’ve been given permission to reprint for you. You need to put a batch of this in the oven every time you are going to have company, because your house smells AMAZING while it is baking!
These are DELISH! I had trouble not just eating them, instead of saving them for recipes. They are part of a recipe for Cinnamon Chip Scones, in "The Stocked Kitchen", but I can't wait to add them to a batch of Snickerdoodle Cookies! Yum! Oooh! and biscuits! lol
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. (In my oven, this worked better at 275 degrees)
- Cover a jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with aluminum foil.
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients with a fork until crumbly and evenly blended.
- Spread onto the jelly roll pan.
- Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until melted and bubbly.
- Cool completely on the pan.
- Break into small pieces.
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/the-stocked-kitchen-review-giveaway-atriabooks-thestockedkitch/THE GIVEAWAY!!! The Stocked Kitchen publisher, Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster), has generously sponsored a giveaway of one copy of the book for a Busy-at-Home reader.
GIVEAWAY RULES:
You must be 18 or older and a US resident to enter. Mandatory entry must be completed before any optional entries will be counted. Winner will be selected in a random drawing using random.org. Deadline for entry is midnight (CST), Sunday, August 7, 2011.
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MANDATORY ENTRY:
In a comment below, share how The Stocked Kitchen would benefit you and your family.
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OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
- Like The Stocked Kitchen on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Follow The Stocked Kitchen on Twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Like Busy-at-Home on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Follow Busy-at-Home on Google Friends Connect by clicking the Join Button in the right-hand side bar. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
- Subscribe to the Busy-at-Home Newsletter with this link or in the right-hand sidebar. You will receive an email confirmation with a link that must be clicked to confirm your subscription. Once you click the email link to confirm your subscription, leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
- Tweet this giveaway (maximum of 1x per day, please). Win “The Stocked Kitchen” and revolutionize the way you shop & cook! @busyathome @AtriaBooks @thestockedkitch http://ow.ly/5Qi1i Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.
- Post this giveaway on your Facebook page. Win “The Stocked Kitchen” and revolutionize the way you shop & cook! @busyathome @AtriaBooks @thestockedkitch http://ow.ly/5Qi1i Leave a comment below with a link to your post.
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I received a copy of The Stocked Kitchen, in order to test recipes and conduct this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As always at Busy-at-Home, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own.
You’re going to LOVE these! They are easy to make and the texture is perfect — soft, fluffy, wow! They are absolutely delicious and you are going to be able to use them in multiple forms. First, if you missed the post that shows you how to make your own Sourdough Starter, pop over there [...]
You’re going to LOVE these! They are easy to make and the texture is perfect — soft, fluffy, wow! They are absolutely delicious and you are going to be able to use them in multiple forms. First, if you missed the post that shows you how to make your own Sourdough Starter, pop over there and get your own starter going. Right now! Get movin’. You definitely want to bake these.
Sourdough Rolls with Butter and Honey
| Easy Honey Oat Sourdough Rolls |
Recipe Type: bread
Author:
Prep time: 1 hour 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 1 hour 35 mins
Serves: 20-24
Simple, delicious and texturally perfect! You’ll love the flavor of these soft, fluffy rolls whether you use them as sandwich rolls, dinner rolls or in some other form (maybe crescents? hmmm…).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 5 teaspoons yeast
- 2 cups sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 6-8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Place starter and water in the bowl of your stand mixer and mix together. (Remembering to have your starter out of the fridge and at room temperature, before you start, would be ideal. When I forget, I use hot water, instead of warm, so that it takes the chill off my starter.)
- Add melted butter and honey and mix together.
- Mix in the yeast.
- Blend in the eggs.
- Add 6 cups of flour and the baking soda. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and a dough forms. Continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time and mixing it in, until the dough pulls cleanly from the sides of your mixing bowl.
- Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled.
- Punch down dough and shape into the desired roll for your menu.
- Place on greased baking sheets, cover and let rise until doubled.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Yield will depend on how large you make your rolls.
This recipe can also be mixed and kneaded by hand.
Yummy, sourdough rolls, fresh from the oven and brushed with melted butter. Don't you just want to grab one and eat it, right now!!??!! Careful! They're hot!
Steps to Making Easy Sour Dough Rolls in your own Kitchen:
- Put sourdough starter and warm water in the bowl of your stand mixer. If you didn’t remember to pull the starter out of the fridge early enough for it to be at room temperature, no worries. I never think of it until the last minute. I put the starter in my mixing bowl, turn on the mixer and slowly add the HOT, not warm, water. It seems to have worked each time, without killing the leavening properties of the starter, which I was concerned about in the beginning. That will bring your starter closer to room temperature and help your bread to rise more effectively. (Or you could be one of those mysteriously hyper-organized people that never forgets to get the starter out early. Cool! Just mix it right in with warm water.)
Add starter and water to your mixing bowl.
- Mix in melted butter and honey.
Add melted butter and honey.
- Mix in the yeast.
- Blend in the eggs.
Once the yeast has dissolved, add in the eggs.
- Mix in 6 cups of flour, salt and baking soda.
Mix in the salt, baking soda and 6 cups of flour.
- Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and dough forms. This is that point we talk about so often, when making bread. The humidity in your home will dramatically affect the amount of flour you need, which for me, means that every batch is slightly different. Continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough pulls cleanly from the sides of your mixing bowl.
The dough will form a lump and clean the sides of the bowl.
- Knead the dough on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
- Move the dough to a greased bowl, cover with a warm damp towel and allow to rise until doubled in size.
Bread dough risen and ready to be made into rolls.
- Shape rolls and place them on a greased cookie sheet to rise until doubled.
Shape your rolls and let them rise until doubled.
Allow the rolls to rise until doubled in size.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Brush with melted butter when you remove them from the oven. I could eat the whole tray, plain, hot and fresh from the oven, but these are so good for burgers, sandwiches, with peanut butter and jelly or honey, any way you can imagine eating bread.
Beautifully browned, flavorful rolls, fresh from the oven.
Easy Honey Oat Sourdough Rolls with butter and drizzled with honey. Delish!
This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.
Menopause, or peri-memopause, or annoying, life-altering freak-show of physical and emotional craziness, or whatever you feel comfortable calling it, pretty much kicked my behind, this weekend. I’m explaining this only because my original intent was to do my first vlog (video blog) tutorial on fondant flower making. Which pretty much brings us to the reason [...]
Menopause, or peri-memopause, or annoying, life-altering freak-show of physical and emotional craziness, or whatever you feel comfortable calling it, pretty much kicked my behind, this weekend. I’m explaining this only because my original intent was to do my first vlog (video blog) tutorial on fondant flower making. Which pretty much brings us to the reason I have been reluctant to voyage into that frightening world in the first place – vlogging, not fondant flowers. Video is a completely truthful and unforgiving format. Pajamas and unshaved legs, as well as sleep-deprived dark circles under the eyes are going to show up as exactly that. My hormones have reduced me into a hairy sasquatch of a being, running around in capri sweat pants and one of my husband’s big, comfy button-down shirts. There is really no vlogging potential in my appearance, today, regardless of the miracles of editing. It’s not pretty, and thus, I spare you and posterity. No worries, however. I have a great recipe to share, in a couple of days which requires this easy sourdough starter as its leavening. A few snapshots and you’ll have it down, with no trouble. This I can do, today. Go ahead and whip this up along with me and we’ll bake some of the softest, yummiest rolls you can imagine, later this week.
…So
u
| Sourdough Starter |
Recipe Type: bread
Author:
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 72 hours
Total time: 72 hours 5 mins
Simple, no-fail starter for baking fantastic bread and baked goods!
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 Tablespoon yeast
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 cups flour
Instructions
- Put the warm water in a 3 or 4 quart glass container. It needs to be that deep, so as your starter grows, it has room to expand. I used my Pampered Chef 4 quart batter bowl. It has a lid that snaps on when I get ready to store this in the fridge.
- Dissolve the yeast and honey in the warm water. Just stir a little until they both dissolve and are incorporated.
- Add the flour and stir until the batter is smooth.
- Cover with a clean dish towel and set it up in a warm corner of your kitchen for 2 or 3 days. (It is certainly possible, depending on the temperature in your kitchen, that your starter may take an extra day or two.)
- You’re growing a living organism and alcohol is going to form and separate from the mixture. Once a day, you’ll just need to stir that back in.
- After 2 or 3 days, you will notice the mixture has stopped bubbling and has developed a sour smell. At that point , give it one last stir and then snap a lid on your container or transfer your starter to a glass container that does have a lid. Store it in the refrigerator.
Notes
Keeping Your Starter Alive
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Like every healthy, growing organism, your starter needs to be fed to keep growing and provide you with ongoing leavening for your favorite baked goods. Feeding your starter is a simple process. For every cup of starter you remove, for a recipe, you will need to add back:
* 1 cup of flour
* 1/2 cup of water
Just stir them into your starter, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it set out in your warm kitchen overnight. Then snap the lid back on and store it in the fridge.
If it has been two weeks and you haven’t used any of your starter, it’s still going to be hungry and need some nourishment. So, if after two weeks, you haven’t baked with it, remove one cup of the starter and feed it, as described above.
This process will keep you continuously supplied with fantastic, tangy starter to use as leavening in your favorite baked goods. Stay tuned for that fantastic roll recipe. You’re going to be so glad you made this starter.
Here’s what I did:
- Put the warm water in a 3 or 4 quart glass container. It needs to be that deep, so as your starter grows, it has room to expand. I used my Pampered Chef 4 quart batter bowl. It has a lid that snaps on when I get ready to store this in the fridge.
Four simple ingredients to create your sourdough starter.
- Dissolve the yeast and honey in the warm water. Just stir a little until they both dissolve and are incorporated.
Dissolve the yeast and honey in the warm water.
- Add the flour and stir until the batter is smooth.
Stir in the flour.
- Cover with a clean dish towel and set it up in a warm corner of your kitchen for 2 or 3 days. (It is certainly possible, depending on the temperature in your kitchen, that your starter may take an extra day or two.)
Finished sour dough starter. Cover this and let it set in your warm kitchen for a few days. It's definitely the beginning of something amazing!!!
- You’re growing a living organism and alcohol is going to form and separate from the mixture. Once a day, you’ll just need to stir that back in.
- After 2 or 3 days, you will notice the mixture has stopped bubbling and has developed a sour smell. At that point , give it one last stir and then snap a lid on your container or transfer your starter to a glass container that does have a lid. Store it in the refrigerator.
,,,
Keeping Your Starter Alive
Like every healthy, growing organism, your starter needs to be fed to keep growing and provide you with ongoing leavening for your favorite baked goods. Feeding your starter is a simple process. For every cup of starter you remove, for a recipe, you will need to add back:
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of water
Just stir them into your starter, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it set out in your warm kitchen overnight. Then snap the lid back on and store it in the fridge.
If it has been two weeks and you haven’t used any of your starter, it’s still going to be hungry and need some nourishment. So, if after two weeks, you haven’t baked with it, remove one cup of the starter and feed it, as described above.
This process will keep you continuously supplied with fantastic, tangy starter to use as leavening in your favorite baked goods. Stay tuned for that fantastic roll recipe. You’re going to be so glad you made this starter.
…
This recipe is linked to Grocery Cart Challenge and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.
Two of my most favorite quick breads are perfect for eating and gifting; and fall is the ideal time to start baking them for your freezer, so you have plenty on hand for quick gifts and unexpected company. Pumpkin Bread and Zucchini Bread fill your home with the warm spicy fragrances that always make me [...]
Two of my most favorite quick breads are perfect for eating and gifting; and fall is the ideal time to start baking them for your freezer, so you have plenty on hand for quick gifts and unexpected company. Pumpkin Bread and Zucchini Bread fill your home with the warm spicy fragrances that always make me think of fall – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Mmmmmm…I love it!
Bette Wellenkotter, the dearest of people who ever was. This is taken as she signed the guest book at my wedding, but the strongest picture of her in my mind is in light blue overalls and a denim cap, working in the yard. She was definitely one of my all-time favorite people!
Both these recipes were handed down from a dear, dear friend of our family when I was a child (back during the Paleolithic Era) . Her name was Bette Wellenkotter. She was sort of a combination of a grandma and fairy godmother, all in one. I was a voracious reader as a kid and Bette had a “library” IN her house. It was amazing! It was a lovely white room with high ceilings and a window seat where the sun poured in on me when I read. Bette introduced me to Anne Shirley (Have you read the Anne of Green Gables series? I hope so. If not, you must go to the library, immediately.) Anyway, Bette is one of my favorite memories of childhood. She left me with her own personal copies of the Anne of Green Gables books, a love for Yahtzee, Pepsi & Vanilla Ice Cream Floats and these two yummy recipes. She was a peach!
Bake and Give Wooden Bakers from King Arthur Flour.They come with their own silicone paper liners.
I had the perfect opportunity to try out the fantastic Bake and Give Wooden Bakers from King Arthur Flour when I made these recipes. I loved the generous size for gift-giving and that no one ever has to worry about returning my pan, they’re free to just enjoy the gift. These functional and attractive wooden pans are made from poplar wood and come as a set of 6. Each has a silicone paper liner to hold your bread or cake batter as it’s baked and prevents your baked goods from sticking. Bake them up. Cool and then wrap with plastic wrap. Add a bow or a pretty ribbon and you have a spectacular gift that would be perfect as a thank you for a hostess, a treat for a college student or co-worker or any other fan of your home-baked goodies. Pumpkin bread and zucchini bread will be huge hits on your Thanksgiving and Christmas buffet tables and smashingly successful as gifts under the Christmas tree! Both these recipes are moist and flavorful, they freeze beautifully and the flavor is actually enhanced by freezing for a time.
Some quick ideas to make your Bake and Give Wooden Bakers into warm and welcome gifts! It was as simple as wrapping one with a scrap of fabric and tying with a ribbon bow or wrapping in plastic wrap and recycling a gift bow from a previous package. What a great way to say,"Welcome to the neighborhood!" or "Thanks for all your help!"
Pumpkin Bread or Muffins Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon Vietnamese Cinnamon
Directions:
Cream the sugar and butter.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Bread or Muffins. I have always loved King Arthur flours, but have only recently started using their Vietnamese Cinnamon. It has a slightly sweeter fragrance and flavor than other cinnamon I have used. I also was out of both nutmeg and cloves, so substituted allspice.
Add the eggs.
Add the eggs to creamed butter and sugar.
Add water and pumpkin.
Mix in the pumpkin and water.
Mix in dry ingredients (King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg and Vietnamese Cinnamon).
Mix in all dry ingredients, including spices.
Pour batter into greased baking pans, prepared Bake and Give Wooden Bakers or prepared muffin tins. Bake at 375°, 1 hour for a full-sized loaf, 40-45 minutes for the Bake & Give Wooden Bakers and 20-25 minutes for muffins.
Completed batter.
Pumpkin Bread batter ready to bake in the Bake and Give Wooden Bakers from King Arthur Flour.
I doubled the Pumpkin Bread recipe, when I was baking for this post. I divided my batter between two of the Bake and Give Wooden Bakers. Next time, I will use three for a doubled recipe. The bakers hold 2 to 2½ cups of batter and I definitely overfilled them, this first time. One did spill over the sides as it was baking. When I made the zucchini bread, (in the recipe below), I split my batter between 3 bakers (about 2 cups of batter each) and it worked much better.
One beautiful loaf of pumpkin bread and the remains of the one that was pounced upon and devoured straight out of the oven. The silicone paper liners for the wooden bakers made it super simple to remove the loaf from the pan. No sticking or crumbling. Absolutely perfect!
Printable Version of Pumpkin Bread/Muffins Recipe
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Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded or grated zucchini
- 1 cup oil or butter ( I have used both successfully.)
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon Vietnamese Cinnamon
- 2½ cups King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
Ingredients for Zucchini Bread. I actually switched up and used butter instead of oil, after I had already snapped this picture.
Wash the zucchini, but don’t peel it. Use a hand grater to shred it if you like, but I use the blender attachment on my Bosch. I just cut the zucchini into chunks, cover with water and then quickly grind it by pulsing the blender a few times. I still leave it fairly coarse. You don’t want it granular or pureed. Drain the water from the zucchini by pouring it into a sieve.
Zucchini washed, chunked and ready to grind in the blender.
Zucchini ground and draining.
Mix the butter (oil) and sugar.
Mix the butter (or oil) and sugar.
Add the eggs, zucchini and vanilla.
Add eggs, zucchini and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients and then mix in the nuts, if you are adding them.
Add the dry ingredients.
Pour the mixed batter into two greased, full-size bread pans, or three of the Bake and Give Wooden Bakers, or I have never done zucchini bread as muffins, but I have no doubt you could pour the batter into prepared muffin tins, with excellent results.
Zucchini batter completed.
Bake in a 350° oven, 1 hour for full-sized loaves, 40-45 minutes for Bake and Give Wooden Bakers or 20-25 minutes for muffins.
Zucchini batter in Bake and Give Wooden Bakers
There is no way this bread comes out of the oven without some of it being sliced, immediately. I was able to put two in the freezer, but we had to eat one. It’s DELISH!
Warm, delicious and perfect!
Printable Version of Zucchini Bread Recipe
This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and The Grocery Cart Challenge.
Last month, I introduced you to a new blog challenge I have enjoyed participating in, Taste and Create. Each month, two blogs are paired and then they each spend a little time exploring the recipes on the other’s blog. Then they make the recipe and blog about it on their own site and then post [...]
Last month, I introduced you to a new blog challenge I have enjoyed participating in, Taste and Create. Each month, two blogs are paired and then they each spend a little time exploring the recipes on the other’s blog. Then they make the recipe and blog about it on their own site and then post it to Taste and Create. Not only do I get to try new recipes, I find other excellent food blogs. For September, I was paired with The Cupcake Project. Well, you can obviously guess from her blog name that I had a very difficult time selecting only one recipe from Stef’s The Cupcake Project. And actually, you may be very surprised at what I finally landed on.
I bake bread all year round, but when the cooler weather of fall rolls in, it ushers in an uncontrollable urge to try new flavors, shapes, and textures in my bread baking. I am much more likely to experiment and test ideas when the warmth of the oven and the intoxicating aroma of fresh bread can fill our home and draw everyone into the cheeriness of the kitchen. Relenting to an urge just like that, yesterday, I chose Dinner Rolls over at Taste and Create. We love bread, with a meal, as a meal, in between meals, as a midnight snack… You get the idea. I didn’t make just 12 little dinner rolls.
- Steph’s yummy roll, shaped to fit her cupcake-themed blog.
The recipe tripled easily, for feeding our voracious crew and of course, I was out of yogurt, as well as honey, so I did a little “tweaking” of the recipe. I know that doesn’t surprise any of you, by now. I have to tell you that Stef’s recipe is superb! And though I did change it up, you would be proud to serve it at any dinner party, or in any of the many different forms I am going to suggest. This bread is soft and tender and has a slightly tangy flavor. It is still soft and tender after being stored in zip-top bags on the counter. It will freeze well, and thus the reason for adding it to our freezer-cooking category, too. I made sandwich rolls, this time, but this recipe will lend itself easily to small, delicate dinner rolls, hamburger and hotdog buns, cinnamon rolls and though they wouldn’t be so flaky as “canned”, they would be gorgeous and delicious baked up as crescents. I may even try it as a pig-in-the-blanket roll or “runza/bierock” roll and of course, I think it would be a wonderfully soft and tender sliced bread. Absolutely delicious and a simple go-to bread recipe, with a lot of versatility!
Here is Steph’s original recipe (which she tweaked from Allrecipes.com — lol, bakers seem to just be a tweaking kind of crowd.). What follows, below, will be the way I baked it up, here at home.
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Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls/Sandwich Rolls/Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: 24 Large Sandwich Rolls
Ingredients:
- 4 cups warm water (not hot, you don’t want to kill your yeast, but it does have to be warm enough to activate it)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbls. yeast
- 1 cup wheat gluten (sometimes called vital wheat gluten or gluten flour)
- 1/3 cup granular lecithin (can substitute liquid.) (You could also omit this soybean-derived ingredient, but it will change the texture and shelf-life of your bread, if you do.)
- 1 Tbls. sea salt (you can use table salt)
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 cups white flour
- 5-6 cups whole wheat flour
Directions:
- Stir together warm water, yeast, brown sugar, 1 cup of white flour, wheat gluten, lecithin and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer or large bowl if mixing by hand.
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First ingredients in mixing bowl. (Remember you can right-click your mouse on any picture and select View Image, to see the picture full-size.) Yeast and brown sugar have already dissolved in the warm water and are happily getting to know one another.
- Mix until all ingredients are dissolving and incorporated. You will still see a few yellow pearls of lecithin, but it will be dissolving. Now, it’s time to have a glass of iced tea or a Coke and just let this mixture hang out for about 10 minutes. It will just look like a yellowish, tan smooth liquid, right now.
First ingredients, mixed, and ready to party! You can still see the specks of lecithin. I promise, it will dissolve and you'll never see it in your bread.
- After 10 minutes, the yeast will have become very active, feeding on the sugar and causing your mixture to bubble and expand. That’s when you will add the softened butter and sour cream. Mix it thoroughly.
See all the bubbling and growing action!!?!! The butter and sour cream are sinking into the "soup".
- Add the remaining 3 cups of white flour and start mixing. While the mixer is still going, begin adding wheat flour ½ – 1 cup at a time. In yesterday’s humidity, I used just a little over 5 cups of wheat flour to reach the correct consistency for my dough. You’ll know you have it right, when the dough pulls together in one clump and cleans the sides of your mixing bowl.
The dough has completely cleaned the sides of my mixing bowl.
- Once I get to this stage, I let my mixer do the real work of bread-making for me. I put the lid on the bowl, set the speed to medium and allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. Once the kneading is complete, place the dough into an oiled bowl and set in a warm spot, to rise.
Dough in bowl ready for rising.
- At this point, I always cover my bread dough with a clean, damp (from warm water) tea towel. The warmth and moisture continue to encourage the yeast and help to achieve a good rise. Let the dough rest there, until it’s doubled in size.
- Covered and ready to rise until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and shape into the particular type of rolls (or loaves) you want to make. I did sandwich rolls and they were pretty “free form”. Place your rolls on a greased baking sheet, again covering to rise until they have doubled.
- Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes, until the rolls are beautifully, golden brown and your tummy is rumbling from the amazing smell wafting through your house. At this point, (immediately after removing from the oven), I rub a stick of butter over the top of each roll to butter the tops (not a whole stick for each roll -lol- just one stick for all of them. It will only use about 1/3 of the stick.)
Piping hot bread rolls with buttered tops! Yum!
Now, when you’re as obsessed with enthusiastic about homemade bread, as we are, you aren’t always as delicate and refined as you could be about eating it. As a matter of fact, you might not believe this, but some people in our household have been known to pull piping hot, buttered rolls straight from the baking sheet and tear, rather than slice, them open. They then proceed to eat that deliciously soft, tender, warm, comforting bread without taking the time to put ANYTHING on it! Can you imagine!!?!!
Torn open with freshly burned fingers!
Once the initial excited frenzy is over, allow the rolls to cool and then store them in airtight containers. I use gallon-size zip-top bags. At this point, they will keep about a week in your pantry or you can freeze them for several months. We used them to make shredded beef sandwiches, with the chuck roast I had cooking away in the crockpot all afternoon. Delicious!
Shredded beef sandwiches on freshly made rolls. Yum!
Printable Version of Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls
This post is linked to Grocery Cart Challenge.
