Braided Bread

This is our family's favorite homemade bread. Its easy to make and tastes delicious!




5 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 packages dry yeast
2 Tbsp oil
2 cups warm water

Combine yeast, sugar, and water in bread bowl. Let stand about 5 minutes until yeast is foamy. Add oil, flour and salt. Knead until smooth if using bread mixer, adding additional flour if needed. If you are mixing the dough by hand, add just 3 cups of flour and blend until moistened at low speed of an electric mixer then 3 minutes at medium speed. Stir in remaining flour by hand to form a stiff dough. Knead until smooth (about 5 minutes). Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a dry towel. Let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size. Punch down dough; divide in half. Divide each half into three parts. Form each part into a strip about 14 inches long. Braid the three strips together sealing the ends. Place on greased cookie sheet (or use silpat) Repeat with other half of dough. Cover loosely and let rise until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Brush with butter.

Yield: 2 loaves

I like to make this bread using 1/2 white flour and 1/2 fresh ground whole wheat flour

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat together sugar, zucchini and egg. Add oil and mix well. Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture. Gently fold in nuts if desired. Turn batter into a greased 8x4x2 loaf pan. Bake in a 350 oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly on a rack. Makes 1 loaf.

Popovers

When I was a child, I remember a restaurant that served popovers in their bread basket. I fell in love with them and was thrilled when I discovered this easy recipe for them. The first time I baked them, Amy fell in love with popovers especially after Dad suggested that they made a good container for a scoop of ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce. We tried it and they were great!

4 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 1/4 cup milk (at room temperature)
3 Tbsp oil
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 425. Heavily greased muffin pan with butter. In a blender, combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add flour and salt and blend 15 seconds or until combined. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake for about 28 minutes, until puffed and well browned. DO NOT open the oven door during the baking process or popovers will not rise. Remove pan from oven and immediately tip popovers out of pan onto work surface or cooling rack. Pierce each popover with toothpick or skerwer to allow steam to escape. Serve immediately.
Yield: 12 Popovers

Brenda Cheney's Cornbread

Our good friends in Lakeville, MN shared this recipe with us. It is a perfect side for a steaming bowl of Chili.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients. Add milk and stir. Add butter and stir until combined. Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.

Banana Nut Bread

1/2 cup butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup nuts (optional)

Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Add bananas. Mix in dry ingredients. Add nuts, if desired. Pour into 2 greased 8 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes (watch last 15 minutes of baking). Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of loaf comes out clean.
Yield: 2 loaves

Naan Bread (India)

2/3 cup warm water (105-115)
1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp plain yogurt

Mix warm water, yeast and sugar until yeast is dissolved. Let stand 10 minutes. Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Add 1/2 of butter and all of the yogurt. Mix into a soft dough and knead on a floured surface 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Let rise 1 1/2 hours or until double in size. Punch down and knead 5 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll out into 8 inch rounds. Cover an oven tray with aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brush Naan rounds with remaining butter. Cook one at a time under the broiler watching carefully. When naan is puffed and just starting to brown, turn and cook other side just until puffed and starting to brown (approximately 2 minutes each side).
Serve hot with your favorite Indian dish (chicken curry, chana masala, lamb vindaloo, etc)

Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread

There is an old legend about Christmas bread. Any bread given to others at Christmas time is holy bread. IF you give a loaf to someone else, you should divide it with another. The act of dividing it multiplies it. When one does this, one loaf would be enough to feed the whole world.

This is a delicious fruit bread recipe from the kitchen of my Great Grandma Haynie. It makes a great gift at Christmas time for teachers, neighbors, etc.

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups craisins
1 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp grated orange peel

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange peel and orange juice all at once. Stir just until mixture is evenly moistened. Fold in craisins. Spoon into greased 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf
Obviously, my great-grandmother did not use craisins since they didn't exist yet in her day. She used 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped and 1 1/2 cups raisins. You can certainly try fresh or frozen cranberries but the craisins are so easy and taste delicious in this bread.

French Bread

5 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dry yeast
2 Tbsp oil
2 cups warm water

Combine sugar, water (105-115) and yeast in bowl of bread mixer. Mix once and let stand until foamy, approximately 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour, oil and salt. Blend at lowest speed until moistened and then beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Stir in remaining flour using dough hook on mixer and knead until smooth (or knead by hand about 5 minutes). Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down dough and divide in half.
To make traditional loaves, roll each half into a rectangle 3/4-1 inch thick using a rolling pin. Roll the rectangle lengthwise and pinch ends closed. Tuck under ends and pinch closed. Place on baking sheet or in french bread pan lightly dusted with cornmeal. For a braided loaf, divide each half into three parts. Form each part into a strip about 14 inches long. Braid the three strips together sealing ends. Place each braided loaf on a cookie sheet greased or dusted with cornmeal.
Cover loaves loosely with kitchen towel and let rise until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately brush tops with butter. Let stand several minutes before slicing...bread will slice easier as it cools.
Yield: 2 loaves

Lambertville Station Coconut Bread

Dad and I ate at Lambertville Station, across the river from New Hope, PA for Valentine's Day 2010. It was a great meal but the thing we loved most was the coconut bread. Lucky for us, they had the recipe available and we've enjoyed fixing it at home.

1 cup lightly packed coconut
1 egg
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Toast coconut on a baking sheet in oven until golden, stirring frequently 7-10 minutes. Combine egg, milk and flavorings in medium bowl. Beat until mixed well. Stir in coconut. Resift flour with sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add to liquid and stir only until flour is moistened. Do not overmix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 55-60 minutes. Loaf should be golden brown. Cool and turn out on rack. Best if enjoyed within 2 days.

Blueberry Muffins

7 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 12 standard muffin cups or line with cupcake liners. On medium speed of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 2 increments, alternating with milk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Gently fold blueberries into batter just until evenly distributed. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling level with the rim. Bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Unmold muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 12 muffins

Thanksgiving Rolls

These rolls have been a family tradition for generations. My Grandma Haynie made them for her family. My mother made them when I was growning up. In fact, these rolls usually were my entire Thanksgiving dinner! I have made them for my family year after year and without fail they always disappear quickly.





2/3 cup powdered milk
2 Tbsp dry yeast
5 cups flour
2 cups water (hot but not too hot...105-115)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix the water and yeast in the bowl of a bread mixer (I use my Bosch). If you don't have a bread mixer, just mix the ingredients using another mixer or even a wooden spoon, then knead by hand. If kneading by hand, be sure to knead at least 10 minutes. Let yeast stand 5 minutes or until it is foamy. Add powdered milk, flour, melted butter, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture. Do not allow the salt to touch the yeast directly, add it on top of the other dry ingredients. Knead in bread mixer adding up to 1 cup flour, if necessary. Spray another bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place dough in that bowl. Turn dough a few times to coat with oil. Cover with dry towel and let rise until double, approximately 1 hour. Punch down and shape into rolls...I prefer to place them in a round cake pan so that they rise and bake together but you can shape them into crescents or bake them individually on a cookie sheet. Let rise another 45 minutes to 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
Option: Place dough in the fridge overnight. Remove in the morning and roll into balls. Let rise and bake as before.
Yield: 3-4 dozen