Honey Butter

I made these scones the other day for my family.  Believe it or not, I have never made scones before--probably because I love them so much and I can't imagine how many calories are in them!  We ate them with this honey butter--the BEST honey butter ever!  So simple to make, and so dang delicious! 

Honey Butter
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1 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Whip together with an electric mixer.  Serve at room temperature.

Zucchini Bread

This isn't just any zucchini bread.  The original name for this bread was "Pineapple Carrot Zucchini Bread", but that sounds a little too complicated to me.  The pineapple keeps the bread moist and the carrots add a little extra nutrition (or so I like to think!).  When the kids first saw it, they didn't really want to try it.  They have an aversion to actually seeing vegetables in their bread.  But after one bite, they all loved it!  Oh..and I got this recipe 11 years ago on KSL TV.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread  (makes 2 large loaves)
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3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (I only used 3/4 cup)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup grated carrot
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla.  Stir in grated zucchini, crushed pineapple, and grated carrot.  In separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.  Add to wet ingredients and stir until moistened. 

Pour into greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.   

French Bread

This recipe came from my sister-in-law--thanks Heidi!  It's a wonderful, easy basic bread that goes great with any meal, especially soups!  It makes 4 loaves, so make sure you have a large capacity mixer--I use a Bosch.  I suppose you could cut it in half and make 2 loaves, but the bread freezes wonderfully (as dough or cooked), and it's always nice to make a little extra to give to a neighbor!

French Bread

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2 Tbsp. yeast

1 cup warm water

Dissolve yeast in water.  Set aside.

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup oil (I have used canola and olive oil--both work great!)

4 cups hot water

Mix together in mixer.

6 cups flour
Mix into water mixture.  Add in yeast mixture.

6 1/2 cups flour
Add to mixer slowly and knead for 2 minutes (you may need to add more flour if it's too sticky).

Place dough in large greased bowl.  Cover with a towel and let rise until double.  Punch down and divide into 4 pieces.  Roll each piece into a rectangle, then roll up and shape into a loaf.  Place 2 loaves on ungreased cookie sheets and let rise another 1/2-1 hour.  Place a few shallow slits in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife (I do this before I let it rise). 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Brush with butter while hot.

Note: Brushing the bread with butter after it is baked makes the crust soft.  If you want a crunchier crust, brush the loaves with an egg white wash right before putting them in the oven.  Egg white wash: wisk together one egg white and 1 Tbsp. water.

Orange Glazed Poppy Seed Bread

I found this recipe on my friend Calli's blog here.  It is quick and simple and oh so good (please don't look at the sugar content!).  It will make 2 large loaves or 6 small loaves.  Perfect for giving to a friend at Christmas time. 

Orange Glazed Poppy Seed Bread
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3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/8 cup canola oil
3 tsp. poppy seeds (original recipe called for 2 tsp.-- I thought it could have used more so I upped it to 3)
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 Tbsp. almond extract
1/2 Tbsp. imitation butter flavor

For the glaze:
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. imitation butter flavor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9x5 in. bread pans (or 6 mini loaf pans).

Mix together dry ingredients.  Add eggs, oil, milk, poppy seeds, vanilla, almond extract and imitation butter flavor.  Mix together and beat for 2 minutes.  Pour batter into prepared bread pans and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (about 40 minutes for mini loaf pans).

While bread is baking, make the glaze.  Whisk together all ingredients and set aside.  When bread comes out of the oven and is still hot, pour glaze evenly over bread (I brush it around with a pastry brush).  Allow bread to completely cool before removing them from the pans. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bread

I found this recipe over at Tasty Kitchen.  This bread was a winner at my house!  The chocolate chips in the bread are just enough for me to get my chocolate fix in a somewhat healthy way.  A perfect way to use up some ripe bananas.  Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bread
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1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 whole eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray two 9x5 bread pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oats, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk, eggs, butter and bananas.  Pour into dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

(notes: If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups milk mixed with 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar.  Also, you can make muffins with the batter.  Small muffins cook for about 20 minutes.  And next time I think I'll add 1 cup chocolate chips!).

Banana Bread

Everyone has their favorite banana bread recipe, and here is mine.  I got it from my sister YEARS ago, and it is the one I always turn to when I have super ripe bananas.  It is somewhat "healthy" (at least I like to think so) because of the whole wheat flour and yogurt in it (just ignore the butter!).  I like to make them into muffins because of the easy portion control!

Banana Bread
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1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 mashed bananas
1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt (I substitute fruit flavored yogurt if it is what I have in my fridge!)

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg.  In separate bowl, combine mashed bananas and yogurt.  Add banana mixture alternately with the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture, stirring until just combined.  Pour into bread pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.

note:  bake 18-22 minutes for small muffins.  Check doneness with a toothpick.

Corn Bread with Honey Butter

I got this recipe from my sister. Corn bread is soooooo much better made from scratch than from a mix, and this is really easy!!! A perfect compliment to chili (or any main dish, really)!

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Corn Bread

1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, you can "make" it using 1c. milk plus 1 Tbsp. vinegar)
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
 1/2 tsp. salt

Melt butter in medium sized pan.  Let cool to lukewarm, then add sugar and eggs and beat together.  In separate bowl, mix together baking soda and buttermilk, then add it to egg mixture and blend just a little.  Add cornmeal, flour and salt and stir with spoon or whisk.  Bake in greased 8x8 pan at 350 (glass pan) or 375 (metal pan) for 30 minutes.

Honey Butter

1 c. butter
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or pan and melt together either on the stove or in a microwave.  Refrigerate.

Breadsticks

We can't eat our favorite spaghetti without our favorite breadsticks.  These are really easy to make and my kids can't get enough of them!

Breadsticks

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
3+ cups flour
½ cup butter
garlic salt
parmesan cheese

In mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water, add sugar. Let sit 5 minutes. Add salt and 3 cups flour. Knead 3 minutes while adding more flour to get a workable consistency. Melt butter, and pour half into 9x13 pan. Roll or shape dough into a rectangle, and cut into ½ inch slices. Place in pan and brush with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

note:  I like the results much better when I make these in my bread mixer instead of kneading by hand.  I also use a pizza cutter to cut the strips right on my countertop.  Before I had granite countertops, I just shaped them on a large cutting board.

Rustic (No-Knead) Bread

I am soooooooooo happy I came upon this recipe! Crispy crust, soft and chewy inside. Perfect with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!  And it is so easy you won't even believe it! The hardest part is that you have to plan ahead a little because the dough needs to sit out 12-18 hours before you bake it. So you can't think about making it only a few hours before dinner time. But the early preparation is so worth it! And like the title says, there is NO kneading involved. No bread mixer, nothing. Just 4 ingredients, a bowl, a spoon, and a cast iron dutch oven to bake it in. This is seriously easy, and fun. And also impressive.


So here's how you make it. First, combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix with a spoon until the flour has been absorbed. Don't worry if it is all lumpy and doesn't look like bread dough.

Then you cover it with foil or plastic wrap and leave it sitting out at room temperature for 12-18 hours (mine sat out closer to 24 hours). It should look all bubbly and gooey, like this.

Then you scoop out the gooey dough onto a well floured suface, then sprinkle flour on top as well. Gently fold in the sides and form it into a ball. DON'T knead it and don't work the flour into the dough. The flour just stays on the outside to prevent it from sticking to your countertop.

Then cover it with a towel and let it rise 1-2 hours. 30 minutes before you are ready to bake it, preheat your oven to 450 and put your dutch oven pot (with lid) into the oven for 30 minutes to get it nice and hot. Take out your HOT pot and place dough ball inside it. There is no need to grease your pan! Cook for 30 minutes, then take off lid and continue cooking until browned. It comes out as a perfectly round yummy loaf!!!

Here's the recipe:


Rustic (No-Knead) Bread


Ingredients:
• 3 C Flour
• ½ tsp. Yeast
• 1 ¾ tsp. Salt
• 1 ½ C. Water


Method:


In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add water and mix with a spoon. There is no need to beat this, just get all of the flour absorbed. (You might need a little extra water if it’s very dry where you are. I used 1 2/3 cup water). Cover with plastic wrap or foil and let sit at room temperature (about 70 degrees) for 12-18 hours (mine sat out about 24 hours). The surface of the dough should then be dotted with bubbles. You can choose to stir the dough down and have it rise again if you need to delay the baking process, up to 24 hours or more, especially if you like more of a sourdough taste.


Dump your dough out onto a well floured surface. It will be very sticky. Sprinkle flour on top and gently shape into a ball (no kneading!) using just enough flour to prevent sticking to the counter. Cover with a towel and let it rise for 1-2 hours (the first time I made this I let it sit for only 30 minutes and it turned out just fine!).


At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, put a 2 3/4-quart cast-iron pot with the lid in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. (I used a Le Creuset dutch oven and mine is 5 1/2-quart). After 30 minutes, remove pot from oven (being very careful because it will be extremely HOT!) Place the ball of dough into the pot. There is no need to grease the pot!


Cover with lid and bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue baking until the loaf is browned, about 15-30 more minutes, depending on your oven. (note:  the first time I made this bread I only baked it for 30 minutes with the lid on.  I didn't read the directions to cook it longer until it browned.  However, that loaf, in my opinion, was perfectly brown enough.  This loaf in the picture I cooked for an additional 6 minutes and I felt it was starting to burn so I took it out of the oven.  I guess it just depends on your oven)


Transfer the pot to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, turn the pot on its side and gently turn the bread; it will release easily. Makes one 1 1/2-lb. loaf.


You can add other ingredients to make this an artisan-type bread. The possibilities are endless!
(blueberries, lemon zest, cranberries, orange zest, roasted garlic, asiago cheese, rosemary and other fresh herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped olives—I can’t wait to try out different ingredients)