Ja cię kocham…

I woke up yesterday morning to find 2 feet of snow at my door step.  That’s a lot of snow, at least for people in my area.  Noodles, on the other hand, had no issues with it.  She was in her glory. (Probably because she didn’t have to shovel!)

For some reason massive amounts of snow bring on a baking bug for a lot of us.  So many of my friends told me that they were baking this weekend because of the snow.  Being cooped up causes us to get ants in our pants!  Since the superbowl is this weekend, I decided to make something that would go with the beer that the husbands will be consuming.  I’m not a beer drinker, but I do love my pretzels!

They were super simple, but a little time consuming.  Anything that needs to be kneaded then rise, then rolled, then risen again will take time so make sure that you have the day to relax and enjoy making your pretzels.

They were bland in my opinion (probably because I didn’t put the huge chunks of salt on them – the huge salt makes me cringe), but this is easily remedied by putting that salt on them, sprinkling some cinnamon sugar on them or dunking them in salsa con queso!  Mmmmmmm….

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Source: Delicious Wisdom
Yields: 12 small pretzels

Prep Time:  About 2 Hours (mostly inactive)
Cooking Time:  15 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Package of Dry Active Yeast
1 ½ Cups + 1 ¼ Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 Tsp Sea Salt
3 Cups Water
2 Tbsp Baking Soda
Course Sea Salt (optional)

In a large bowl, stir yeast into warm water and set aside to dissolve for 10 minutes.  Stir in olive oil, sea salt and 1 ½ cups of flour.  Once well combined, add remaining flour and knead for about 5 minutes.  Place into a dry bowl, lightly cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Divide dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls.  Roll each ball into a long snake-y piece and form into pretzel shapes.  (See below.) Let them rise for about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Bring water and baking soda to a simmer in a deep pan.  Simmer pretzels in simmering water for about one minute, flipping halfway through.  Place pretzels on a lightly greased baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Try to eat them the day of baking that’s when they are the best!

I’ve been letting my kitchen become sparse.  I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while, and it’s honestly because I want to use all of the stuff that has been sitting in the cabinets for a long time.  Don’t worry, I do go through the cabinets every once in a while to make sure there isn’t anything that has been hiding in a dark corner for years.  Nothing is expired in my kitchen – at least not yet, and I am determined to use all of it.

It’s hard when I go on grocery strike.  I have to become very creative about meals.  Either that or just settle for a mix of food that makes absolutely no sense.  The other night I had canned carrots and meatballs for dinner… no not mixed together just heated up carrots and heated up meatballs.  It did its job.  I was full.

Seriously, I’m trying to consume a lot of my food before I go shopping again.   So carrots and meatballs it is!

And I am officially out of milk and bread.

So what do I do?  I make my own bread.  As for the milk… we’ll see how long my husband will last without it.

Now that I have made my own sandwich bread, I’m going to have a difficult time going back to prepackaged bread.  This was so soft and fluffy and probably cost all of 15 cents to make.  No need to buy Ezekiel bread for $3 or $4 dollars anymore.  Not when I can just make my own.

This recipe comes from my awesome sister.  She is getting married soon, and like me, she is a self-proclaimed NON-baker.  We don’t bake, at least not as well as we would like.  And if BOTH of us can successfully make this bread on the first try, anyone can.  Trust me.

Light Whole Wheat Bread

Source: Slightly adapted from my sister of Cleanliness is Next to Godliness and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Makes 4, 1-pound loaves.
Ingredients:

3 cups lukewarm water
1 ½ TBS granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)
1 ½ TBS salt
1 cup Whole Wheat flour
5 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
Whole Wheat Flour for pizza peel

Directions:

Mixing & Storing the Dough:

Mix the yeast and salt with the water in a five quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

Mix the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with a dough hook). If you’re not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately two hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when it’s cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.

When ready to use:

Remove the dough from the bowl and press it by hand into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 8 to 10 inches long. Form it into a loaf by working from the short side of the dough, rolling up the length of the dough one section at a time, pinching the crease with each rotation to strengthen the surface tension. It will spread wider as you roll it. Pinch the final seam closed with the back edge of your hand or with your thumbs. Place the loaf in a lightly oiled 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch bread pan; the ends of the loaf should touch the ends of the pan to ensure an even rise. Mist the top with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit for 40 minutes.

20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash across, “scallop”, or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top using a serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.

Put the bread in the oven and pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.

Allow to cool before eating.

I know, I know… I can’t get enough of fall flavors!  It’s too much fun.

Now that I’ve started a new job, I’m out the door in a hurry every blessed day.  Typically I have a banana, a granola bar, and coffee, but I’m in the mood for something a little different this week.  I actually had a free moment this afternoon and decided to whip up some bread.  This bread was far from high maintenance… I love recipes that are incredibly easy.   And it was just sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth but also just tart enough to keep things interesting.  It was perfect!!  Eat it warmed with a little butter and honey – it is delicious!

Whole Wheat Cranberry Bread

Source: Adapted from Blue Ridge Baker and Martha Stewart Every Day Food

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 cup whole wheat flour
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 milk
1 bag (12 ounces) cranberries
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

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 flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine butter, egg, and milk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and whisk to combine; fold in cranberries.

Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle top with turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about an hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let bread cool 30 minutes. Invert onto rack, then immediately turn right side up to cool completely.

A pita sandwich is the perfect lunch for me – especially the smaller pitas.  They are so cute, you can stuff them with whatever you want, and they are incredibly filling.  Whenever I’m in the mood for pitas, I don’t have them so I remedied that by making my own.  Jay just bought a lot of tuna from Costco so I thought that these little additions would be ideal for us.   They are like fluffy bread pillows waiting to be stuffed.  I recommend making these when you have some down time to let them rise.   Lazy Sundays are great for this.  You mix, knead, take a nap, roll dough into balls, get back on the couch… you get the idea.   Not a lot of work, but it takes time.   And trust me, they are worth the wait!

Homemade Pita Bread

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Yields: 8 pitas

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (If you want fluffy pitas, use either all-purpose or whole wheat pastry)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
1 packet yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water, roughly at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, or shortening

Directions:

Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon. All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water.

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. If you are using an electric mixer, mix it at low speed for 10 minutes. 

When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

Take a nap… )

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it’ll be easier to shape.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven. This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.

Since my cookies sheets aren’t that long, I was able to squeeze two in the oven long ways.  That way I can bake all of the pitas simultaneously.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick – 6 inches in diameter. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet or on parchment paper and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.

Open the oven, remove pitas from greased cookie sheet and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, but it isn’t necessary.

Okay, I have a husband that is obsessed with only a few things as far as food is concerned – milk, english muffins, and fiber one bars.  Milk is an absolute must, so we always have at least a glass of milk in the house, but english muffins can be rather expensive.  I try to buy them during a “buy one get one free” deal, but I haven’t seen one in a while.  So I decided to make my own in the form of bread.

This recipe comes with the nooks and crannies found in a typical english muffin, but it is made with ingredients that we all have in our cabinet.  YES!!!  There is nothing more gratifying than to find a recipe that I want to make, AND I have all of the ingredients.

You can make pizzas, french toast, McDonald’s “egg mcmuffins”, and much, much more with this bread.  You need to make this.  Even if you have never set foot in the kitchen, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.

English Muffin Bread

Source: Donalyn Ketchum

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients:

5 cups all purpose unbleached flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
2 packages dry yeast
1 Tbs. sugar (I used turbinado sugar)
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pam, butter, shortening (or whatever you may use to grease your baking pans)
cornmeal for sprinkling pan and loaves prior to cooking

Directions:

Grease 9×5 pans with Pam and then sprinkle cornmeal in and tilt the pans to coat all surfaces and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups of the all purpose unbleached flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

Heat the milk and water until it’s very warm but not too uncomfortable to touch.

Stir it in the flour mixture.

Add the final 2 cups of all-purpose flour and knead into a ball.

Divide the bread dough into two even groups and place them in the prepared bread pans.  Sprinkle with cornmeal.

Let the bread sit in a warm location for 45-60 minutes to rise.  (I used a halogen lamp since I turned the heat off.  I like my house relatively cold.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F while bread is rising (with 15 minutes left or so).

Place pans in the oven for 30 minutes.  (Since my bread was placed in dark pans, I placed a cookie sheet under them and only cooked them for 20 minutes.)  My oven tends to cook faster than others.  With this in mind, it doesn’t hurt to check your bread after 20 minutes.  Check with a toothpick and when it comes out clean, remove bread from pans and allow to cool on a cooling rack or plate.

Enjoy!

Besides a grilled veggie sandwich, my all-time favorite lunch is a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  And if anyone happens to throw in some marshmallow fluff and/or chocolate, I won’t tell.  YUM.  I used to eat two of them every day during college (can we say freshman 15???).

I had a whole bunch of very, VERY ripe bananas sitting on my counter this morning, and I had a thought.  I would LOVE to make banana bread… better yet, I would LOVE to make peanut butter banana bread!  Even though this idea was original for me, I knew that there would be a recipe online for it.  And I was right )  AND it was a healthier version to boot.  Fantastic.

Even thought this is a more “healthy” version of the bread, you can’t even tell.  It’s sweet, it’s peanut buttery, and it’s incredible.  Basically it’s a woman’s dream all wrapped up in one baked good.  My friend Nicole tried it today at work and absolutely loved it.  She’s a queen baker so that means a lot!!!  )

Peanut Butter Banana Bread (with Chocolate Chips)

Source: Peanut Butter Boy

Yields 1 to 2 loaves

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose flour also works well but try to use unbleached)
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used natural cane sugar)
1T baking powder
3/4t salt
1/4t cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1t vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
3.5 oz dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (I used chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans (or muffin tins).

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Split evenly between the two pans  and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Since the batter can easily fit  into one pan – If you want to make only one loaf, bake for 20- 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Well last week I accumulated quite a bit of leftover fruit, which has compelled me to bake.  I’m not normally a baker because either what I make sits in my kitchen until it’s hard as a rock, or I manage to eat 12 muffins or a whole loaf of bread in 2 days.  I cannot find the happy medium that allows me slowly enjoy what I have baked.

Yes, I could cut the batch in half… I may try that next time, but often times I’m left with disappointing results.

Anyway… I had some left over mangoes in my fruit bowl.  Mangoes can be rather expensive so normally I buy one at a time.  Since they were on some kind of super sale, I bought 4.  They weren’t ripe yet, so I waited and waited for them to ripen until I forgot about them.  Oops…

What do you do with slightly overripe fruit?  You bake with it!  But what on earth can you make with mango?  It was time for research.

Joy the Baker, a food blog celebrity, made her own fresh Mango bread with lime zest and grated Granny Smith apple.  It sounded a bit odd – so it’s perfect!  I love making unusual foods, especially with fruits and veggies.

The bread takes some time to bake in the oven, so just make sure that you have the time.  I’m off from school for a week so my mornings are pretty free.

Joy, you didn’t fail me.  The bread was super moist because of the apple, and delicately sweet.  The ground ginger gave it a punch that makes you say “Mmmmm…what is that?”.  I only tweaked it a tiny bit.  I used natural cane sugar instead of white sugar, and I omitted the golden raisins.  Just like walnuts, I’m not a big fan of raisins in my baked goods.

This bread is the perfect breakfast to go.  Yum!

Mango Bread with Lime and Granny

Source: Joy the Baker, adapted from Baking a la Greenspan

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup flavorless oil such as canola
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine)
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/4 cup diced mangoes from 1 large peeled and pitted mango
1 cup grated apple from 1 peeled Granny Smith apple
grated zest of 1/2 lime
Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.  Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on regular baking sheets stacked on on top of the other.  This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.

Whisk the eggs and the oil together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.  Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until blended.  The batter will have a doughy, sticky consistency that is very difficult to mix, but do not fret!  The fruit will make it smoother once you add it.

Stir in the mango, apples, and zest.  Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the bread for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  I recommend checking your bread every 30 minutes to see if the top is beginning to brown.

Joy offers excellent advice: If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover loosely with a foil tent. I had to do that, and it was my saving grace.

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Yes, I said it.  Chocolate.  Raspberries.  Almonds.  Did I mention bliss?

This would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day morning treat for your special someone!  As is, the bread is mildly sweet, which for me makes a fantastic breakfast treat!  The bread was moist, chocolaty, with a hint of tartness from the raspberries – YUM!

I adapted this recipe from Joy the Baker.  I substituted 1/4 cup of the 2 cups of all-purpose flour for cocoa powder because who can resist chocolate and raspberries?  Not this girl.

Chocolate Raspberry Almond Bliss Bread

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 cup crushed fresh raspberries or strawberries or blueberries
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray or grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the flour and sour cream. Fold in the crushed fruit and almond slivers.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the bread in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, turn right side up and cool completely.