Breads



















The air puffed, chemical injected, preservative packed loaves that we see in the grocery stores called "bread" is a sad resemblance of what the hand kneaded, lovingly made breads from my childhood memory are. Years later, I am trying to create memories for my children by baking bread in our kitchen, both in hopes of them enjoying it enough to make bread from scratch when they are grown, and to feel happy in knowing that the lovingly made bread that I feed my children is healthier for them than anything I could purchase at the grocery store. Making your own bread can save you a lot of money. I purchase a 25 pound bag of unbleached flour for about $4. I have never seen exactly how much bread I can make with this bag but am sure I could make more than 24 loaves with it. Including the addition of bulk yeast, bulk eggs, and any other ingredients, each homemade loaf can cost me less than $.50 each. An average cost of the puffed up "bread" at a grocer is about $1.60, and an average loaf of "handmade" bread from the Deli is about $3.40. I recently saw someone at a craft market selling homemade bread for $6 a loaf! WOW! That is a savings of $1.40-$5.50 each loaf. With our family of 7, the savings adds up real fast!


Teether Bread Stix
2 eggs
1/2 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
3 tsp low-sodium baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with vegetable cooking spray. In blender combine eggs, apple juice, and oil. Mix on medium just to blend. Add applesauce, bananas, and carrots; blend well. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and baking soda. Pour in the wet mixture and mix until smooth. Pour into pan and bake about 1 hour, until firm to the touch. Cool completely. Remove from pan. Cut into8 slices, and then cut each slice into four 1 inch sticks. Lay the sticks on a baking sheet and bake at 150 degrees for 30 minutes (for soft bread like sticks) or 1 hour (for hard teething biscuits). Store in an air tight container.

Cappuccino Muffins
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
2 t instant coffee powder
1/4 salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix togehter the dry ingredients, in a separate bowl, mix the liquid ingredients well. Mix together wet and dry ingredients gently.  Add chocolate chips.  Pour mix into well greased muffin pans in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Scones
2 cups flour
3 T powdered sugar
1 T baking powder
6 T butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 t sugar

Mix flour, powdered sugar and baking powder. Add butter until it's crumbly.  Break an egg into a measuring cup and add milk to make 2/3 cups and mix well. Add milk mixture to flour until moistened evenly.  Roll into ball and lightly knead then shape into 3/4 inch thick rectangle on a greased baking sheet. Cut into 12 triangles or squares, sprinle with sugar and bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins
1/4 lb butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T molasses
2 T honey
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 cup dated, chopped

In a mixer, cream together sugar, honey, and molasses. Add the egg and pumkin and beat together until smooth.  Mix in separate bowl, dry ingredients and mix with pumkin mixture until moistened. Pour in muffin cups and bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Bread Pudding
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg and cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
8 - 10 slices of firm white bread
coconut & cinnamon to garnish

Beat eggs. Beat in milk, vanilla, sugar, nutmeg and salt. Mix in the bread (and any additions you like). Note: Mix bread cubes with the liquid using your hands so the liquid is evenly distributed. Ideally. the bread should soak up all the liquid evenly before being put in the baking dish. Some breads absorb quicker than others. Pour into a deep-dish glass pie pan or 1 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut if you like and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

      Variations on a theme:
Try adding these ingredients to enhance your bread pudding experience.

:Substitute your favorite bread for white.
:Macadamia Nuts
:Chocolate or Butterscotch chips
: Grated lemon, orange or other citrus peel
: Your favorite fruit or fruit puree
:Raisins, currants, dates or figs
:Your favorite candy bar
:shredded coconut
:Chocolate covered anything!
:Most any liquor
:Ground coffee
:Half & Half or any type of cream
:Your favorite cocktail mix.

ENJOY!!!

Pie Crust
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup shortening
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 egg well beaten
1/3 cup cold water

Sift together flour and salt. Add shortening, cut in until mixture resembles cornmeal. Combine egg, vinegar and water, and add to flour mixture. Stir lightlywith a fork until cough follows fork in the bowl. Form into ball. Chill if necessary. Makes 2 9 inch double crust pies. 


Cherry Puffs
1 cup skim milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk baking mix
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 t almond extract
2 T softened butter
1 (21oz) can cherry pie filling

Blend all ingredients except cherries in a blender and por into well-greased 10 inch  pie pan. Spoon cherries on top and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Onion Shortcake
2 cups flour
4 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/3 cup butter
1/2 to 2/3 cup buttermilk
8 large onions, sliced
6 T butter
1 cup sour cream
1 t salt
pepper
2 eggs
Mix togehter flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add butter until crumbly, and add buttermilk to make a dough.  Knead on floured, hard surface until smooth. Line dough in a 9 inch springform pan and chill until filling is prepared.  Saute onions in butter until golden and spread in crust.  Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over onions.  Bake in pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes and reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Griddle Cakes
1 1/4 cups packed canned unsweetened pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp lemon juice
vegetable oil for frying

Combine all ingredients except oil in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Form into 2 inch patties about 1/4 inch thick (no thicker or they will not cook properly. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Saute the patties about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and cool slightly before serving. Two large sweet potatoes may be substituted for the pumpkin.

Apple Fritters
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 3/4 tsp low-sodium baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbsp apple juice concentrate
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2cup diced apple
oil for frying

Combine dry ingredients; mix and set aside. Beat together the eggs, milk, juice concentrate, and vegetable oil. Stir into dry ingredients mixture. Fold in apple bits. In hot oil, drop batter by the teaspoonful and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cool to safe temperature before serving.

Magic Muffins
1  1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup farina (aka Malt-O-Meal)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Combine all ingredients until flour is moistened. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 18 - 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Yankee Grits Bread
1 1/2 T active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 t  sugar or honey
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
3 T bacon grease or a light oil
2 t salt
6-7 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups grits, cooked and unsalted
3/4 cup non-fat dry milk
2 T melted butter

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and add sugar. When it bubbles, add the second 1/2 cup of water, egg, bacon grease, honey and 2 cups of flour. With an electric mixer, beat for about two minutes then add grits and the dry milk.  Add another 4 cups of flour to make a stiff dough. On a floured, hard surface, knead bread until smooth. Put dough in a well-greased bowl and cover until it doubles in size.  When it has doubled, punch dough down and knead on floured surface again. Let it rise a second time then  shape into 2 loaves and bake in greased bread pans.  Cook at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Zucchini Parmesan Jalepeno Flatbread
1 cup flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t veggie bouillon
2 egg whites, beaten
1 cup  shredded zucchini
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 jalepeno pepper, diced up.
2 T parmesan cheese, grated.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and bouillon. In a medium bowl, combine beaten eggs, zucchini, jalapeno and yogurt. Combine the flour mixture with the zucchini mixture, mix well. Spread dough in  a well-greased 9 inch baking pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Rhubarb Bread
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1T  baking soda
1/2 t salt
4 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup white sugar
2 T butter

Mix together, brown sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Add  flour, salt and baking soda. Stir in rhubarb and nuts. Separate mixture into two greased 9x5 loaf pans and bake for 60 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven.

Sweet Cornbread for a Crowd
1 yellow cake mix for a 9X13 cake, mixed as directed(Dont Bake!)
2 corn bread mixes (each for 8x8 or 9x9) mixed as directed (Dont Bake!)

Stir batters completely together. Spread evenly in a 12x18 baking pan.Add a few handfuls of frozen corn or jalepenos on top of batter if desired. Bake as directed for cake, adding 10-15 minutes or until cornbread ia baked through the center.