Homemade Bread

What is it about homemade bread that makes us feel good? Is it the way it makes the house smell? The way we feel when we pull it from the oven? Who knows. All I know is that it's something very special. Enjoy!

CINNAMON EGG BREAD

I first found the recipe that this morphed from in an old, long-since-lost cookbook. Since losing the cookbook, the recipe has changed to this version. I've had numerous friends and relatives rave over this. One lady I knew said that it was one of the few bread recipes that could almost double as dessert.

1 cup milk (or soy milk)

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine

1/2 tsp. salt

2-3 eggs

1 cup warm (not hot) water

2 Tablespoons honey

2 packages yeast

6 – 7 cups flour

3/4 – 1 cup margarine, melted

2 – 3 cups cinnamon sugar

Heat milk to almost scalding, stirring fairly constantly so that it doesn't burn. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl. Add ½ cup margarine, and stir until melted. Let milk and margarine cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, place very warm water, add honey and yeast, then stir to dissolve. Let stand for 5 – 10 minutes.

Add salt to milk, then add yeast and water to milk. Add flour, 2 cups at a time, for a stiff, non-sticky dough. Knead for about 8 – 10 minutes.

Wash and dry bowl, then place dough in bowl. Place cooking oil (I recommend canola or olive oil) in hands, then rub over dough. Place clean towel over the top of bowl and allow dough to rise until almost double, about an hour.

Take 3 loaf pans and spray with cooking spray. Take dough out and divide into thirds.

Melt ¾ – 1 cup margarine. Set aside.

With a floured rolling pin, roll out first third of dough. Pour some of the margarine over the bread and spread 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar over the dough. Roll dough, then place in loaf pan with the bread-seam down. Repeat with other two thirds. Place towel over all three loaves and allow to rise again, approximately one hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Then, removing towel, bake loaves for 45 – 50 minutes. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes on cooling rack.

MAGIC CATERPILLAR PEANUT BUTTER BREAD

Years ago, I got hooked on Breaking Bread with Father Dominic on (if I remember correctly) the Food Network. Unfortunately, the show has since left the air, at least where I live, although the episodes can still be found here. Check out his website, The Bread Monk, at http://www.breadmonk.com/. This recipe yields 1 loaf.

Ingredients:

1 package Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk

3/4 cup chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

For decoration: tubes of colored frosting, candies, gumdrops, licorice, etc.

Directions:

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl; stir to dissolve yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes, or until foamy.

Combine milk, peanut butter, sugar and salt in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. Let cool to lukewarm, then add to yeast mixture. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition until flour is thoroughly incorporated.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead 5 minutes, adding small amounts of the remaining flour as needed to keep dough manageable. Rinse and dry bowl, then lightly oil surface of dough and place dough in bowl. Cover with a dry cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Knead briefly to expel large air bubbles. Roll dough into a rope about 24 inches long. Form rope into a large S shape on a lightly greased 18x12-inch baking sheet. Using a butter knife or dough scraper, chop rope into 3-inch sections, but do not separate completely. Cover with a cloth and let rise about 30 minutes. (The caterpillar will magically grow back together during rising and baking.)

About 15 minutes before end of rising time, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake loaf 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate cooled loaf with frosting and gumdrops or other candy. Poke holes in the sides with a wooden pick and insert sections of licorice for legs.

Note: Decorating gel doesn't work as well as frosting as a glue for the candy decorations, so make sure you pick up the right tube at the store. Any candies will work to make spots for the caterpillar's sections. Thin red licorice makes the perfect legs and antennae, unless you know your youngsters prefer the flavor of black licorice.

TEXAS MOPPIN' ROLLS

Yield:12 rolls.

I frequently make these to go with chili or homemade spaghetti. Definitely yummy!

2 packages Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast

1 teaspoon honey

2 cups lukewarm water

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

1/2 cup minced onion

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Directions:

Combine yeast, honey and warm water in large bowl; stir until completely dissolved. Add salt, hot red pepper flakes, onion, Monterey Jack cheese and Cheddar cheese; stir until thoroughly mixed. Add 6 cups of the flour, 2 cups at a time, mixing after each addition until the flour is completely incorporated.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 to 8 minutes, adding enough of remaining flour to form a fairly stiff dough. Rinse and dry the bowl, then oil surface of dough and place dough in bowl. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch down dough. Knead briefly to expel large air bubbles. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a fat oval. Place rolls in a lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan (three rolls across, four down). Let rise about 20 minutes, or until nearly doubled.

While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place on middle rack of oven and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until top crust is browned. Remove rolls from pan and let cool on racks.

Note: "With so many different palates to please, our abbey cooks are usually pretty cautious about spicy seasonings. As a result, sometimes monastery food is a bit bland, so I like to create breads with strong flavors. Every time I serve these rolls, one of the brothers is sure to comment on how he expected "just another roll" and got a mouthful of pepper-and-cheese-bread-with-an-attitude. These rolls are actually pretty mild compared to a lot of Tex-Mex food, so feel free to increase the amount of crushed red pepper.

"I used ordinary dried crushed red pepper (hot red pepper flakes) for this recipe, but if you keep fresh jalapenos or other hot peppers in the fridge, by all means use them. Three 3-inch jalapenos, minced fine, provide moderate heat. You can experiment with other peppers as well." (All notes after the recipes are Father Dominic's notes.)

PUMPKIN BUBBLE SPICE RING

YIELD:1 ring; about 12 servings.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 package Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts, divided

2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese

Directions:

Combine 1 cup of the flour, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and yeast in medium bowl; stir until well mixed. Combine pumpkin puree and milk in small saucepan; heat to 120 to 130 degrees. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture; stir until well blended. Add egg; mix well. Add 1 cup of the flour; stir until flour is thoroughly incorporated. Add enough of the remaining flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, to make a rather soft dough.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead 5 minutes. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine corn syrup, brown sugar and butter in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Lightly grease a 10-inch fluted tube or Bundt pan. Sprinkle half of the nuts in bottom of pan; pour in half of the caramel mixture.

Cut cream cheese into 20 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Knead dough one minute, then divide dough into 20 pieces. Flatten each piece of dough and wrap it around a piece of cream cheese. Arrange 10 pieces of cream cheese-filled dough in a single layer in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top. Arrange remaining 10 pieces of cream cheese-filled dough on top of first layer. Pour remaining caramel mixture over all. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until doubled. The risen dough will not quite reach the top of the pan.

About 15 minutes before end of rising time, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. Can be served warm or cool.

Note: The dough itself isn’t very sweet, because I think the caramel sauce has enough sugar. You could make a nicely sweet pumpkin bread by increasing the sugar to 1/2 cup and simply forming the dough into a loaf for a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. The baking time would be about the same.

BASIC WHITE BREAD

Yield: 2 loaves.

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

2 packages Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour, divided

Directions:

Put water in a large bowl. Add yeast; stir to dissolve. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. Add sugar, salt and oil; stir to mix. Add 5 cups of the flour; mix well. By hand, work in enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead 6 to 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place about one hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down. Divide dough into two equal pieces and form each piece into a loaf. Place in greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise about 45 minutes, or until nearly doubled.

Bake on lower shelf of a preheated 400-degree oven about 35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pans immediately; let cool on wire rack. Yield: 2 loaves.

Note: You could add 1 tablespoon of any dried herb or herb mixture to this dough to make an herb-flavored loaf.

ORANGE CRANBERRY BREAD

Yield: 1 loaf (18 slices)

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/26.shtml

Print Version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/412.shtml

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium orange

2 teaspoons margarine, melted

1 large egg, beaten, or 1/4 cup egg substitute

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut aluminum foil to fit the bottom of a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spray the sides of the pan with nonstick pan spray.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

Grate the zest from the orange and set aside. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup. Add the grated zest and melted margarine to the juice and add enough hot water to make 1 cup.

Stir the liquids into the dry ingredients. Add the egg, vanilla, cranberries, and walnuts; stir to mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the top of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

If time permits, let stand overnight for easy slicing. Cut the loaf into 18 slices.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 108; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Cholesterol: 12 g; Sodium: 109 mg; Fat: 3 g; Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1/2 Fat