Homemade English Muffins

I stumbled across this recipe and boy, am I happy about it.  I never once considered that English muffins could be made at home.  They always seemed far too mysterious of a bread... to me anyway. I guess I'm easily intimidated because these are super easy to make!  And soooooo much better than the store-bought variety.  I doubt I'll be buying those dry little things ever again.  These are fabulous toasted with butter and jam or honey, and the leftovers make perfect little pizzas with some spaghetti sauce and cheese under the broiler.  Hope these make your day (or week!) like they did mine when I first tried them!

Homemade English Muffins

Author: Brittany

*I wanted to note that I cook these on an electric skillet and it works great. Mine is big enough for 8 at a time, heat at 350 F. It takes a few more minutes - more like 10 per side. Makes about 16 muffins.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of milk


• 3 TBSP butter


• 3 TBSP of honey


• 1 cup of warm water (105-110 degrees)


• 2 1/4 tsp of yeast


• 2 TBSP cornmeal


• 5 cups all purpose flour


• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, gently mix together and set aside for ten minutes to foam lightly.


2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter and honey until the butter is melted. Let cool.


3. Combine the yeast mixture and milk mixtures.


4. In a large bowl, sift 3 cups of flour. Stir in the milk and yeast. Stir in the remaining flour and salt. Stir until cohesive. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 3 minutes or until slightly elastic.( Of course you can also let you Kitchen Aid or other machine do the work instead!) Let rest for 5 minutes.


5. Meanwhile, cover two cookie sheet with parchment or Silpat and lightly sprinkle with cornmeal. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out until it's 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3.5 inch round cutter, cut out circles - don't twist the cutter, just press down. (Since I don't have that size of biscuit cutter, I use my husband's plastic energy/protein cups - just remove the lid and it's the perfect size. You gotta think creatively sometimes!) Gently place muffins on the cookie sheets, sprinkle the tops with cornmeal and cover with a dry, light cloth. Let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.


6. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet on medium low, don't grease it.


7. Gently place a muffin in your hand and shake lightly to remove some of the corn meal. Gentleness is key in all of the handling. Place into the pan and repeat until the pan is full. Don't let them touch each other. Keep the heat on low. Cook for 8 minutes on the side or until browned well, flip and cook the opposite side for 8 minutes or until browned nicely. Let cool lightly on a wire rack. Split and toast.

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Recipe source: My Fair Baking

Homemade Pita Bread

Oh my goodness--I had such fun making these pita pockets and they were about a bazillion times better than the prepackaged store bought ones.  I didn't even like pita bread until I tried homemade ones.  The ones from the store taste like a piece of cardboard in my opinion--ugh!  These are soft, chewy and delicious!  The best part is they come together pretty darn quick--the raise time is only about 30 minutes !  You will find that these pita pockets make the perfect meal filled with your favorite sandwich makings.  The possibilities are endless. You could try grilled chicken, fish (with tarter sauce), pulled pork, cold cuts or hamburgers add fresh greens/veggies and you are good to go!  I also love them fresh from the oven with some honey butter or dipped in hummus!   Yum! There are about a million ways to eat this bread.  My boys like peanut butter, banana and honey lately.  I usually make a double batch and freeze some for later.  Soon I will share a fantastic Chicken Gyro recipe that I recently tried and LOVED with these pitas!  Are you a pita bread fan?  If so how do you eat them?

Homemade Pita Pocket Bread
submitted by Melanie~www.thesisterscafe.com

1 TB yeast
1 ¼ c warm water
1 tsp salt
3- 3 ½ c flour

Dissolve yeast in water and let sit for about 5 minutes in the bowl of your mixer.  With the dough hook attached add salt and 1 ½ cups flour and combine to make a batter. Add more  flour until a rough, shaggy mass is formed.  Knead 8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. You can add more flour if it is too sticky.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into six pieces for large pitas or ten for smaller.  Form dough into balls, then flatten with a rolling pin into ¼ inch thick discs. Try and keep an even thickness as this is what helps them ‘puff’.  Let rest on the floured surface 30-40 minutes until slightly puffed.

Preheat oven to 425F.

With a large spatula, flip the rounds of dough upside down on to a baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes until light golden. You may want to pull up a chair and watch through your oven window the show--within 5 minutes these thick blobs of dough turn into a 4 inch high pita!  Pretty cool!

These store for 2-4 days in an air tight container (or ziploc bag) or frozen for three weeks.

Recipe Source: Under the High Chair

 

Baguettes with Rhodes Dough

Fresh, hot baguettes... aaaah, yum! I love baguettes. For one thing they look great. But I also love how they can be sliced, toasted, and topped with endless things to make amazing appetizers. Or slathered in butter and eaten plain! Any way you serve these, they are delicious; soft and tender with a nice crust. There is no way to make it easier for you either than using Rhodes frozen dough. Talk about simple and with such fantastic results. 

This easy baguette recipe (if you can call it that!) is posted today on the Rhode's Blog where we are guest bloggers.  Check out the link for step by step instructions and pictures to roll out and bake your own fresh baguettes: http://rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/baguettes.  

Happy Baking everyone! :)

Cream Cheese Ring and a GIVEAWAY!

I was a guest blogger today over at Rhodes Bake-n-Serve Bread and I featured a recipe for a Cream Cheese Ring. This Cream Cheese Ring is a sweet strudel bread filled with cream cheese and prepared cinnamon-roll style for a gorgeous presentation.  It is always a hit with friends and family!  You can see the post and recipe here.

***It’s a GIVEAWAY!***  ---11/20/11 Giveaway Closed


We will be giving away one copy of their cookbook, Home Baked Family Favorites.  It is a fabulous cookbook full of 170 photographed recipes!
To enter, go to the Rhodes Blog and tell us what recipe you would like to try, then leave a comment on this post.  Comment before Sunday, November 16, at midnight Eastern Standard Time zone.

For extra entries:
*Become a Sisters Cafe follower (see links on our sidebar to the right)
*Like Sisters Cafe on Facebook
*Like Rhodes on Facebook
*Follow Rhodes on Twitter
*Subscribe to Rhodes YouTube Channel (see links below)

Pumpkin Spice Rolls

 Something about this time of year puts me in the mood for pumpkin! Pumpkin is defenitly a favorite at my house every Fall:)   Lately I have been making our favorite pumpkin muffins, sweet pumpkin bread (which I just realized that I have never posted--I wil remedy that asap:) , pumpkin pancakes and even trying some new recipes like this one.  A long time ago I had some pumpkin rolls at a restraunt that were so good that of course, I wanted the recipe:). Ever since then,  I have kept my eye out for pumpkin roll recipes.  I have tried several over the years with just OK results until happily I tried this recipe and they turned out FANTASTIC!  I think they are even better than the ones I had years ago!  Seriously these are so good!  I love how moist and tender they are and perfectly spiced!  I am thinking that these would be fantastic with a warm bowl of soup and Grandma's famous honey butter!  Yum!

Pumpkin Spice Rolls
submitted by Melanie~The Sisters Cafe

4 tsp active dry yeast, or approximately 2 envelopes
1/4 cup milk
5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1  tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, or a 15 oz can of pure pumpkin
egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp of water)

Heat milk to between 110 and 115 degrees (feels slightly warm on the back of your hand) on the stove or in the microwave and pour into the bowl of your stand mixerl; stir in the active dry yeast, and let stand for at least 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients, and mix well.  In a separate large bowl, lightly beat the two eggs, then stir in the melted butter, and the pumpkin puree.  After the yeast has been activated, add the wet indgredients directly into the bowl of your stand mixer, and stir to combine. Then add 1/2 of the dry ingredients (flour and spices) from the other large bowl, and stir to mix the dry and wet ingredients together.  After it is well mixed, add the remaining 1/2 of the dry ingredients and mix again.  Using the dough hook, allow your machine to knead the dough for you until it is smooth and still somewhat sticky (3-5 minutes).  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover to let rise for approximately 1 hour (it will double in size).  Then, remove the dough from the bowl, place it on a lightly floured surface.   Lightly grease an bar pan  cookie sheet or 2 8-9 inch pans.  Working.with 1/2 of the dough, cut off 9-12 evenly sized portions (depending on how big you want them) and roll them into balls that can fit into your palm (they don't need to be perfectly round.   Space them in the pan so they are just barely touching the sides of one another; they will expand during the second rising time and during baking to completely fill the pan.

Makes 18-24 rolls (the size pictured is 18 rolls)

If you would prefer you could make 2 Braided loaves (or 9 rolls and 1 braided loaf) using the same method as Challah Bread directions here.

After your dough is shaped, cover it loosely, and let it rise for another 1-1 1/2 hours.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 .  Once your bread is ready to bake, brush the top lightly with the egg wash, and sprinkle dinner rolls with chopped nuts or pepitas if desired.  Bake bread for approximately 30-35 minutes, until browned, or until an instant read thermometer inserted in center reads 190 degrees. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.


Recipe Source:  Slightly adapted from Sweet Peas Kitchen via The Cilanthropist

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

My family is crazy about cinnamon swirl bread.  My boys LOVE it and can't seem to get enough!   Lately,  I have been making it out of my favorite whole wheat bread dough. Whenever I am making bread for my family I make a couple of the loaves into this delicious treat.  I use this incredible recipe for whole wheat bread--it makes 5 loaves.  I have been turning 2-3 of the loaves into cinnamon swirl bread.  That recipe is my favorite, it is super soft and tender, just like white bread, but much much healthier!  Your family will love it and you will be happy knowing you are getting so much fiber and nutrients into them:)  If you do not have a large capacity mixer, like a Bosch, try this recipe here that my sister Brittany makes with her Kitchen Aid.  Ok so this is hardly a recipe, more like an idea, but I thought I would share it anyway since it is such a hit at my house!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

submitted by Melanie~The Sisters Cafe

1 loaf of whole wheat dough
*My favorite is Yummy Easy Whole Wheat Bread--for a large capacity mixer
*Freshly Baked Wheat Bread--smaller batch
water
cinnamon and sugar

Roll our your dough into approximately a 9x13 size rectangle.  Spray lightly with water (or you could wet your hands and lightly rub the dough) and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  **Note--you do not have to use sugar if you want to make it even healthier--plain cinnamon works fine.  I have a little shaker in the cupboard of cinnamon sugar for my boys toast, so I just use that.  We like a lot of cinnamon, so our cinnamon sugar mixture is very dark being mostly cinnamon.  I have noticed that if you put a lot of sugar on the bread, the swirls don't hold together and there are big gaps or "holes" in the bread.

Roll the dough up along the short size and place in greased loaf pan.  Then allow to rise and bake according to the whole wheat recipe you are using.   ENJOY!

Bread Bowls

A steaming breadbowl, fresh out of the oven, is the perfect way to serve a warm creamy soup!  This bread bowl recipe is from a friend of mine, Jessica Crapo. It makes 8 delicious bread bowls. Since we have four in our family (not counting baby), I usually freeze half of them and defrost them for a later dinner.
Hope you enjoy!

Homemade Bread Bowls
submitted by Erin  ~  The Sisters Cafe

Printable recipe here

2 ½ c. warm water
2 T yeast
2 T sugar
1 T salt
1 T shortening
7 c. flour

Allow yeast and sugar to proof in warm water. Add remaining ingredients, but only 6 cups of flour. Pulse to mix.  Knead on speed 1 and add the remaining 1 cup of flour as needed.   The dough should not be sticky and should feel satiny when done.   (About 5 minutes.)
Place dough in a greased bowl with greased plastic wrap on top. Rise in oven with light on until double, about one hour.
Punch down and knead to make handling easier. Divide into 8 equal parts. Shape the dough into tall cylinder shapes rather than perfect balls, because they round out naturally.  Place on greased cookie sheets, four to a sheet, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled and bake at 375° for 20 minutes.  (Optional: brush with egg wash before baking.)

Makes 8 bowls.  Preparation time: ~ 3 hours

Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

It's funny how certain smells bring back such warm memories... I used to love the smell of this bread baking when we were growing up. Even to this day it makes me feel safe and happy... probably from the unconscious knowledge that my mom loved me and was making me something special. All it takes is a little cinnamon and raisins and you transform homemade white bread into a perfectly irresistible treat! Pop it in the toaster, slather on some butter and you have the ultimate after-school snack. It feels great to bake this for my own family now and watch them gobble it up. Yummy yum!Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

submitted by Brittany at www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe here

one half recipe of Grandma's White Bread:

1/3 cup powdered milk *see note
1.5 heaping Tbsp of instant yeast
3 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp shortening
3 cups warm water
Flour (approx 7.5 cups total)

1 cup raisins

Mix powdered milk, yeast, salt, sugar, and shortening in the bowl of a mixer. Add warm water. Add about 2 to 2.5 cups flour and beat until well mixed. Add flour slowly until dough comes away clean from the edge of the mixing bowl. Add one cup raisins. Allow to knead for 5 more minutes. Do not add too much flour. Cover with greased plastic and allow dough to rise. Once it has doubled in size, divide into 3 parts. Roll out each third of dough into a small rectangle and spray lightly with water (or get hands wet and lightly rub surface of dough - the idea is to barely moisten the dough.) Sprinkle with cinnamon - the amount is up to you but I like quite a bit! Roll up lengthwise, pinching together seam and tucking in the ends to form a log. Place each log into a greased loaf pan and raise until the size of a bread loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 3 loaves.

*I have made this bread with fresh milk too and it works great. Just omit powdered milk and use 1.5 cups warm milk and 1.5 cups warm water in the place of the 3 cups warm water.

Zucchini Red Onion Flatbread

While I was in Utah I made this delicious pizza type bread for a movie night with friends. It was WONDERFUL! So next time you have zucchini on hand and you don't feel like making this, may I suggest this flat bread? :) It is seriously tasty, I promise!
**I am happy to be home now, and I am back on with planning my weekly menu here**

Zucchini Red Onion Flatbread
submitted by Melanie

Printable recipe here

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough--(I used Rhodes frozen bread dough)
3/4 cup cream cheese
to taste: dill, pepper, garlic salt, italian seasoning, etc.
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 small red onion, cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
1 zucchini (yellow or green), cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
3 T. chopped fresh parsley or your favorite herbs -(I used Rosemary-yum!)
olive oil

Directions:
1. chop veggies. prepare dough. preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. combine cream cheese with dill, garlic salt, and other desired seasonings.
3. brush a large baking sheet with olive oil, and stretch dough out in the pan.
4. spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough, sprinkle with parmesan.
5. arrange 1 row of zucchini slices down 1 long side of the dough. arrange onion rounds in a row alongside zucchini. repeat until all is used. brush vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with s + p.
6. bake until puffy and golden brown, about 24 minutes. sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Recipe Source: adapted from Bon Apetit via Summer Harms

Rosemary Parmesan Bread

It's summer finally...and time to use some fresh herbs! I picked up some fresh rosemary at the famous Pike's market the other day and decided to make a fragrant homemade bread. It's been so cold and rainy here in Seattle that I have still been in soup-making-mode and this bread was a perfect companion to Tuscan Lentil Soup (one of my favorites). It was a for-fun project that turned out delicious so I thought I better write it down and share it. The Parmesan makes it really moist and good, even the next day when we had pasta! So for those of you not sweltering in the heat yet, here is a great recipe to try out!

Rosemary Parmesan Bread

submitted by Brittany

1 1/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 Tb yeast

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups flour (approximately)

2 Tb fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tb olive oil

1/2+ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In the bowl of a large mixer (such as a KitchenAid) dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water, let sit for 5 minutes. Yeast should form a foam on top of the water. Add salt, 1.5 Tb of the rosemary, olive oil and flour. Mix with a dough hook. Add enough flour that dough leaves sides of bowl and forms a ball. At this point sprinkle in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Knead for 5 minutes. Cover mixer and bowl with a towel and let dough raise for 30 minutes. Turn on mixer for one second to "punch down" dough and remove from mixing bowl. Turn onto floured surface and roll into a rectangle/oval. Roll up lengthwise and pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on demarle silpat or a pizza stone sprinkled with corn meal or a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. (There, you have lots of options!) Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 Tb rosemary and pat gently to make it stick to surface of dough. Let raise for 30 minutes. Brush with 1 Tb melted butter and sprinkle desired amount of Parmesan over loaf. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially before slicing.

Baguette

I found this fabulous recipe on Frosted Bake Shop. It is soooo yummy and soooo easy! I couldn't believe that it only needed to rise 30 minutes and bake for 15. A perfect recipe when you feel like warm homemade bread but didn't have the foresight to plan hours ahead of time. My husband informed me that this was the best bread I have ever made... pretty dramatic statement from a guy that comments on just about everything with a bland "it's good". :) But he is right about it being exceptional - it has a soft and chewy texture with a salty taste to it that is delicious. Writing about it has made me want to go make some for dinner... gotta go!!

Baguette

submitted by Brittany ~ http://www.www.thesisterscafe.com/

printable recipe

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbs. (2 packages) dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt

In a small bowl mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes - foam should form on the top.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Gradually add the yeast mixture. Mix until the dough becomes a smooth ball and knead for 5 minutes. (I use my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook)

Cut in half and then shape into 2 baguettes. To make them smooth and pretty, roll each half of dough into rectangle and roll up lengthwise. Pinch the edges to seal and place on lightly greased cookie sheet (or silpat) with seam down. Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With a very sharp knife (I like to use a serrated blade) gently make a slash down the length of each baguette. This will give it that authentic look. Pour water in a cookie sheet and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Half way through, brush the bread with melted butter. **I tried it with olive oil too... it was less crispy and salty. We liked the butter a lot more!

Rhodes Buttery Breadsticks

I gotta say, I am loving this recipe lately! I feel a little silly posting a recipe using pre-made dough on our cooking blog but these breadsticks definitely have their place and time. Have you ever made a yummy dinner for someone and put all your energy into the main dish and had nothing to go with? Or who out there happens to have some rhodes rolls in their freezer right now? I do have to say this recipe is not a replacement for our Quick and Easy Breadsticks, but is another very yummy option. Not only are these breadsticks super good, they seem to be the perfect companion to my meals when I have very little time.

Rhodes Buttery Breadsticks

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Printable Recipe

24 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I like fresh best)
garlic salt

Thaw 24 Rhodes dinner rolls. It's best when they are still cold but completely thawed. Place cheese onto separate plate. Roll each roll into an approximately 6" breadstick. Melt 1 stick butter. Place melted butter on 11x17 baking sheet and coat entire surface with butter. Roll each breadstick in the butter. Next roll each buttered breadstick in parmesan cheese. Place breadstick on baking sheet in 2 rows of twelve each. Sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Grandma's White Bread

Since this is another of our Grandmother's recipes, you know it's going to be good! This is her basic white bread recipe that she has made weekly for the past... forever really! :) She still bakes it regularly and she is in her mid 80's, but then, she is quite the woman! It is fluffy and light and absolutely delicious for sandwiches. This recipe makes 6 loaves (Grandma Rice had 6 children and baked for numerous ranch hands for years) so you may want to half it, although the bread freezes beautifully. Hope you enjoy!

Grandma's White Bread

submitted by Brittany ~ www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe

2/3 cup powdered milk *see note

3 heaping Tbsp of instant yeast

6 tsp salt

2/3 cup sugar

6 Tbsp shortening

6 cups warm water

Flour (approx. 15 cups total)

Mix powdered milk, yeast, salt, sugar, and shortening in large mixer like a Bosch. (*your Kitchen Aid is not big enough! It will handle a half recipe though.) Add warm water. Add about 4 to 5 cups flour and beat until well mixed. Add flour slowly until dough comes away clean from the edge of the mixing bowl. Allow to knead for 5 more minutes. Do not add too much flour. Cover with greased plastic and allow dough to rise. Once it has doubled in size, divide into 6 parts. Form each into a log, tucking and pinching the dough underneath to make it smooth on top. (This is easily done if you lightly roll out the dough and roll up lengthwise, pinching together seam and tucking in the ends.) Place each into a greased loaf pan and raise until the size of a bread loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 loaves.

*I have made this bread with fresh milk too and it works great. Just omit powdered milk and use 3 cups warm milk and 3 cups warm water in the place of the 6 cups warm water.

5-minute no-knead bread

I went to a meeting about food storage recently and they shared this recipe for no-knead bread that I really liked! I went right home and made it for dinner the next day. I discovered it's not technically 5 minutes but pretty darn close! It is very similar to Mel's Artisan Bread but this recipe does not rise over night. So depending on your schedule, you could make either one! With this recipe I used some wheat flour in it which resulted in a super dense, chewy bread. It was delicious spread with cold butter and served with a chunky stew! I would recommend immediately freezing any you don't eat because I discovered it doesn't taste a tenth as good the next day. However, on the other hand, when I thawed the frozen loaves, they tasted just as good as fresh! So there you have my tips... here is the recipe!

5-minute no-knead bread

submitted by Brittany

1 1/2 Tb yeast

1 1/2 Tb Kosher salt

3 cups lukewarm water

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can use 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour & 4 cups white if you wish)

Stir together all ingredients until you have a nice, thick dough. Make sure you stir it enough that there are no dry pockets of flour left anywhere in the dough. Cover well and let rise for 2 hours on the counter.

Sprinkle just a little flour over the dough and divide into 4 parts (or you can make 2 large loaves). Sprinkle with a little more flour to keep you hands from sticking and form into a ball. Place seam side down on parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal. Allow loaves to sit for 40 minutes (longer for the larger loaves).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone inside of oven to preheat as well. Also, place a shallow pan full of warm water on the bottom shelf of oven to make steam during baking. This creates a crusty exterior to the bread. Sprinkle loaves with flour again. Using a serrated knife, make several slices (criss-cross or straight) across the top of the bread to allow for expansion. Lift parchment paper with loaves on top and place directly on hot stone. (I didn't have parchment paper so I gently lifted the balls of dough onto my hot stone sprinkled with cornmeal and then cut the slices across the top.) Place baking stone on middle shelf of oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes.

**Dough can sit in frig for up to 2 weeks. If you are using dough from the frig it has already done the first 2-hour rise. Shape your loaves and let sit on counter like previous instructions, however, allow longer time because dough will be cold. You can even allow shaped loaves to rise in the frig for up to 14 hours. The dough will spread slightly but don't panic, it should still have a good spring to it once baked. For "refrigerator rise" bake at 475 for approx 30 minutes.

Soft Pretzels

I have had this recipe for ages... why haven't I made it before?! Mel gave it to me a long time ago and boy, have I been missing out. Actually it may have been wasted on just me because my little 2 yr old Gabe had a blast making them with me! He loved rolling out the "snakes" then "painting" them with egg wash and sprinkling on the salt (our pretzels ended up very salty!) This will definitely become a favorite treat to make with Mommy. They are a super fun way to spend an hour together creating... and they're very tasty! Whether or not you have a little person to help you make these soft, delicious pretzels, you still need to try them out! They are just a few basic ingredients and are very simple to make. Have fun!!

Rolling out the "snakes"...Painting our pretzels...Note the tongue-in-lip look... it is not necessary but obviously aids in concentration! :)And our finished masterpiece...

Soft Pretzels

submitted by Brittany

 

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast (or 1 Tb)

1 Tb sugar

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour

 

Add sugar to warm water then sprinkle yeast on top. Let float for a minute then stir to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes as yeast activates and starts to foam. Add salt and flour and knead 5-10 minutes; adding more flour as needed to reduce stickiness. Divide dough in to 12 pieces and roll each piece into a long rope or "snake". Twist into pretzel shape and place on nonstick baking sheet. Make an egg wash with one egg and a Tb of water, lightly beaten together. Brush pretzels with egg wash then sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

*Soft pretzels just aren't the same the next day. They are still good but not as soft and fresh tasting. I'll tell you a secret though... brush them with melted butter, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, and toss them under the broiler for a minute and you have a delicious cheesy pretzel snack! Yum!!

Three Grain Bread

This bread is deliciously soft and pliable, and tasts so yummy with some honey butter or jam. It is fantastic fresh from the oven. And I love how it is so easy to make, too. It only rises for 45 minutes, and then 30 minutes. What a snap! One note: Unlike the whole wheat bread I've posted before, this doesn't keep quite as well. The first day it is absolutely fantastic and soft, like I mentioned, but the next day it will be considerably drier. I sliced some of it and put it in the freezer after it cooled, like I always do with my whole wheat bread, and it still didn't keep that moist texture for more than a few days. So this is my advice: Enjoy a loaf with your family the day you bake it, put some slices in the freezer to enjoy the next couple of days (when you defrost it for a few seconds, it will be soft just like it was fresh), and then give the remaining loaves away to neighbors and friends after you take them out of the oven. It's always fun to bring over something freshly baked to neighbors. :)

When I make this, I use two regular sized bread pans and two medium sized bread pans, so it makes four loaves for me. Thanks to Dede Dalton who shared this recipe in a baking class she demonstrated for our church.

Three Grain Bread

submitted by Erin

3 ½ c . warm water

3 T. yeast

½ c. sugar

1/3 c. oil, or melted butter or margarine, or applesauce

1 T. salt

2/3 c. ground flax

2/3 c. oats (oatmeal)

5 c. whole wheat flour

2-3 c. bread flour (white)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, oil, salt, flax, oatmeal, and 5 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix very well. Then add bread flour one cup at a time until dough is soft and elastic. Let rise until double (usually about 45 minutes). Remove from bowl. Knead a few minutes (longer if you mixed by hand). Divide into three loaves. Let rise for 30 minutes, then bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Challah Bread

Sorry for the lack of posts, the only sister living far away is Erin and she is in town right now. We have had so much fun together that we have neglected our little blog! She is here for another week...yipee! Back row-Mindy, Mom, Brittany, Amy
Front-Erin, Melanie (holding Eliza who is the ONLY grand daughter with 9 boy cousins!!)

Challah bread or Jewish braided bread usually served on the Sabbath or other holiday. You actually pronounce it "hallah". Erin shared this recipe with me a couple years ago and it has become a favorite of mine. It is beautiful and surprisingly easy to make. It makes a perfect gift for people. It is a very moist and tender bread. This recipe makes 3 loaves. And it makes fabulous french toast! Yum!

I forgot the egg wash and so brushed melted butter on the hot loaves. Usually it would look shiny from the egg wash.

Challah Bread

submitted by Melanie~ The Sisters Cafe

Ingredients:

2 Tb SAF yeast (or 3 Tb with other yeasts)

2 cups warm water

½ c. sugar

scant Tb salt

½ c. canola oil

7-8 c. flour

4 or 5 large eggs

 

Directions:

Add water to mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Then sprinkle sugar, then salt. Let proof. Add oil and 3 cups of flour. Mix together. Add eggs. Mix well. Then add 4 cups of flour. Mix. Add more flour as needed – usually 1 ½ to 2 cups more. Hand knead if mixer didn’t knead enough. Let rise at least 1 hour. Separate into 3 large pieces or 36 small rolls. Divide each piece into three more pieces. Roll into snakes and braid together. Let rise for about 1-2 hours or until almost double in size. Then brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tb water) over bread. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you want.

 

Bake at 350° until done (16-18 minutes)

 

Number Of Servings:3 loaves

Naan

Naan is a type of flat bread, like pita, but softer. I have been looking for a good recipe for Naan for awhile. We love it at our favorite Indian restraunt 'Taste of Punjab', but I have not been able to find a good recipe for it in the past. I saw this one on the Kitchen Cafe blog (thanks Melanie!) last week, and gave it a try. It was FANTASTIC!!! My children absolutely loved it. It really was awesome--yum! I can't wait to make it again!

Naan

submitted by Melanie

14 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 egg

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt

1/2 cup milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl by hand), stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and yeast.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg, yogurt, and milk. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir for about 1 minute, until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated into the wet ingredients.Increase machine speed to 2 (or by hand) and knead the dough until it is smooth and shiny.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with a towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.

Put a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.

Divide the dough into eight pieces and form into teardrop (mine were more like oval) shapes with your hands, about 6 to 8 inches across.

Cook two or three pieces at a time. Drop the dough onto the hot stone and shut the oven door, watching until they are just starting to turn brown in places, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the naan and lay on a board. You can lightly brush with melted butter or garlic butter, or just enjoy them plain. I served this with a yummy curry. I think it would be great dunked in a lentil soup too. I will post my favorite recipes for those dishes soon!

Homemade Bagels

These bagels are heavenly fresh out of the oven. Chewy and delicious. The recipe isn’t as daunting as it looks. I added a few tips, and the instructions are descriptive, so it makes the directions long! When Melanie (my sis-in-law from Mel's Kitchen Cafe) and I were neighbors years ago she found this online and shared it with me. I've been enjoying these warm yummy bagels ever since. Bagels are surprisingly not difficult at all!

Homemade Bagels
submitted by Erin

2 c. warm water (about 110°)
2 (¼ -oz) packets active dry yeast, or 1 T & 1 ½ tsp yeast
3 Tbs granulated sugar, plus 1 Tb
5-6 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tb yellow cornmeal (opt – to spread on pan after boiling bagels.)

Combine the water, yeast, and 3 Tb of the sugar in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of the flour and the salt, and mix until the mixture comes together.
Add 1 to 1 ½ c. additional flour ½ cup at a time to make a stiff dough, either stirring with a wooden spoon or working with your hands. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, adding just as much flour as needed. (Dough should be stiffer than regular yeast bread dough. This works using a Bosch mixer as well.)

Grease a large bowl with 1 tsp of the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces, about 2 to 3 ounces each, measuring about 4 inches across. Form each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into a 4-6 inch log. Join the ends and place fingers through the hole and roll the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place on a lightly greased surface, cover with a clean cloth, and let rest until risen but not doubled in a draft-free spot, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Grease a baking sheet with the remaining teaspoon of oil, or sprinkle with cornmeal.
In a large, heavy pot, bring about 12 cups of water and the remaining Tb of sugar to a boil. (This takes like 10 minutes, so start boiling it early!) In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan.
(They will look lumpy, as shown in this picture.)


Bake for 5 minutes, turn over and cook for another 30-35 minutes. **(I have found that this is too much time, at least with my gas oven. This works better for me: Cook for 20 minutes (without flipping them over), then remove from oven and liberally sprinkle asiago (or you could try parmesan) cheese on top. Return to oven for 1-3 minutes, until cheese is melted and bagel is cooked.)

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Optional Toppings:
½ c. lightly toasted chopped onions (2 tsp on each bagel)
2 Tb poppy seeds (about ½ tsp each)
2 Tb sesame seeds (about ½ tsp each)
1 Tb Kosher salt (about ¼ tsp each)
Asiago cheese (my favorite. I think parmesan works too, though.)

Yummy Easy Whole Wheat Bread--a new recipe!

OK, I know my sisters and I have posted several whole wheat bread recipes, but I think this is my new favorite! ( And your probably wondering why I am not using nonstick Demarle flexipans since I have been raving about them so much....I am saving up for the loaf pans--I can't wait!) I got this recipe from my friend Kelly. It makes 5 loaves and I use my Bosch, and my Demarle Roul'pat (so it won't stick to the counter) and it really was a breeze to make---and OH SO GOOD!! I let it cool and then sliced it with an electric knife before I bagged them and put 4 in the freezer. This is my new favorite recipe. The bread is very soft and tender! If you make it let me know what you think!
**By the way did you all know the shelf life of wheat (berries) is REALLY long? (like over 20 years) You can buy it a lot cheaper in bulk, just don't forget to get yourself a wheat grinder! Fresh ground wheat is wonderful in recipes and so good for you!

*ACK --don't look too close, I forgot to grease my pans...it was a problem! I need those nonstick ones!!
Yummy, Easy Whole Wheat Bread (5 medium loaves)

submitted by Melanie

3 1/2 cups hot tap water (helps offset the cool can of milk)

1 (12oz) can evaporated milk

3 Tbs instant yeast (like SAF)

2/3 cup oil
1 cup honey (use the same measuring glass as the oil and the honey slide right out)

1 cup white flour

3 Tbs vital wheat gluten

2 Tbs dough enhancer (this is optional--I just happen to have some)

12 cups whole wheat flour (I used white wheat: apporx 8c whaet berries= 12 c flour)
1 1/2 TBs salt

Grind your wheat (in your electric wheat grinder) while getting everything else ready. Then, using a Bosch or other heavy duty mixer, combine ingredients in the order given, mixing well after half the flour, then add the other half of flour and salt. Add a little extra white flour as needed if dough is too sticky. Knead in mixer for 8 minutes. Dump out dough on your 'Rolpat' or if you don't have one, pour a little oil on your countertop and spread with your hand. Form into a long log, then divide into 5 loaves. Form each loaf into a log shape and place in medium sized nonstick bread pan. Press down the sides of each dough piece to fill the bottom of the pan, leaving the top round and smooth. Let rise in a warm spot until almost desired bread size. (about 1 hour). Bake in preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven to wire racks and brush tops of hot loaves with butter, if desired. Let cool about 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely before slicing. (if you can wait that long!!)

* I have also been making whole wheat tortillas--so easy and good. I'll post them soon, maybe tomorrow!