No Knead White/Wheat Bread

We don't really buy bread often.  There's only 2 of us at home and we just can't eat the loaf of bread quickly enough (and I HATE throwing food away).

 I got a craving the other day for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the other day... i'm also lazy and didn't feel like leaving the house to go to the grocery store.  So I made bread from scratch!  (that's a normal thing to do... right?!)

This was totally worth it!  This recipe isn't quick to make but the flavor is great and the crust on the bread is fantastic.

No Knead White/Wheat Bread:
(adapted King Arthur Flour)

3 cups lukewarm water

4 cups white flour

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups wheat flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 packet instant yeast

Directions:

*The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Mix everything together to make a rough, sticky dough. I used a stand mixer.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days if you prefer a tangier bread.

When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough.  It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface and round it into a ball. Place the dough onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top to help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking.

Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat the oven to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass or Pyrex) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.

When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit.

Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath.

Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.  Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Yield: 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size.

Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Rolls

Since it's October and I'm obsessed with Fall and pumpkin stuff I decided to finally get around to making some pumpkin pecan cinnamon rolls.  I've only been talking about this for a couple of years.

















I will admit that I am no expert in yeast breads or cinnamon roll dough but I ended up using WAY more flour than this recipe called for.  My dough was really sticky and I had a horrible time getting it to a workable point.  I didn't use bread flour like the original recipe did so that could be it... or it could be user error.

Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Rolls:
(adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour *you can use all white flour, but I had both so I used both

Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons brown sugar

In small saucepan, heat the milk and 2 tablespoons butter just until warm and the butter is almost melted. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, ground ginger, and salt. Add the milk mixture and beat with a mixer until everything is well mixed. Beat in the egg and yeast.

Add half of the flours to the pumpkin mixture and beat on low for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of bowl. Add the remaining flour and mix thoroughly.  This is a very soft dough.

Turn the dough out into lightly greased bowl, cover and let it rise in warm place until doubled, for about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto floured surface. Knead it for  about a minute or until it forms a smooth dough.

Roll the dough into 12x10 inch rectangle and brush the surface of the dough with melted butter.

In small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the dough with the brown sugar mixture followed by the chopped pecans.

















Beginning with long side of the dough, roll the dough up like a jellyroll. Pinch the seam to seal it up. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into twelve 1- inch slices.

In a small saucepan melt the butter and then add the pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and pecans and stir well.  Pour the sugar mixture into the bottom of a well greased 11x17-inch baking pan. 

















Place the rolls, cut side up, in the pan, on top of the sugar mixture. Cover and let the dough rise until it has nearly doubled, for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until golden. Let cool for about 10 to 15 minutes and turn the rolls out to allow the gooey sugar mixture to run down the sides of the cinnamon rolls.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread

I got the baking itch on Saturday.  I was also trying to use up a couple of things in the house so they wouldn't go bad... like buttermilk.  (I swear, I'm always trying to use up some buttermilk)

I did some "googling" and came across this recipe from Bread Basket Case.  I had everything at the house already and a free afternoon, so away I went!!

I had some issues with the dough.  It was really sticky and I felt like it took me a lot of flour to get it to a workable dough.  Let's be honest though... it could be user error.  Oh well.  It was still seriously delicious and after I tried it I went ahead and made another batch to put in the freezer.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread:
(adapted from Bread Basket Case)

5 1/2 cup bread flour 
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
2 cups water
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey
5 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
3 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package instant dry yeast

Place the oats in a mixing bowl. Add the water, and let stand for 15 or 20 minutes to soften. Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed for 3 minutes until thoroughly mixed. Turn the mixer to medium-low and mix for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Let rise for one hour. Fold the dough once during this rising, using a letter-style fold.

Divide the dough in half and shape into loaf pans. Brush the tops of the bread lightly with water, and press oatmeal gently onto the tops of the loaves. Cover the loaves, and let rise for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, using a pizza stone if possible, and preheating the stone as well. Put 1/2 cup ice cubes on a preheated tray or pan in the oven, and put the loaves on the stone (or on the oven rack). After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 400 degrees. Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

Corn Bread

I made chili the other night and decided that cornbread would be the perfect "side dish" to go with it.  I probably have a million cornbread recipes in all of the cookbooks on my shelf but most of them have never even heard of the word "diet".

I have this crazy old Weight Watchers cookbook and decided to pull it off the shelf and see what it had to offer.  I found this recipe and decided to give it a try.  The preparation was simple and while it's not a true southern corn bread it was delicious with my bowl of chili.

Corn Bread:
(adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook- PP+ 3)

1 1/4 cups yellow cornbread
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4-1 cup frozen corn kernels

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add the corn, cheese, milk, and egg.  Mix everything together and pour into the pan.

Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.  Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, serve warm.

Cornbread Dressing

Stuffing and dressing are the same basic thing.  Stuffing is actually stuffed into the bird.  Dressing is baked off in a casserole dish and served as a side.  There are a million and one different recipes out there for the best dressing/stuffing in the world.  I'm not going to say that this is "The World's Best Cornbread Dressing!!!" but it's good and it's what I make every year for Thanksgiving.

Cornbread Dressing:

Cornbread Ingredients:

2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs beaten
1-2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon drippings, melted

Dressing Ingredients:

3 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
12 slices day old bread, crumbled
2 1/2 cups turkey or chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

To make the cornbread:

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix well. Add eggs, buttermilk, and melted bacon drippings and stir into a batter.

Heat a well-greased 10-inch cast iron skillet in a 450 degree oven for 4 minutes or until hot.  Remove skillet from oven and pour batter into skillet. Bake at 450 for 35 minutes or until cornbread is lightly browned.

To make dressing:

Cool cornbread then crumble into a large bowl.

Place celery and onion in a large frying pan with a spoon of cooking oil and cook until tender.  Transfer cooked celery and onion, with all remaining ingredients, to crumbled cornbread, stirring well.  Spoon dressing into a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan or casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

I love fall.  It give me the green light to make as many pumpkin baked goods as possible.  I love it.  One of my favorite things to make is pumpkin bread.  It's good by itself, as french toast, in bread pudding, or any other way.  It also freezes great.

Pumpkin Bread
(adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups buttermilk


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2-3 loaf pans with a nonstick spray.  (I say 2-3 because I got 3 loaves out of the batter but the book says 2).  In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.  Set aside.


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the pumpkin and both sugars.  Mix on medium until everything has combined well.  Add the eggs and oil and mix well, scraping down the sides.  Turn the mixer on low speed and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, alternating, starting and ending with the flour.  Mix until just combined.


Divide the batter between your prepared pans.  Bake, rotating pans midway, for 55-60 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.

Zucchini Carrot Bread

I don't like zucchini.  My grandmother tried so hard to get us to eat it but it never worked, unless it was in a sweet bread.  I know I'm not alone.  There is some weird transformation that happens when zucchini is shredded and baked into a delicious bread.  It's amazing.

Carrot Zucchini Bread:
(adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrots

Directions:
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and carrots until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Pretzel Rolls

One of our local specialty stores have some amazing sausage choices, including some awesome chicken sausages.  We usually eat them with normal white bread rolls but I decided to be adventurous and make pretzel rolls.  I'm a little scared of yeast breads and this one had an extra step.  What's the worst that could happen?  They don't turn out well and we use normal rolls... not the end of the world.

Plus, i've been slacking on my New Year's Resolution and this would get me closer. 

Pretzel Rolls:
(Tasty Kitchen)

1-½ cup Warm Water (110°F)
1 package (1/4 Oz. Packet) Active Dry Yeast (not Quick Rise Yeast)
2 teaspoons Sugar
4-½ cups Unbleached All-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
¼ cups Baking Soda
1 whole Egg, Lightly Beaten
Pretzel Salt, To Sprinkle On Top

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water and the yeast and let rest 5 minutes until foamy.

Add the sugar, flour, salt, and butter; mix with the dough hook until thoroughly combined. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

Cut the dough into 18 pieces (2 ounces each). To shape, take a piece of dough and start forming a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal. Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand.

Place the ball on the baking sheet pinched seam side down, with at least 1” between each roll. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled.

Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions.

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil. Add the baking soda and lower heat to a simmer. Put the rolls into the poaching liquid, seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds then carefully turn the roll over in the liquid. Poach other side for 30 seconds then remove with a slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pans, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

With a pastry brush, glaze each roll with the lightly beaten egg, making sure to coat all sides completely. Top each roll with a sprinkle of pretzel salt. With a sharp straight edged knife, cut a slash or “X” in the top of each roll.

Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Basic Pizza Dough

I, along with the rest of the United States, love pizza.  We do order out for pizza a decent amount but we also love to have make your own pizza nights here at the house.  Basic pizza dough obviously makes great pizza but it also is great for making strombolis and calzones.

This recipe makes 2 balls of dough.  I like to go ahead and throw one in the freezer so i'm always prepared.  If you're cooking for one then cut the loaf into smaller pieces.

Pizza Dough:
(Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Fine cornmeal, for dusting

In a small bowl , sprinkle the sugar and yeast in the warm water.  Mix with a fork and let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy.

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt to combine.  Add the yeast water mixture and the olive oil; pulse until the mixture comes together but it still slightly sticky.  Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured work surface; kneed four or five times until a smooth ball forms.

Place dough ball into a slightly oiled bowl, smooth side up.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Punch dough down, fold onto its self four or five times.  Place back in the bowl, smooth side up, and let rise for an additional 30-40 minutes.

Punch dough down again.  Turn out on a floured surface and divide the dough into 2 pieces.  Knead each piece of dough 4 or 5 ties and turn into a smooth ball.  If freezing, wrap the dough in plastic and let thaw in the refrigerator before using.  Otherwise roll out and top with your favorite toppings.

Banana Nut Bread

My aunt's church is having a craft sale and I'm bringing some baked goods to it.  One of the things I wanted to bring was banana nut bread.  Everyone loves it so I decided it would be a safe bet.  I used a recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and made a couple of changes to suit my tastes.

Banana Nut Bread:
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 3 bread pans with cooking spray; set aside.  In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs, sugar, and vegetable oil on medium-low speed until combined.  Beat in the flour mixture.  Add the vanilla, banana, nuts, and buttermilk.  Beat until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans.  Bake for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

Banana Bread French Toast

I've been making banana bread like it's going out of style.  One of my favorite ways to eat it (or any sweet, quick bread) is to make french toast.  It's easy and tastes awesome.

I used banana bread because I had it, but this would also be awesome with pumpkin bread, cranberry nut bread, or anything else you have around.  Also, if you like more cinnamon or nutmeg, then add more spices.

Banana Bread French Toast:

Banana bread, sliced.  This is rich so I would say 2-3 slices per person is fine.
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup cream or half and half
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix everything, except the bread together in a bowl, making sure that everything has combined well.

Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter.

While the pan is heating, take the slices of bread and place in the mixture.  Let soak for a minute or so and turn so the other side can soak as well.

Place each slice of bread in the hot skillet and cook for a minute or two on each side, until nice and golden brown.  I ate mine with butter pecan syrup, which was amazing but anything you have at home will work.

Sweet Corn Bread

I made BBQ Beef the other night and decided that it would be nice to have some cornbread to go with it.  I like sweet cornbread and since I was making it I decided to go with that!  (So there!)

In my quest to find some good cornbread recipes I ended up on the Tasty Kitchen website, which is run by the The Pioneer Woman.  This was easy to make and the only thing I had to buy was the can of creamed corn.  I call that a win.  Mr. T enjoyed it too (as you can see by the missing corner).

Sweet Cornbread:
(Tasty Kitchen- asweetpeachef)

Ingredients:
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
½ cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
2-½ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 whole Egg
1 cup Milk
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
½ cup Creamed Corn


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and set aside.

Combine dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt) in a large mixing bowl. In a separate, smaller mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients (egg, milk, oil and creamed corn). Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Be careful not to over-mix.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick or knife to the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

Mushroom Cheese Bread

I would like to thank Publix for this idea.

Mushroom Cheese Bread:

1 loaf crusty bread, cut in half

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup italian cheese shredded cheese blend

1 cup of baby Portabello mushrooms, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350.  Brush olive oil on both pieces of bread (on the cut side, not the crust side).  Lay the mushroom slices on top of the bread and sprinkle with garlic and cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Strawberry Scones

Someone at work brought in a whole bag of strawberries. I'm trying to branch out and make new things.  I was looking around at strawberry options and came across this recipe.  As luck would have it I just bought a container of Greek yogurt.

Strawberry Scones:
(adapted from Chobani Yogurt)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1-2 tsp for flouring work surface
1/4 cups sugar plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling on top
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup chopped strawberries
3/4 cup Greek yogurt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add butter, using hands or fork, work until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in strawberries, and then Greek yogurt to hold dough together. Do not overmix.

Turn dough onto floured surface and with floured hands, knead 2 to 3 times. Gently press dough into rectangle, about 1½-inches thick. Fold rectangle into thirds, like a letter. Press dough into 9-inch round.  Cut into 8 wedges.

Arrange wedges on a parchment-paper-covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle each wedge with a little sugar. Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Cranberry Pecan Bread

It's cold and gross looking outside. I decided that it was a sign that I needed to do some housework, which means time to do the dishes.  With a clean kitchen I decided it was a perfect time to make some bread.  I've had a bag of cranberries in my freezer since Thanksgiving and I have some fabulous pecans laying around.  Cranberry-Pecan bread... FTW.

Cranberry Nut Bread:
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag (12 ounces) cranberries
1 cup pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (8-cup capacity), and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine butter, egg, vanilla, and milk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and whisk to combine; fold in cranberries and pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pan and top with some sanding sugar, if you want.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let bread cool 30 minutes. Invert onto rack, then immediately turn right side up to cool completely.


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Buttermilk Biscuits

I love biscuits.  There are days that I seriously crave biscuits.  I love them with jam, honey, cane syrup, and as sandwiches.  They are perfect for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Biscuits are something that I associate with my Grandma.  She would pull up a stool to the kitchen counter and let us "help" her make them.  (I think all that we did was make a mess.)  She never used a biscuit cutter, just the rim of a juice glass.

I decided to make biscuits one morning.  I was on vacation and had some buttermilk that I needed to use up.

Buttermilk Biscuits:
(adapted from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea)

2 cups all-purpose flour (use Martha White or White Lily)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1/4 cup buttermilk, cold

In a bowl (or food processor) combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add butter and work until the mixture is the size of peas.















Using a fork stir in the buttermilk until all of the flour is moistened.  On a floured surface knead the dough for 1 minute.  Pat into a 1/2-inch circle and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill for at least 20 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  With a biscuit cutter or other sharp edge cut the biscuits into circles.  Place on a baking sheet with the sides touching just a little.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Feel free to brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter when they are still warm.

Cherry Bread

Every year when it starts to cool off my mom starts making bread.  She makes both yeast breads and quick breads.  Quick breads are breads that are made without yeast.  They take almost no time to make and with a good base recipe you can make anything.  I grew up eating cherry bread, cranberry nut bread, banana nut, and pumpkin among others.  I love to take a slice, toast it, and top it with cream cheese in the morning.

I am in the process of trying to use up some buttermilk and decided to make some bread with it.  I decided on the cherry because I had a can of cherry pie filling and I will never use it to make a pie.

Cherry Bread
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can cherry pie filling

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 3 loaf pans with nonstick baking spray (or butter and flour them).  In a large bowl bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set mixture aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) mix the sugars until well combined.  Add eggs and oil, mix well, scraping down sides when needed.  Take the buttermilk and add the vanilla.  Turn the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in two batches alternating with the buttermilk-vanilla mixture.  Add the can of pie filling.  Fold in with a spoon so the cherries won't break.

Divide the batter between pans.  I got three loaves when I made this.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden and until a tooth pick comes out clean.














Remove from the pan and let cool completely.  This bread freezes fantastically and makes great holiday party gifts.

Weight Watcher's Zucchini Bread

My Grandmother's neighbor grows tons of veggies.  Every summer they bring my grandma a basket full of summer veggies, including zucchini.  I'm not a zucchini fan, except in bread.  I love zucchini bread so much.  I can usually snag a couple of them and make a loaf or two.

Zucchini Bread:
(Weight Watchers- 3 points)

1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 medium zucchini, grated and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, spray and 8x4-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat the egg until pale yellow, gradually adding the sugar.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.  In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and lemon zest.  Mix the wet and dry mixes together, alternately.  Fold in the zucchini, the batter will be thick.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 10 minutes on the top oven rack, then reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan, then transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.


I also like to add walnuts or pecans (which will change your points value if you're watching that).  Toasted, this is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast.  This bread will also freeze well if wrapped in freezer wrap.

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

When I was at my mom's house this weekend I found a new cookbook.  Simply Florida: A Taste of Flavors From the Sunshine State was published by the University of Florida (GO GATORS!!) and focuses on using ingredients that can be found all over the state of Florida.  I think that this book might just find it's way over to my house.  ;)

This is a really easy dinner roll recipe and there is nothing better than warm rolls at supper time,

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls:
(Simply Florida: A Taste of Flavors From the Sunshine State)

2 envelopes dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups hot water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons sea salt
6 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl.  Add the hot water, oil honey, eggs, and sea salt.  Mix well.  Add the flour, gradually, mixing after each addition; do not knead.

Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning to coat the surface.  Chill, covered with plastic wrap, for 8-10 hours.  Pull down the dough and shape into rolls, about 1/4 cup worth.  Arrange the rolls om two 9x13-inch greased baking pans.

Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.

Blue Cheese Bacon Bites

This is another quick and easy appetizer that you can make if guests show unexpectedly. 

Blue Cheese Bacon Bites:(Mom)


Cook six slices of bacon about half done and drain. Chop into small pieces.
1 can of biscuits cut into quarters. Arrange in a baking dish.
1/4 cup soft butter
4 oz blue cheese


Mix cheese with butter and spread evenly over biscuit tops. Sprinkle with chopped bacon.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

These are so good and seriously easy!  I love blue cheese so I usually add some extra when I pull them out of the oven.