All Natural Lemon Loaf

For the lemon lovers out there, here is a recipe full of natural tart lemon flavor.

I set out to make a lemon loaf like the one my boys {who are endless lemon lovers} drool over at the coffee shop.  I wouldn't say this is a copy cat recipe.  I would say it is BETTER!  Fluffy.  Moist. Flavorful.  And natural.

I didn't search the web for a copycat recipe because I knew a couple of things.  One, there would be way too many to choose from.  The original most likely relies on something other than real lemon for its flavor.  I don't know that; I'm just guessing.

So I relied on a few prior recipes and the recent success I had with making flavored sugar from zest {in my most recent success it was with orange zest}.  I am quite amazed at how incredible the flavor of the zest permeates the sugar crystals.  The smell of the citrus oils is beautiful.  And it adds so much natural flavor to a recipe.

So here is the results of testing and tweaking.  If you are looking for a copy cat recipe for lemon loaf, this isn't it.  If you are looking for a tart but sweet, almost divine lemon cake/bread/whathaveyou, this is it.

All Natural Lemon Loaf
2 cups white sugar
zest from 2 lemons
3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder {double acting}
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
5 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sour cream, room temperature
1/2 c pure lemon juice*
Lemon Glaze {recipe follows}

*I juiced the two lemons and got 1/2 cup of lemon juice.  The remainder of the juice needed for the glaze was from a bottle of organic, 100% lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour two standard loaf pans.  Combine sugar and lemon zest in jar; shake and seal for at least 10 minutes.  Recommend doing this the day before for a stronger lemon flavor.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk and set aside.  Cream butter and lemon sugar together for 5 minutes, til fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Add vanilla and lemon extract.  Scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula to incorporate all ingredients.

Add 1/3 of flour mixture to butter; blend just to combine.  Add lemon juice; blend.  Add another third flour mix to batter; blend just to combine.  Add half of the sour cream; blend.  Add remaining flour and sour cream.  Blend just to combine.

Divide batter between two loaf pans.  Bake in preheated oven for 50~60 minutes, til golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks completely before removing.

To make lemon glaze, combine 2 cups of powdered sugar with 1/3 cup pure lemon juice.  Whisk to combine.  Pour over tops of cooled loaves.  Keeps for 2-3 days on counter if covered with cloth or parchment.

I used a combination of baking powder and baking soda.  Why baking powder?  Baking soda often causes cakes and baked goods to brown, especially when cooked a long time.  Baking powder doesn't so much and it's rising affect works with the heat, so more time cooking works with the baking powder.  Here's a great explanation and visual demonstration of the browning effect at Serious Eats.  One more thing.  Most baking soda sold now is double acting so that is what I used.  If you don't have double acting, just make certain you bake your lemon loaf as soon as you have the batter mixed and in the pan.

Orange Poppy Seed Bread

Do you understand the idea that the radio can kill a song?  It's played over, and over, and . . . Then without notice the song disappears, rarely to be heard on the radio again.  And one day, you walk into a coffee shop and the song is playing.  I forgot all about this song!

Sometimes I feel that way about recipes.  Everyone makes spinach dip or buffalo wings when there's a get together.  I love those things but after a while you want something different.  And sometimes you forget about those recipes.

For me this happened with lemon poppy seed muffins.  They were always a sure thing for breakfast or snack and just became mundane.  This week I was looking for a lemon recipe and happened upon one for a poppy seed bread with orange glaze.  Well, that was a bit of a change.  Enough to capture my interest.

The recipe needed some sprucing up.  I swapped the oil for melted butter; this trick works great for baked recipes.  Butter is so much more flavorful and natural {I know, oil is naturally occurring.  It just seems so unnatural to use a whole cup in something you'll eat} and gives a beautiful golden color to baked goods.  The batter is enough for two loaves or a loaf and some muffins.  Or a loaf and some small cakes, mini bundt cakes precisely.

The third change was a must for the orange flavor.  The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of orange juice in the glaze.  The orange flavor in the finished bread was indiscernible.  But the bread was luscious.  With the second go-round I took zest from two oranges and stirred it into the sugar.  The sugar will absorb the oils from the orange zest, which is where much of the flavor is, at least concentrated flavor.  Put the orange zest and sugar together in a jar; stir and shake.  Let sit for at least ten minutes.  I've started doing this and leaving it over night.  It makes a huge difference in the flavor of the bread.

I feel like I have rediscovered a lost song, one that is bright and cheery and makes my toes tap.  Only, it's a recipe.  And my taste buds are singing it's sweet and happy tune.

Orange Poppy Seed Bread
1 c white sugar
zest from two medium oranges
1 c brown sugar
1 c {2 sticks} butter
3 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 c milk, room temperature
1/4 c poppy seeds

Stir zest and white sugar together.  Allow to set for at least ten minutes.  Melt butter; let cool.
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease pans {2 loaf pans or 12 large muffin/cakelette pans}.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add orange~sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, eggs and milk.  With mixer, blend on medium speed for two minutes.  Stir in poppy seeds.  Divide batter evenly between pans.  Do not fill muffin/cakelette cups more than 3/4 full to avoid spilling.  Bake loaf 45-55 minutes, until golden and inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Bake muffins/cakelettes 25-30 minutes.

While loaves are baking, make glaze.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Whisk together.  When loaves are removed from oven, pour glaze over loaves while in pan.  Let cool completely, in the pan.  For muffins, let cool for 10 minutes in pans.  Remove and drizzle glaze over top of muffins.

If using large muffin tins or min cake pans, don't over fill.  Use about 3/4 cup of batter so that the batter doesn't spill over while baking.  The muffins can be glazed after they are removed from the pan.  The loaf should be glazed in the pan and allow to cool completely before removing.

Our Favorite Banana Bread

We never seem to have enough bananas in our house.  But we are particular about what bananas we eat.  They have to be firm but not green and without spots.  I've quit buying bananas from our local retail warehouse.  Even if they look firm and slightly green, they are already ripe and mushy once peeled.  Unfortunately I too often forget that and am tempted by a picture perfect bunch.  Don't judge a banana by its cover.

So, you ask, what do I do with a bunch of over~ripe bananas?  What most people do. I make banana bread.  In addition to being particular about bananas, mouths in my house are quite particular about banana bread.  No nuts, no chocolate chips, just bananas. This is a simple bread, but much moist and flavorful.

My five year old stated, "This bread tastes like bananas."  Great!  That's what it is supposed to taste like.  It makes an excellent gift or a nice addition to your continental breakfast.  Serve it with a bit of butter or cream cheese {though it is delicious on its own}.

Favorite Banana Bread

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, not packed
2~3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F.
Blend cream cheese, butter and brown sugar together. Add bananas, eggs and vanilla; blend well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda in separate bowl and whisk to combine. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture. Spread in a large greased loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 50~65 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing.

Notes
*To remove from pan easily, make certain bread is not hot before inverting pan.  Loaf should easily slide out.
*If you  want more banana flavor and an even moister bread {more like cake}, use 3 bananas whereas 2 gives you a more traditional bread texture and flavor.
*The bread gets quite dark on the top.  It isn't burnt. Just remember that it isn't done when it is slightly golden.

Cheesy Garlic Rolls and BMT Salad~ Friday Night Dinner

Friday night, there's one every week.  In our house, we like to take it easy but also have some fun.  Most often we watch a movie and eat dinner while we watch.  Dinner is often something that isn't difficult to make or is made ahead of time.  One more thing, dinner has to be yummy.

I know many families opt for pizza on Friday nights.  Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.  Pizza happens to be one of our favorite Friday night dinners, but something different can be good and just as delicious.  Cheesy garlic rolls are similar to pizza~ based on pizza or bread stick dough and loaded with cheese, my children L~O~V~E these.  They don't miss the tomato sauce.  In fact, these have their favorite parts of pizza, lots of gooey cheese with a buttery crust.

But we can't have just cheesy garlic rolls for dinner, now can we?  Well, my kids think they can.  Here's a salad that is so flavorful and a nice twist~ BMT Salad.  I had this at a covered dish once, got the recipe, and now make it a few times a year ever since.  The salad makes enough for quite a large group so you may want to half it.  It is a hearty salad with bread and fresh mozzarella and bacon.  The balsamic vinegar and the basil add a distinctly sweet flavor to the whole salad.

Basil Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1 small baguette, cubed
4 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
4-6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 lb bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl; cover and let marinate in refrigerator at least an hour.  Place bread cubes on cookie sheet; toast in preheated oven for about 5-8 minutes, tossing once or twice.

Place toasted bread in large bowl; add tomatoes, basil and marinated mozzarella.  Toss and let sit at least 15 minutes. Place lettuce in serving bowl.  Top with bread mixture, green onions and crumbled bacon.  Toss lightly. Serves 10~12.

Cheesy Garlic Rolls
1 1/2 c warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp
4-5 c flour
drizzle of olive oil
1/3 c butter, very soft
6 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
3 c shredded mozzarella

Mix sugar with the warm water; add yeast and stir.  Let sit in warm spot for 5 minutes until foamy.  Stir in salt.  Add 2 cups of flour and stir to combine.  Using dough hook {or hands}, add 1 cup flour at a time and stir/knead dough until it is not too sticky and forms a ball.  Flour your work surface and knead dough on surface for a couple of minutes, until smooth.  Place dough in a large glass or porceline bowl; drizzle with a bit of olive oil and toss to coat.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm spot for 1 hour to rise, about doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a 9"x13" pan.
Punch risen dough down.  On floured surface, roll dough out to a bit larger than 9"x13".  Spread soft butter over entire surface of dough.  Combine Parmesan, garlic and basil.  Sprinkle over buttered dough.  Top with mozzarella.  Roll dough, like for cinnamon rolls, from the long side to the long side.  Cut into 12 equal pieces.  Place in greased 9"x13" pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 20~25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Serve warm.

Tips and Tricks~
*You can make these ahead of time, up to the point of baking.  Just keep covered and refrigerated, even overnight.  Let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking and you'll be good to go.
*The salad is easy to make ahead as long as you don't combine all the ingredients.  Keep the ingredients in separate baggies in one container to throw together just before serving.  That also means you don't want to have leftovers of this salad; it doesn't keep after combing everything.  Though, you probably won't have any leftovers.
*When chopping the fresh basil, layer the leaves and roll.  Then slice thinly, and chop the thin slices.

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Truly the Best Cinnamon Rolls~ Ever

Often I don't think of posting a recipe I find on another blog if I don't alter it noticably, especially if it is quite popular or has been seen many other places. But I am making an exception because I think everyone is in need of the absolutely best cinnamon roll recipe. And this is it!

In my quest for the best cinnamon roll from scratch, I happened upon a post on Pinterest that claimed to be the recipe for the best cinnamon roll. Thankfully there were many comments from those who had actually used the recipe. They weren't necessarily negative comments but they were enough to push me to continue my search. Yay for me! And thank you Kaitlyn for posting the recipe that really wowed me.

It isn't as if this is a hidden recipe. Actually the original source is allrecipes.com.  I have probably even seen it before since it is highly rated and reviewed on that site.  But for some reason, I had not tried it before.  I have made cinnamon rolls a few times but was never wowed. I even gave up and decided to make a cinnamon roll bread that is no knead.  I like it. It is good.  It's texture is nice.  But I enjoy the satisfaction of actually make a cinnamon roll.

I did make a few changes to the recipe.  Some are very slight changes such as the amount of flour and yeast.  The most noticeable change is simply that I doubled the amount of frosting.  I like more than a slight slather of frosting with my cinnamon rolls.  If you like yours lighter, just half the frosting ingredients.

The filling alone in these is soooo good {you can't go wrong with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon}, it's almost too difficult to decide whether to have them frosted or not.

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever
from Kaitlyn Cooks, original from allrecipes.com
1 c milk
1/2 c white sugar
3 tsp yeast
1/3 c butter, melted
2 lg eggs, room temperature
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 ~ 5 1/2 c flour

For Filling
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 c brown sugar*
3 tsp cinnamon

For Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk

Warm 1 cup of milk to about 115~120F. Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl of mixer and add milk; stir. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir lightly. Let sit for 5 minutes til foamy {yeast is now activated}. Add butter, eggs and salt to yeast mixture; stir.  Add 2 cups of flour; stir with paddle attachment.  Add another cup of flour and stir.  Switch to dough hook and add the fourth cup of flour.  Knead for a minute; continue to add dough, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky {about 10 minutes of kneading with dough hook}.  Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased glass bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm place to rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Roll dough out to about 16x20 inches.  Spread 1/3 c softened butter onto dough.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; top buttered dough with cinnamon and brown sugar mix.  Roll from the long edge.  Cut dough into twelve equal pieces.  Transfer to a greased 9x13" baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Bake rolls for 18~20 minutes {unless you like a bit more gooey on the inside, then cut time to 15 minutes}, until golden brown.  While baking, make frosting.  Place softened cream cheese in bowl of stand mixer; blend til smooth.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.  Mix well, til no lumps are found.  Spoon over warm rolls.

*I suggest light brown sugar, though either dark or light may be used.  Dark brown sugar has a more intense molasses flavor.

The filling is so plentiful that it overflows its spiral housing while it's baked.

Tips and Tricks~
*Have all your ingredients ready~ eggs cracked and ready to use {at room temperature}, butter melted, and sugar in mixing bowl. As the milk and sugar and yeast sit, the temperature will quickly decrease. In order for the yeast to work well in the whole recipe, you want the ingredients to stay warm.
*The original recipe calls for 4 1/2 cups of flour.  I found that each time I have made these, I really need 5 ~ 5 1/2 cups of flour.  Once you have added 4 cups, just watch the dough as you add more, only 1/2 cup at a time.
*The dough doesn't rise a bunch like bread dough, so just let it rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.  It will be noticeable, but I wouldn't say that it really doubles in size.
*Use very soft butter, almost melted, for spreading on the dough for the filling.  You want it to spread easily.
*Use floss to cut the rolls.  Slide the floss under the rolled dough, bring the strings to the top and cross, then pull quickly to cut through the dough smoothly and without smooshing it.
*When rolling dough out, place the 9x13" baking dish next to it.  You want your dough to roll out a bit larger than the dish.
*To make these ahead, follow directions to the point of rolling, slicing and placing in baking dish.  Instead of letting rise again, cover dish with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.  Take out and let sit on counter for 15 minutes.  Place dish in oven and preheat {while the dish is in it}.  Once the oven is preheated, bake for 18 ~ 20 minutes.
*For a less intense cream cheese flavor, add 1/2 cup of softened butter to the softened cream cheese.  Blend til smooth.  Add an additional 1/2 cup powdered sugar to the frosting and mix as directed.  I actually prefer this frosting; it is superb.

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Coconut Chocolate Chip Bread

I've had a fairly productive effort on making some of the things on my 'Looks Yummy' Pinterest board.  One recipe comes from Culinary Concoctions by Pea Body for Almond Joy Bread.  I wanted to make a treat for two of my college age children to enjoy on their flights back to school, and they both like almond joys, so I chose this.

Reading through the recipe and looking through the pantry caused me to make a few changes such as using coconut milk {I've had a can in the pantry for a year that I have not touched yet} and leaving out the coconut extract.  Once I started mixing I decided to add more coconut and chocolate chips and omit the almonds {I too love Almond Joys but do not enjoy biting into a nut in the middle of my soft dessert}.  Without the almonds it was no longer Almond Joy, but I rather like the addition of lots of coconut.

The result was quite delicious~ a golden, crunchy outside with a moist and sweet coconutty inside.  I omitted the glaze from the original recipe.  I did make some with the remainder of the coconut milk but decided that I rather liked the crusty bread without the glaze.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Bread
based on recipe from Culinary Concoctions by Pea Body
4 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c coconut milk
2 c shredded sweetened coconut
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 2 loaf pans.
Combine eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in bowl.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk well.  Alternate adding flour combination and coconut milk, mixing well after each addition.  Fold in shredded coconut and chocolate chips.  Divide batter between two loaf pans.  Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes.  Allow loaves to cool in pans before removing.

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Homemade Hot Pockets

Every time my son goes grocery shopping with me he asks to buy Hot Pockets. Once in a while I give in, but usually I'm not so nice. I can make them myself. At least that has been my reasoning. And I have tried a couple of times but I have never been quite satisfied with the results. The bread doesn't taste flavorful, it looks like a lumpy bag, or it just is a flop.

But I didn't give up. I tried again. And succeeded.



I came across a roll recipe that I just love {after a few minor changes}. These rolls are fluffy and buttery and just GOOD. I decided to use the dough recipe for another version of homemade hot pockets, and it worked deliciously. Now my boy can have his hot pocket for lunch just about anytime he wants.

This technique works for keeping the filling inside the pocket:
Fold the dough ends over. . .



then the sides. . .



flip pocket over, tuck and shape.



I was pleased. And to get rid of the lumpy appearance I have had with past pockets, I let the dough sit while preheating the oven, about 10 minutes. While baking, the pockets round a bit and are fluffy when eaten. Below you can find the full recipe and instructions.



Homemade Hot Pockets
For the bread dough:
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 c sugar + 1 tbsp sugar
1/2 c butter
1 egg
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp yeast
2 c warm water
10-13 c flour

For the filling:
2 lb ham, cut into pieces
3 c shredded cheese
4 tbsp melted butter for brushing tops of pockets

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine milk and 3/4 cup sugar in saucepan. Add 1/2 c butter, cut into tablespoon slices. Heat til butter begins to melt and milk is about 105F. Pour hot milk mixture into bowl of stand mixer; add egg and salt. Mix well with paddle attachment. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well; add 2 more cups of flour and mix. Let sit.

In separate bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of sugar into warm water. Measure temperature of water, it should be between 100-110F. Add yeast and stir. Let proof til it is nice and foamy, about 2-5 minutes.

Add 1/2 of yeast~water mixture to milk~flour mixture in bowl of stand mixer. Combine well. Add 1 cup of flour and stir well; add remainder of yeast mixture and another cup of flour. Mix well. Continue to add flour, one cup at a time, stirring with paddle attachment after each addition, until dough begins to thicken. Add remainder of dough, until it is pulling from sides of bowl, using hands or wooden spoon.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead til smooth and lightly sticky. Allow to rise in greased large bowl covered with plastic wrap in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Divide dough into four balls trying to get the same size. Roll each ball into a large square, roughly 18"x18". Use a pizza cutter to divide dough into six equal pieces. Top each piece with a small handful of ham and a handful of shredded cheese. Fold ends over, then fold sides, then flip, tuck and shape. Place on well buttered cookie sheet. Continue, filling two cookie sheets, each with 12 pockets. Let sit and rise while oven is preheating, about 10 minutes.

Bake pockets for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Let cool at least five minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely and wrap in wax paper, then place in plastic freezer bag to store for lunches. Reheat in microwave for one minute and thirty seconds. Alternately, keep in refrigerator up to three days and enjoy cold or room temperature as well.



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Savory and Sweet Corn Bread Stuffing

Stuffing or dressing? Inside or out? As a child, I had never had stuffing. My mother always made dressing. Even when she made Stove Top Stuffing she called it dressing. Do you know the difference? As the name implies, stuffing is used to stuff meat, usually a whole bird for roasting. Dressing is synonymous with stuffing but is more often to refer to the method of cooking outside of the bird. Also, depending on the geographic location; stuffing is more often used in the the South and East. I prefer dressing to stuffing mostly because it is what I am used to eating and saying, though my favorite recipe is for a stuffing.

Here is my favorite stuffing recipe. It is sweet due to using sweet corn muffins and it is savory with bits of sausage and mushrooms. My children even like this {as long as I remember to chop up the mushrooms and resist the temptation to leave them in slices}. It could even be a meal on its own. The recipe is based on one from a cookbook my mother gave me many years ago. Using fresh corn muffins makes it especially moist. I have never used it to stuff a turkey, but I am certain it would be just as delicious if it was cooked inside your turkey as it is in a pretty casserole dish.

Savory and Sweet Corn Bread Stuffing

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 c chopped celery

3/4 c chopped onion

1/2 c butter

1 1/2 c hot broth {chicken is best}

1 lb pork sausage, browned and drained

1 8x8 pan sweet corn bread, crumbled

Melt butter in large skillet; add mushrooms, celery and onion and cook until onions are tender. Place sausage in large bowl; add cooked mushroom mixture and crumbled corn muffins. Add hot broth {if using bouillon cubes, boil water and add the cubes and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before adding to sausage and corn muffins}. Stir to combine all ingredients. Place stuffing in 2 qt. baking dish. Bake uncovered in 350F oven for 30 minutes or until hot.

A Note~

I often use sweet corn muffins from Costco {which are much larger than regular muffins}; I'll use 4 of those which may be equal to about 6-8 regular.

Cinnamon BreadSticks

My kids are always hungry, especially after school. I think that after working all day long they deserve a treat now and then, too. Often, though, I am too busy with my little ones to have a snack ready for the older kids when they get home.

As my younger two were napping today, I decided to take a break and try to catch up on some of the blogs I follow. After reading this post, I was encouraged to shorten my break and take some time to make a nice snack for those older school children of mine. It really didn't take that much time.



Cinnamon Bread Sticks
originally bread stick recipe found at Our Best Bites
1 1/2 c warm water (105-120F)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
4+ c flour
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
glaze (recipe follows)

Dissolve sugar into warm water; add yeast and stir. Let proof for 5-10 minutes until a nice layer of foam forms on top of water. Whisk together 2 cups of flour and the half teaspoon of salt. Add yeast mixture. Stir to combine well. Add another cup of flour; either by hand or with dough hook of mixer stand, knead. Add another cup of flour and till well incorporated. With floured surface and hands, continue to knead dough till smooth. Place in oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap; allow to rise for one hour.

Preheat oven to 425F and grease two cookies sheets.

Press dough down and roll out to a rectangle about 9" x 16". Spread softened butter over dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut across dough making twelve strips. Cut along length of dough making two batches. Pick up one strip and press it onto another (using a small floured spatula makes this a bit easier). Pick up sandwiched dough and twist the ends in opposite directions then place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes. Serve with glaze.



Glaze
1/4 c butter
2 c powder sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp half-n-half

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add sugar, vanilla and half-n-half. Whisk till smooth. More half-n-half could be added to get a thinner glaze. Use to dip or drizzle on bread sticks.

Herb Cheese Pull-Apart Bread from Scratch

A few years ago I made an herb pull-apart bread to accompany our dinner. The children loved it. Unfortunately I did not save the recipe; I don't even remotely remember where I got it from. I have searched but without success.

Most recipes I find for herb pull-apart bread calls for frozen bread dough or refrigerated biscuit dough. I remember neither of those in that recipe. I did recall that the dough from this lemon pull-apart bread was fantastic and very nice to work with. I decreased the amount of sugar in the dough and used herbs and cheese instead of the lemon and sugar butter coating.

This is how it turned out:




Cheese and Herb Pull-Apart Bread
1 3/4 c warm milk (110-115F)
2 tbsp white sugar
4 1/2 tsp yeast
4-5 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter, divided and melted
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (more for garnish)
1 green onion, chopped (more for garnish)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded




1. Mix sugar into warm milk. Add yeast and let set til foamy (5-10 minutes).
2. Combine 4 cups of flour and salt. Add 1/2 cup melted butter and milk mixture; blend well. Continue to add flour, 1/2 cup at a time and kneed till smooth and tacky but not sticky. This can be done by hand or in mixer with dough hook.
3. Place ball of dough in bowl which has been lightly greased. Toss dough around to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot (oven with light on is good) about 40-60 minutes or until about double in size.
4. Punch dough down. Divide dough into half. Roll each half into a rope about 16 inches long. Cut each rope into 16 pieces.
5. Place dough pieces in bowl and toss with 1/2 c melted butter. While continuing to toss, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, green onions, onion powder and garlic powder.
6. Place half of dough balls into greased bundt pan. Top evenly with shredded mozzarella. Add remaining dough balls. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes in warm spot.
7. While dough is rising, preheat oven to 350F. Bake bread for 35-40 minutes. Turn onto serving dish. Sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan and green onion slices.

Blueberry Scones

I have never made scones but was asked to by a friend for a dinner she was having. Scones always seemed dry and a bit like a sad biscuit. But now that I have made them, I am addicted!



These are very moist and quite like a muffin. The dough also has a texture similar to shortbread which might have something to do with all the butter in the dough. They are rather easy to make and enjoyable, not only the results but the whole process.



Notes About This Recipe~
*Quite tasty (I ate too many of them)
*Moister than traditional scones
*Berries should be frozen and folded in by hand after dough is kneaded, otherwise they burst and make your dough blue
*Sweet but not too sweet, could decrease sugar to 3/4 c
*Dough rises and spreads much while cooking so leave ample space between each dough piece
*Goes nicely with a lemon curd or Devonshire cream



Blueberry Scones
recipe adapted from allrecipes
Ingredients
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 cup blueberries, frozen

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F
1. Combine sour cream and baking soda; set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Beat egg with vanilla. Mix creamed butter and sugar with egg and vanilla. Combine remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.

2. Add dry ingredients to egg/butter mixture but do not over mix; mixture will be crumbly like pie or biscuit dough. Add sour cream with baking soda to mixture; again, do not over mix; mixture should just begin to pull together. Use hands to bring all bits together.

3. Flour work surface well. Place dough onto surface and knead a bit to smooth out. Divide dough into two or three sections (depending on size of scones you want). Add blueberries and gently fold into dough.

4. Shape dough into disc and roll to 3/4" thickness reshaping as needed. Cut disc into 6-8 wedges {6 for 3 smaller discs or 8 for 2 larger}. Place wedges on greased cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Cook on 350F for 15-20 minutes, until golden on bottom edges and slightly golden on top.

Makes 16 large or 18 medium triangular scones.

Pretzel Bites with Canadian Bacon and Cheese

Many have seen and made the popular pizza bites (we call them blobs) but I wanted something slightly different. I happened upon pretzel bites, very similar but made with pretzel dough. I found this recipe and decided to swap the ham for uncured Canadian bacon which contains less sodium and fat and fewer calories than an equivalent serving of ham.

Canadian bacon as I am using the term is a lean cut of pork loin from the back of the pig. Outside of the US Canadian bacon is slightly different, being cured in sweet pickle with a crust of cornmeal. That is not this. It's also not bacon. As stated, it's lean.


I also found it easier to use cubes of cheese rather than shredded cheese as originally called for. This makes it easier to assemble and seal the dough around the filling. I also chose to leave out the extra salt topping. The pretzel cooking method of boiling the dough in water with baking soda as well as brushing the top of the finished dough supplies enough saltiness for my taste, even in my 6 month pregnant condition.

These were salty goodness in a small bundle. Trust me.


Pretzel Bites with Canadian Bacon and Cheese
based on recipe from Pennies on a Platter
Ingredients
2 1/2 tsp active yeast
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brown sugar, divided
1/4 c warm water
1 c warm milk
3 c flour
6-8 pieces Canadian bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 lb Monterey jack cheese, cubed (about 32 cubes)
6 c water
4 tsp baking soda
4 tbsp butter, melted

Directions
1. Combine the yeast, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and warm water in a bowl. Set aside until foamy. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and warm milk.
2. Add 2 cups flour and the milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Mix until blended well. Add the last cup of flour and mix dough in mixer with dough hook until soft dough forms.
3. Apply oil to the inside of a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn dough to coat with oil. Cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft free spot for about 2 hours, until dough has doubled in size and bubbles appear on the surface.
4. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Working on a floured surface, roll a piece of dough into a square. Divide into 8 smaller squares. Using a fourth of the bacon and cheese, top each square. Fold dough over filling and press to seal. Place seam down on a greased cookie sheet. Allow dough to rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.
5. Preheat oven to 400F. Place water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add baking soda. Lower heat to keep a gentle simmer in water. Add pretzel dough, working in small batches. Allow each batch to cook for 20 seconds, turning once while cooking. Place boiled dough on greased cookie sheet.
6. Baked pretzel bites in 400F oven for 10-15 minutes until browned. Brush with melted butter.

Glazed Sweet Rolls

I have a point to make. Making doughnuts does not have to be messy and does not need to involve frying.

Have a look~

Sweet Rolls~ Glazed, Chocolate Dipped, Sugar Sprinkled

Okay, I hear your point~ these are not doughnuts. You do have a point. But they taste delicious!

Not wanting to waste a ton of oil to fry dough in, not wanting to clean up grease splatters from the counter tops, not wanting to figure out how to get the frying oil to the correct temperature, I decided to research baked doughnuts. There are many recipes out there for baked doughnuts but none that really appealed {plus I was not wanting to cut out a doughnut shape with a hole in the middle using only a knife and cookie cutter either}.

My mind carefully imagined the taste and texture of these comforting confections. There was something oh so familiar there, something not so fried, something not so greasy. . . sweet rolls! Of course, why had I not thought of this before? I quickly began a batch of sweet rolls and thought of how to make them more like true doughnuts. The easiest way was to glaze and dip and sprinkle.


If you do not have a favorite sweet roll recipe, here is a fabulous one adapted from various bread recipes I have used as well as ideas for glazes and toppings.

Sweet Rolls
2/3 c warm water {about 110F}
1 tbsp sugar
4 tsp yeast
2 c milk at room temperature
5 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 c sugar
9 c flour
3 eggs, beaten

1. Combine warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. The yeast should begin to grow leaving a large layer of foam on top of the water.
2. Combine milk, melted butter, and 3/4 cup sugar in mixing bowl with paddle attachment. Add 2 cups of flour and mix slowly to combine. Scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add water and yeast mixture. Again, mix on low to combine.
3. With mixer on low gradually add eggs to flour-yeast mixture. Beat on low for a couple of minutes to mix well.
4. Continuing to mix on low, add all but one cup of flour to mixture one cup at a time. Between each addition, scrape sides of bowl. Before adding the last cup of flour, switch paddle attachment to dough hook. Add the final cup and mix on medium for 1 minute.
5. Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil or butter. Slide dough into greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm spot to rise for an hour.
6. After an hour of rising, use floured hands to punch down dough. Turn onto floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Divide each piece into twelve small pieces. Roll these into small balls and place in greased muffin tins. Cover and let rise in warm place for an hour.
7. Bake rolls in 350 oven for 12-15 minutes till golden. Dip cooled rolls into glaze or top as suggested or desired.



Glazing Options
Chocolate Glaze~ this is the recipe I used for dark chocolate frosting, unbelievable
Vanilla Glaze~ melt 1/3 cup butter, whisk in 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1 tsp vanilla; dip tops of muffins and sprinkle with candies if desired
Cinnamon and Sugar~ dip top of roll in melted butter then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar; gently tap off excess
Strawberry Glaze~ blend 2 tablespoons melted butter with 1/4 cup strawberry puree, add 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar and whisk till smooth

Do you have any favorite topping ideas? Share them with us in the comments.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

I have never made cinnamon rolls from scratch. It just seems like far too much work when you can buy a roll of them to bake from the grocery. My family would love to have cinnamon rolls every day of the week, and I strive to make the start of the school mornings delightful for them. Unfortunately the Pilsbury or Cinnabon rolls are a bit expensive. How could I make cinnamon rolls quick and easily and from scratch?

Someone else already found the solution: Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread. When I found this recipe for "quick" cinnamon roll bread, I was a bit uncertain but wanted to give it a try. The results exceeded my expectations. A sweet gooey mess of cinnamon ecstasy! Really, it was.


Why this is a terrific recipe:
It truly is quick and easy.
The taste and texture is true to cinnamon buns.
The dough is not messy, rather like a batter that thickens as it rests.
My only regret was we had no milk to accompany the bread!

Quick Cinnamon Roll Bread
adapted from Baking Bites recipe

Dough
3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 teaspoons yeast
1 2/3 cups milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs

Cinnamon Topper
1 stick butter {8 tablespoons}, brought to room temperature
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Icing
1 3/4 cups powdered
5 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

All cinnamon roads lead to happiness!

Directions
1. Grease a 9x13 dish. Heat milk until warm {I used a glass pyrex measuring cup and heated the milk for 1 minutes}. Add yeast to milk and lightly stir.

2. Combine flour, salt and sugar in mixing bowl. Add oil, eggs, vanilla and yeast mixture. Stir to combine well, scraping the sides of the bowl. {This doesn't make a true dough, rather a batter that will thicken.} Pour batter into prepared dish and let rest for 15 minutes. {Watch it slowly bubble like pancakes do on a griddle.}

3. Place butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. With a fork, mix all together. Place small bits of cinnamon topping onto batter, trying to scatter evenly.

4. Place cake pan in oven and set to 350 F. Cook for 28-32 minutes until golden and spongy. Cool for 20 minutes.

5. Mix powdered sugar, cream and vanilla til smooth. Spread over slightly cooled bread. Cut and serve. Serves 12-16.


This recipe was very forgiving. I had to improvise for lack of ingredients such using canned milk in place of regular. A bit of raw sugar was used to supplement the brown needed. The last blunder was the yeast. In most cases I doubled the ingredients but forgot to with the yeast. It worked out beautifully. But isn't that what most school morning are like, a bit hectic?