Crisp Waffles

We had these waffles for breakfast in Idaho a few months ago.  They tasted great to me so I got the recipe and we've made them a few times since.

2 eggs
1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

Heat waffle iron.  Beat eggs until fluffy.  Beat in remaining ingredients until just smooth.  Pour batter into center of hot waffle iron.  Bake until steaming stops. about 5 minutes.  Makes 3- 10 inch waffles.

Herbed Sourdough Stuffing

I know it's been months, but Thanksgiving this year was a small affair at my house.  My dear Mom did the turkey (thank goodness-I really hate dealing with raw meat), but Justin and I did most of the rest of the meal.  We decided to try some new and different recipes just for fun.  My Our Best Bites Savoring the Seasons recipe book has a recipe for herbed sourdough stuffing that I decided to try and it turned out fabulous.  Definitely different that the type of stuffing we usually have. I'll certainly be doing it again though!

1 pound sliced rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1 inch squares
8 tbsp. butter
1 c. diced celery
1 med. onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 tbsp. minced fresh sage (I didn't use fresh and it was still great)
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried crushed rosemary
1/4 tsp. ground marjoram
2 medium lemons ( you need 1/4 c. juice and 2 tsp. lemon zest)
1/4 c. fresh minced parsley
1 c. chicken broth, more as needed


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread bread cubes on baking sheet and toast 10-12 minutes until lightly toasted.
Turn oven down to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in skillet, then add celery, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Saute 6-7 min.
Add sage, rosemary, and marjoram and cook another 2-3 min. til everything is tender.
Add lemon zest and juice and parsley to mixture then toss together with bread pieces in a large bowl.
Slowly add chicken broth while tossing.
Place in a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 20 min.  After 20 min. gently toss, then bake another 20 min. until lightly browned on top.  Cover with foil it too brown.

French Bread or Buns

I'm in love with this easy bread recipe from my Our Best Bites cookbook!  I've been making it to eat with BBQ chicken sandwiches this summer and they taste great together!


French Bread, Hoagies, and Buns

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4-5 1/2 c. flour

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 egg, separated

2 Tbsp. cold water

Go to OurBestBites.com for the instructions!  My only notes are that I don't let it rise anywhere near the amount of time mentioned in their instructions.  Every time I've tried, it's fallen when I put it in the oven and that does not make for great bread.  So I just let it rise in a warm place until it has risen to a bit more than double each time. Secondly, I don't think I've ever come close to using the 5 1/2 cups of flour.  My dough is usually just past sticky at about 4-4 1/2 cups, so be careful and add the flour slowly.  Finally, I can get a lot of hamburger buns out of this recipe.  Anywhere from 12-24 depending on the size.  24 is great for kids and just a cute little sized sandwich.  Bigger works great for adults with bigger appetites. I have yet to try to make a loaf of French bread with this recipe.  Maybe I'll try that next!

Jessa's Delicious Whole Wheat Bread

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to make this as well as my awesome neighbor Jessa does, but I'm going to keep trying. It's seriously some of the best bread I've ever had!

2 tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
3 heaping tbsp. gluten
5 cups hot water
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
2 tbsp. salt
10-12 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (Jessa uses hard white wheat)

Combine 1/2 c. warm water with 2 tbsp. yeast in a small bowl. Allow about 10 minutes to become bubbly. Place 5 cups of hot water into mixer bowl with 6 cups of flour. Blend. Add yeast mixture and gluten. Blend 2 min. Blend in order: oil, honey, and salt. Add remaining flour until dough begins to clean bowl. Leave in mixer to knead for 8-10 minutes. Remove dough and divide equally into four loaves. Shape and place in well oiled loaf pans. Let rise til double (approx. 45-60 min.). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minute. Remove from pans promptly and place on rack to cool. I like to rub some butter on the top of the loaf while it's still warm.

Lesley's Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks

This is another fabulous recipe from my fabulous neighbor Lesley!  Ahh...these breadsticks are delicious!  I could probably eat an entire pan on my own.  And that would not be good.  So mix some of these up, share them with your family, and enjoy!  YUM!

1 tbsp. yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 warm water
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

For Topping:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 tbsp. parsley
1/4 tbsp. garlic salt.
1/4 Parmesan cheese

Mix yeast, sugar, and warm water together.  I like to wait a few minutes and allow the yeast to bubble--just to be sure! Next add flour and salt.  Knead for 3 minutes.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes in the bowl.  Spread out the dough in a greased sheet pan.   Mix topping ingredients together and spread on top of dough.  Sprinkle on 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Allow to rise for 30 minutes.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Delicious Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

I've been on a quest to be able to make a decent loaf of bread. This recipe has gotten me the closest! I found it on the internet and gave it a try because the ingredient list is so similar the absolutely wonderful bread that my neighbor makes. I haven't had success with her bread recipe though, so for now I'm sticking with this recipe!

Makes 2 loaves

2 cups warm water

1 tbsp. yeast

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup oil

2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup gluten

5 to 7 cups whole wheat flour, freshly ground if possible

In a stand up type mixer such as a Kitchen Aid combine water, yeast and honey. Let this sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast is nice and bubbly. Add oil, salt, gluten flour and 3 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Knead this with your mixer and continue to add more flour until the dough does not stick to the side of the bowl and does not feel sticky to the touch. Knead for another 7 to 8 minutes.

When dough has finished kneading let it sit in the mixer bowl and rise until doubled in volume. This usually takes about 45 minutes. When it has finished rising, turn on your mixer and knead again for a few more minutes to get all the air bubbles out. Remove from mixer and divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into loaves and put in bread pans that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let the loaves rise until they are about to 1 inch above the rim of the bread pan. Bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes or until golden brown.

One Hour Rolls

Here's another good roll recipe that I found on Apron Girls. Thanks Mindy! I've tried this recipe and they turned out fantastic!

Combine:

¾ cup HOT water

1 tsp. salt

6 Tbs. melted butter

¼ c sugar

Cool to lukewarm.

Add:

2 Tbs. yeast dissolved in

¼ cup + 2 Tbs. lukewarm water

Add 1 egg

Beat well and add 3 1/2 - 4 cups of flour until easy to work. Knead.

Roll out and cut. Brush with melted butter.

Cover and let rise until double (about 30-45 minutes).

Bake 425° for 12 minutes.

Basic Roll Dough

This is my go to roll recipe when I want a light, buttery, delicious roll.  It takes 2-2 1/2 hours from start to finish (depending on the temperature in your kitchen) and these rolls turn out right almost every time.

1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup scalded milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
5-6 cups flour

Dissolve sugar and yeast in water. In separate bowl combine margarine and sugar. Add milk and mix until well combined. Add eggs and yeast mixture. Stir. Add salt. Stir. Add flour, enough to make a soft dough that is just past sticky. Place dough in greased bowl and cover and rise until double. Shape and rise til double again (don't let over rise!). I like to shape into crescent shaped rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter right as they come out of the oven and serve.  They're best hot!

30 Minute Rolls

Ok, so I've never managed to get them ready in 30 minutes- but 45 is doable. I found this recipe at realmomkitchen.blogspot.com and I've used it lots of times. I still prefer my other roll recipe, but it takes a bare minimum of 2 hours and some days I just don't have that much time.

1 1/8 cups plus 2 tsp. warm water
1/3 cup oil
2 T yeast
1/4 cup sugar or honey
½ tsp. Salt
1 eggs
3 ½ cups flour

Mix 1st 4 ingredients and let rest for 15 minutes. Add salt and eggs - gradually add flour. Shape into dinner rolls, or use in your favorite recipe that calls for dough. After shaped, let rest for 10 minutes. For rolls, Bake 10 minutes @400 degrees ‘till golden brown.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I hope she doesn't mind my sharing, because my neighbor Leslie gave me the best recipe for chocolate zucchini bread!

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oil
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Beat eggs. Add sugar, oil, and cocoa. Blend in zucchini. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fill 2 bread pans 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degress for 50-60 minutes.

Fast and Easy Breadsticks

We love bread at my house. Which is why this recipe became an instant hit. These breadsticks take about 25 minutes total to make and can quickly be thrown together and eaten alongside just about any meal! The recipe is originally called Baking Powder Breadsticks- I found it on a blog, I just can't remember which one! And don't worry, the finished product does not taste like baking powder biscuits.

1/4 cup melted butter (I use Pam spray with butter instead)
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk

Mix together all the dry ingredients, then add milk. Knead then roll out into an 8x8 square. Cut into 1/2 inch strips and dip in butter. Place in an 8x8 pan and bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I sometimes like to sprinkle mine with Salad Supreme before baking!