Pear Muffins

I found this recipe on frostbakeshop.blogspot.com.

 

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

approximately 1/2 cup milk

2 cups peeled and diced pears

Crumb topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup cubed butter

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 2 cup measuring cup, add the eggs and then add enough milk to take it up to 2 cups (if you don't have a 2 cup measuring cup, then half the oil, eggs and milk into a 1 cup measuring cup and do that twice). Mix the flour mixture with the oil mixture and then add the pears.

In a medium bowl, mix the crumb topping ingredients and cut with a fork until the butter is in very small pieces. This works best when the butter is still a little bit cold, if it is too warm it will just mush with pressure from the fork.  or use a pastry mixer.

Fill the muffin tins right to the top and the sprinkle with the crumb topping mixture. Bake for 15 minutes - again, I take it out as soon as possible! If you are using the little mini tins, then about 10 minutes. You can put a toothpick in to see if it is done, but they are so much better if they aren't over baked.

 

REVIEW:  These muffins were very yummy!  The recipe made 24 reg. size muffins.  I did use canned pears and they tasted just fine. I only filled the muffin tins about 2/3 full....not to the top.

Lemon Zucchini Muffins

Found this recipe on allrecipes.com 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 zucchini, shredded 1 (8 ounce) container lemon yogurt

6 tablespoons butter, melted 1 egg, beaten 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1/3 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.
2.	Mix flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Mix zucchini, yogurt, butter, egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest in a separate bowl; pour yogurt mixture into well. Gently stir yogurt, slowly incorporating the flour mixture until just blended. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Pour batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.
3.	Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
4.	While muffins are baking, whisk 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 teaspoons lemon zest together in a saucepan over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Cover and keep glaze warm over low heat.
5.	Poke each muffin several times with a toothpick; spoon glaze over muffins. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. *Some suggestions: Instead of 6 T butter use: half oil and half butter, use half oil and half applesauce, or use 5-6T of applesauce and 1/8 c (flaxseed) oil Add 1 t baking powder to rise more Use 2 cups of zucchini

Hot Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

Time: 45 minutes start to finish
Yield: 24 pinwheels
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

1 1/2 C warm water
2 T sugar
1 T yeast
1/2 t salt
4-4 1/2 C flour
1 pound deli ham, sliced thin
2 C cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Pour 1 1/2 C warm water into your stand mixer and preheat your oven to 170 degrees. (You read it right...170 degrees is all you need.)

2.  Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon yeast. Turn the mixer on low for about 30 seconds allowing the ingredients to combine. Let it rest for 5 minutes, or until it gets all bubbly.

3. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 cups flour. Turn the mixer on to low and let the flour mix in. Add the rest of the flour (2 1/2 cups worth) one cup at a time. When the dough pulls itself away from the side of the bowl, you have enough flour.

4. Turn the mixer to medium speed and allow it to mix for 5 minutes.

5. Spray your counter with cooking spray, divide the dough into two equal parts and allow them to rest on the counter for 5 minutes. Don't skip this step, ok? If you don't let the dough rest it won't roll out nicely and then you might start to cry and then your kids would think you have lost you mind. Thanks for your cooperation.

6. After the dough has rested roll the old girl out into a large rectangle.

7. Cover it with half of the ham and sprinkle it with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

8. Roll the dough up starting at the longer end.

9. Spray a large knife with cooking spray and slice the roll into 12 rounds.

10. Place each pinwheel onto a large cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

11. Repeat steps 6-10 with the other half of the dough.

12. Place both pans into your warm 170 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until they start to rise just a bit. You don't want them to get super puffy, you just want the dough to have the chance to expand a little, like you see in the picture above.

13. Turn the oven up to 350 degrees (don't take the pans out of the oven) and let the pinwheels bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown along the top and bottom. 

14. Take the pans out of the oven and let the pinwheels rest for about 5 minutes...then gobble them up.

Enjoy!

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin time! 
recipe found on jessicainsd.blogspot.com

Bread
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Buttered Vanilla Glaze
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through.**** Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.** Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle.*** Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 37 exactly) or until top is a very deep golden brown.

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.

**Of course I didn't properly read this section of the directions... I was supposed to melt the butter and brush the dough with the butter then adding the sugar on top of the butter (instead of mixing it all together and sprinkling) but it worked my way so that's how I am listing it. It's really your call!

*** If dough is difficult to roll out, cover with a towel and allow to relax for a few minutes then try again.

**** My milk was room temperature. Adding it cold to the butter can result in clumping. Willow Bird Baking called for removing the butter from the pan, then heating the milk, then adding the butter back to the milk. I was lazy which is why I skipped that step. You can also heat the milk separately in the microwave if you'd like. 

Better Than Rhodes Rolls

I found this recipe on ourfoodstorage.com.  There is also a post on there how to shape hamburger buns or hot dog buns.

1 cup warm milk – I used prepared powdered milk (or water or soy milk)
2 tsp vinegar
½ cup butter (1 stick) – if you want to try oil, use 1/3 cup
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs OR 1 tbsp egg replacer + 1/4 cup water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup potato flakes
4 cups flour
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

-Add all ingredients to bread machine pan in order suggested by manufacturer and select dough setting.
-When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
-Divide dough into 24 portions and shape into balls.
-Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan or in muffin tins.
-Cover with saran wrap (spray with non-stick spray) and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes (if you are using regular wheat, you can let these rise for an hour or more. Spelt doesn’t tolerate over rising).
-Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (we actually like ours very light on top and just barely done, so we do 15 minutes).

Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

I got these recipe from one of my friends.  She brought to playgroup one time and they were yummy!


1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Grease muffin tins.

1. In a bowl combine blueberries and flour; toss to coat well. Set aside.

2. In a bowl combine butter and sugar; cream until light. Add eggs one at a time; beat well.

3. In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream; mix well. Add blueberries and vanilla.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 min.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

I found this recipe here.

 

1 cup finely diced cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup hot sauce (Frank's brand is what I used)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise dry yeast

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup warm milk ( I used 2%)

2 1/2 cups of flour

To make the buffalo chicken mixture, in a small bowl, combine the chicken, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, softened butter and hot sauce; set aside.

In a 1 cup measuring cup, heat the milk and then add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar; stir into warm milk until dissolved; place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast to the stand mixer and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour, a little at a time, if necessary. Allow the dough to knead in the stand mixer for 5-7 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Place dough into a clean bowl that's been lightly oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and bubbles appear on surface, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands with flour, then gently roll and stretch 1 piece of dough to form a 12-inch-long rope. Flatten dough and arrange so a long side is nearest you, then roll out to a roughly 12- by 4-inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin. Gently press one fourth of buffalo chicken mixture into lower third of rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border along bottom edge. Stretch bottom edge of dough up over filling and press tightly to seal, then roll up as tightly as possible to form a rope. Cut rope into 12 pieces and transfer to a sheet pan. Make 3 more ropes with remaining dough, filling and cut into pieces, transferring to sheet pans. Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes (dough will rise slightly).

Bake buffalo chicken bites in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven (some cheese may have melted out.) and brush tops with melted butter before serving (optional).

 

Freezer: Freeze them before baking. When you're ready, take out what you need while you preheat the oven and bake. You may have to add a couple minutes to the original bake time for them to be done

 

*Can substitute chedder cheese for the blue cheese.

Donut Muffins

I found this recipe on Smashed Peas and Carrots.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk (soy milk works nicely too!)
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a mini-muffin tin, set aside. Mix up the 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and nutmeg in a large bowl. Then, add in the milk, baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes.  During baking get your cinnamon-sugar topping mixed up! Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small bowl and then in a separate bowl mix together the cinnamon and sugar. When the muffins are done, remove them from the pan. Dip the tops in the melter butter and then roll the WHOLE muffin in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Let cool.

*makes 18 mini muffins or 6-8 reg. muffins

REVIEW:  I made these this morning for my playgroup and they were a HIT!

Olive Garden Breadsticks

Recipe from www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com
Time: 1 hour
Yield: 14 breadsticks

Dough:
1 1/2 C hot water
2 T sugar
1 T salt
2 T butter, softened
4-5 C flour
1 T yeast

Topping:
3 T butter melted
sea salt
1/4 t garlic powder


1. Turn your tap water to hot. It should feel hot, but not so hot that it's uncomfortable to touch.
2. Fill up your handy measuring device with 1 1/2 C hot water.
3. Pour the water into your stand mixer. Add the sugar, salt and the softened butter.
4. Pour in about 2 cups of flour.
5. Using the paddle handle start to mix the dough on low.
6. Add the yeast.
7. Add the rest of the flour about a half cup at a time, until the dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean.
8. Mix the dough for 5 minutes on medium speed. Until elastic-ey.
And who know if elastic-ey is even a word! If you were to touch it, it should spring back just a bit. That is what you want!
9. Spray your counter top and your hands with cooking spray. Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and roll it into a long log on your counter top.
10. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 12-14 pieces. You can see that I cut it into 12 here....I actually ended up cutting parts off some of the bigger pieces and ended up with 14 breadsticks total.
11. Roll the pieces into long snakes. "Whoa." you might be thinking. "That looks like some kind of Pinocchio length breadstick, or somethin!" Don't worry. Once you set them in the pan, they will shrink a bit. It will work out well for you if you roll them out long....Pinocchio long.
12. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, and lay the breadsticks out leaveing about 2 inches between each one.
13. Place the pans in your oven with the temprature turned to 170. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.
14. Once the breadsticks have risen, remove them from the oven. Brush them with the 1 1/2 T of the melted butter and sprinkle them with the sea salt.
16. Return them to the oven and turn the heat to 400 degrees. Your dough will rise a bit more as the oven temprature increases. Once it has hit 400 degrees the breadsticks should cook for about 12 -15 minutes, or until golden brown. Half way thought the baking period open up your oven and switch the bottom pan to the top, and the top to the bottom. This will ensure they cook evenly.
17. While the breadsticks are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1/4 t garlic powder.
18. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the melted butter/garlic mixture.
That's it! Serve these babies hot from the oven. You won't regret it!

Ciabatta Bread

Recipe from melskitchencafe.com

Mel has included pictures for every step of the way on her blog.

*Note: this dough requires a "biga" or a starter to be made the night before so plan ahead! It takes mere seconds to stir together but you don't want to skimp on this step - it is important for the flavor and outcome of the dough. Also, if you don't have a scale to weigh the flour, take care to measure with a light hand as you don't want the starter or dough overfloured.

*Makes two loaves of ciabatta bread

Overnight starter:

1 1/2 cups (6 ¼ ounces) unbleached or regular all-purpose flour

1 cup cool water

1/16 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough:

all of the starter (from above)

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/2 cups (6 ¼ ounces) unbleached or regular all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Topping for Garlic Bread:

1 medium head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 15 medium cloves) and finely minced

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1/3 cup olive oil

pinch (1/16 teaspoon) of salt

1 cup (4 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

snipped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

For the starter: Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for up to 15 hours. It will become bubbly and puffy.

For the bread: Place all of the dough ingredients, including the starter, into the bowl of your mixer and beat at medium speed, using the flat/paddle beater, for 7 minutes (scraping the bowl as needed). As it starts to mix, it will be very wet and sticky. After mixing for 7 minutes, the dough will be smooth, soft, shiny, and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough ingredients in your bread machine using the dough cycle.

Using greased or lightly oiled hands, transfer the dough to a greased bowl or other rising container, cover it, and let it rise for 2 hours, deflating it halfway through, and then recovering and letting it rise another hour. If you're using a bread machine, allow it to rise for an additional hour after the dough cycle has ended.

Lightly grease your work surface/counter, and a half-sheet baking pan (18" x 13") or similar large baking sheet or line it with parchment or a silpat liner. Grease your hands, as well.

Very gently turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface; you don't want to deflate it. It'll lose a bit of volume, but don't actively punch it down. Using a bowl scraper, bench knife, or your fingers, divide the dough in half. You should have two fat logs, each about 10" long x 4" wide.

Handling the dough gently, transfer each piece to the baking sheet, laying them down crosswise on the sheet. Position them about 2 1/2" from the edge of the pan, leaving about 4" between them. Lightly cover the dough with heavily oiled plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. Midway through, gently but firmly dimple the dough with your fingers, making fairly deep pockets. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spritz the risen loaves with lukewarm water. You'll see that the dimples have filled in somewhat, but haven't entirely disappeared. Bake the loaves until they are golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

To make garlic bread: Prepare the topping by combining the minced garlic cloves, melted butter, olive oil and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Cut the loaves in half lengthwise, like you're going to make giant sandwiches. Spread the cut halves with the garlic mixture. Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and the edges of the bread are starting to brown. Remove the bread from the oven, and sprinkle it immediately with the grated Parmesan and parsley, if desired. Cut in crosswise slices to serve.

Cinnamon Sugar Buns

I've had this link saved for a while and I just happened upon it again.  I'm definitely gonna have to try this soon!  It looks soooo yummy!  I found this recipe here.

Cinnamon Sugar Buns 

3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) all-purpose Flour + 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) sugar
2 to 2 1/4 cups heavy cream

Coating
7 tablespoons butter, melted, OR 2 5/8 ounces milk
Cinnamon and sugar for rolling

If you don’t have any demarle nonstick baking pans, then lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan, line with parchment, and grease the parchment. Parchment isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes it easier to get the bubbly, sugary buns out of the pan once they are baked.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add 2 cups of the cream all at once, then toss and stir the mixture till the dough comes together. If necessary, add additional cream to make the dough cohesive. Gather the dough in your hands and knead it a few times to make sure there are no dry spots.

Place the cinnamon sugar in a small, shallow bowl or pan; or in a plastic zip-top bag. Break off pieces of dough about the size of a ping pong ball, or about 1 1/8 ounces. Dip each piece in melted butter or milk, then roll or shake in the cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon-coated dough balls into the pan of your choice in a single layer; they’ll be touching one another, which is just fine.

Cover the pan with plastic, and place in the freezer overnight, or for up to a week or so. If freezing longer than overnight wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap, then in foil. Next day, remove the pan from the freezer, and let the buns rest at room temperature while you preheat your oven to 350°F. The buns don’t need to thaw.

If you’re baking the buns immediately (not frozen), bake them for 45 to 50 minutes, till the buns in the center are cooked through. You can asses this by taking a toothpick and actually digging into the center bun to take a look; it should look totally baked, not doughy. If the buns have been frozen, bake them for 65 to 70 minutes, testing for doneness as instructed above. Tent them with aluminum foil after 45 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven, and serve immediately. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, right before serving

Brown Sugar Muffins

One of my friends brought these to playgroup and they were yum!  Maybe we'll make these tonight for Family Home Evening!

1 cube butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

 

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix.  Add rest of ingredients.  Bake @ 350 for 12-15 min.

Healthy Corn Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Time: 30 minutes or less!

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

 

 1 1/2 C flour

1 C cornmeal

1/2 C sugar

1 t baking soda

2 t baking powder

1 t salt

1/2 C blended up canned corn (don't get all squeemish on me)

1 egg, whisked with a fork until frothy

3 T butter, melted

 

1. In a small food processor or in a blender process your can of corn until it is all saucy and smooth. Don't worry your pretty little head about this ingredient. I fed these lovely treasures to a bunch of neighbor kids and they all loved them. They didn't even realize they had less fat. This blended up corn will replace some of the butter that the original recipe called for. Only some folks. We don't want to omit the butter all together now do we?

2. In a mixing bowl combine the 1/2 C blended corn, egg and melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon.

3. In a separate bowl combine all other ingredients.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.

5. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Carefully spoon the batter into each cup. Only fill them 2/3 of the way. You want to leave room for them to rise up.

6. Bake at 350 for 13-16 minutes. Enjoy!

Fabulous Pizza Dough

I have a pizza dough that I use that is really simple that I use for my pizza rolls, but I'm not sure its the best recipe for just a regular pizza dough.  I'll try this one out for jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com.

1 t yeast
1 1/2 C warm water
4 C flour
1 t salt
1/3 C olive oil

1. Sprinkle yeast over the top of your warm water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in the bottom of your mixer.
3. Pour the olive oil in and mix just just until combined.
4. Pour the yeast and water mixture into the flour.
5. Mix just until combined.
6. Cover and set aside. Let it rise until double in size. OR....and the beauty is.....you can put it in the fridge and let it rise throughout the day.
7. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Let each piece rest on a pizza stone or sprayed cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then stretch it out as thin or thick as you like.

REVIEW:  I made this dough for a youth activity.  I made them into individual pizzas.  I cooked them for about 7 minutes and then I had the girls put the topping on it that they like and cooked it for about 5 more minutes.  The girls said it was really good!!  I thought so too.  I made this in my KitchenAid but I think I could of very well made it by hand.

Homemade Bagels

I've always wanted to make homemade bagels.  I found this recipe at thehappyhousewife.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 Tbs Honey
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 cups flower (you can use all white, half white/half wheat, or all whole wheat)
• 1 Tbs gluten
• 2 tsp. instant yeast

 Combine water, honey, and salt. Add part of the flour, yeast and gluten, mix well. Continue to add flour until you have a slightly sticky dough, kneed for about 10 minutes.  After the dough has risen, divide into 11-13 balls. I can usually get 13 bagels out of this recipe, but today I only got 12. This is also the time to add any extras. After the first rise but before you divide your dough, you can mix in onions (for onion bagels), assorted seeds or nuts, cinnamon and sugar, it is up to you.

After you have divided your dough, take the balls and put your thumbs through the middle of the ball. You will make the bagel shape by doing this. You need to work the hole to a pretty large diameter (almost 2 inches) because the hole will shrink when they rise.

Allow the bagels to rest (covered) for 20 minutes. It is best if you watch the time on this. You won’t ruin your bagels if they rest for 25 or 30 minutes, but 20 minutes is ideal. While the bagels are resting, start boiling a pot of water on the stove. Add honey or sugar (about 1/3 cup) to the water.

After the bagels have rested and your water is boiling drop the bagels (one or two at a time depending on how big your pot is) into the boiling water. Boil for one minute. Let me repeat this, boil for one minute. Do not over boil. Your bagels will fall apart. You can under boil them, but do not over boil. After a minute remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on greased cookie sheet.

After the bagels are boiled you can brush them with an egg wash ( one egg white and about 3 Tbs of water) but it isn’t required. The egg wash gives the bagels that shiny look.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. You can flip them if you think they are getting too brown on the bottom, but they won’t be as pretty.

Overnight Monkey Bread

Another recipe I found bloghopping.  I've wanted to make monkeybread for a while but they always use those can biscuits and I wanted a recipe that made the dough part from scratch.  I finally found one!

Overnight Monkey Bread
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Dough
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cup milk, warm (about 120 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (about 120 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons table salt
1 package rapid-rise yeast (or instant)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for work surface



Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan generously with softened butter. Set aside.

In large measuring cup, mix together melted butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve.

Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in stand mixer fitted with a beater blade. Turn machine to low and slowly add the milk mixture. After the liquids are incorporated, switch to the dough hook, increase the speed to medium and gradually add the remaining flour (add more or less as necessary) until dough clings to the hook and almost cleans the sides. Knead until the dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside for the sugar coating.

Remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.

Roll each dough piece into a ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.

Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Approximately one hour before you want to bake your Monkey Bread, remove it from the refrigerator and let the dough come to room temperature and the dough will begin to rise. (It should have risen some in the refrigerator overnight.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

For the glaze: While bread cools, whisk confectioners’ sugar and milk in small bowl until lumps are gone. Using whisk, drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Apple Bread Pudding

I've never had bread pudding but its something I would like to try.  I blog hopping and I found this recipe on EdwardsEdibles.blogspot.com.  Looks and sounds yummy.

Cream together:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs


Mix the following to the creamed mixture:
2 cups flour
2 t soda
2 t cinnamon

Blend in 4 cups of peeled and grated apples. Bake in lightly greased 9x13 pan about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.


Carmel Sauce:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream

Cook butter and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. (I cooked it until it registered 220 on a candy thermometer. I didn't want it to reach the hard or soft ball stage, but I wanted to make sure the sugar would dissolve. The sugar wasn't dissolved, even at 220, but once I added the cream, it dissolved completely. If you don't want to mess with the candy thermometer, just cook it over low heat for about 5-6 minutes.) Stir in the cream. Heat through and serve warm over apple pudding.

Cory loved it with ice cream on top, I preferred mine without.

Chewy Pretzel Bites

I've tried making pretzels before and it was a horrible flop.  I hope this recipe from melskitchencafe.com helps me make YUMMY pretzels.  Then we won't crave those ones from the mall!

Just as a side note, Mel has included pictures for each step of the way.  Very handy when making bread or anything new!

*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites

Dough:

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

Topping:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn't overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7-8  minutes or until they're golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time - it won't hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

UPDATE:  YUM! YUM! YUM!  Sorry I forgot to take a baked/done picture.  I guess I was distracted with all the yumminess!  I let my dough rise in the bowl with a damp towel on top.  I don't think it made a difference.  Now I need to find a yummy chessy dip to dunk them in!  I also coated some of them with cinnamon/sugar and it was yummy too!

Strawberry Quick Bread

I can't wait for strawberries to come in season to try this yummy looking bread!  I saw this recipe on mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com.

Strawberry Quick Bread
1 cup fresh strawberries
1-1/2 cups and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out, and cool completely.

REVIEW:  Great for the strawberries that are getting close to being overripe!  We loved this recipe!

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

From allrecipes.com again!

3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (personally I'd leave this out, but we're not a nut in our bread kind of family)

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.