Category Archives: Bread

Unleavened Bread for Communion (Wheat Crackers)

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Veronica

I started making the communion bread for our small Church when I was a fairly new Christian in 2008. Since I love to bake, it was natural for me to volunteer and once I started making it, I refused offers of help until my dear sisters in Christ threw their hands up in defeat and I became the sole communion bread-maker! I didn’t intend for this to happen, but I can’t say that I’m sad about it. As I said, I love to bake, and baking for Christ is the ne plus ultra!

For most of that time I was basically using my favorite pie crust recipe with a little bit of sugar, some extra flour, and I worked it a lot more to reduce the flakiness and mess when each person broke off a piece. This seems to be common among the Churches I have visited–basically using small rounds of baked pie crust as the communion bread for the Lord’s supper.

This year I changed the recipe to omit sugar because I finally came to understand that the Passover bread that Jesus was passing at the table during his last meal would not have contained honey (refer to Leviticus 2:11), so we can draw the conclusion that any type of sweetener was most likely not included. Changing the recipe this small bit made me think about it a little more, and I could not fathom how it came to be over the centuries that the plain unleavened bread that was served at Passover had come to be more of a pie crust with either shortening or butter (I used both) rather than liquid oil. I have not done enough research to know exactly how they made the bread, and perhaps that has been lost to time, but based on Leviticus 7:12 and 2:13, I do know that it contained flour, oil and salt. So I used this very plain recipe to create a satisfying communion bread that makes me feel closer to Jesus when I partake, as I imagine it is similar to what he and his apostles ate during his last meal, and my sensitivity to salt makes me very aware of it and brings to mind Jesus’s blood and sweat and how he suffered for us as he hung on the cross.

<moment of reflective silence>

This bread is actually quite tasty and you could also use it for your homemade crackers. It would be fabulous with creamy dips! I included a bit of whole wheat flour for a more nutty flavor, but it could easily be changed to all white flour if you want white crackers. If you are using this recipe for communion bread and want to get really authentic, I would say using all whole wheat flour, stone ground, would be better but you might need to add some extra water in this case.

This is my submission for the BSI contest. Thank you so much to the early birds who have already submitted their recipes that include flour. I hope to see more of them! Remember, you don’t have to have a blog or picture of your recipe to enter and all submissions are due by Sunday, August 15, 2010, at 5:00 pm CST . I will post a roundup of all the submissions and announce the winner Sunday night. So send your links or recipes to vraklis at yahoo dot com or leave a link in the comment form below. Thanks!

Unleavened Bread (Wheat Crackers)
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil (I like to use olive oil, but vegetable or canola will work)
4-8 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Mix together well, preferably in a food processor, the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and oil. Add 4 tablespoons water and mix well. Gradually add more water, mixing after each addition, until mixture forms a compact ball. I usually need 7 tablespoons but your climate and humidity may require less or more to get the desired consistency. If it seems too sticky to handle, add more flour. Divide the dough in half.

Sprinkle a work surface with flour, then press and roll one ball of dough to about 1/8th inch thick. I do this on a sheet of parchment the size of my baking pan and have my husband hold the paper while I roll. Try to get it fairly uniform. If the dough is too dry to roll out, return it to the food processor and add a little more water. If necessary to prevent sticking, dust your hands and the rolling-pin with a little more flour.

Put the rolled-out dough on a baking sheet dusted with a little flour (if you’ve used parchment paper, transfer dough and paper to baking sheet) and prick all over with a fork. Bake 10 – 15 minutes, until somewhat brown.

Cool and break into pieces and repeat with the second half of the dough. If making several batches, mix another while the first one bakes. You can re-use the parchment paper several times.

Recipe source: adapted from recipetips.com

32 Comments

Posted in Bread, Snacks & Appetizers and tagged communion bread recipe, simple crackers, unleavened bread. Bookmark the permalink.

Potluck Pockets with Honey Wheat Pita Bread

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Veronica

I found this Taste of Home recipe through Real Mom Kitchen, another favorite blog of mine, and have made it several times just in the last month. It is the kind of unassuming recipe you might pass over for something more exciting, but that would be a mistake. I find the seasonings & sauces a strange mix and never would have thought to put them together myself but believe me, this makes an incredibly delicious savory filling for pita pockets. I’m salivating just thinking about the flavor of it combined with the crisp lettuce, juicy tomato and a little salty sauce poured over it all. Oh, mama. It is GOOD.

I decided to make my own pita bread and found it an improvement from the store-bought kind. I’ve never really enjoyed pita bread before because there was nothing to like about it. Dry, hard, and slightly acidic, I mainly deigned to purchase it simply because it made a handy place to stuff meats and veggies and lovely things like falafel. I found that although that slight acidic taste is still present in homemade pita bread, the texture makes up for it–it is soft and lovely and so much more pleasant to bite into and chew. The wonderful filling of the Potluck Pockets is so flavorful that you can’t really even taste the flavor of the pitas so for a fully enjoyable experience, try making the pitas yourself. I chose to use a honey wheat recipe, but any would be great here since the main flavor impact comes from the filling and the main benefit from homemade pita, in this case, is the improvement in texture.

Potluck Pockets
Printable Version

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
8 pita breads, halved (recipe follows)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 cups shredded lettuce

SAUCE:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Dash pepper

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, cumin and Italian seasoning; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5-10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, bring sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5-10 minutes. Spoon meat mixture into pita halves; top with sauce, tomatoes and lettuce. Yield: 16 servings.

Nutritional Information for the filling alone (per serving): 92 calories; 6 g fat; 80 mg sodium; 4 g carb; .6 g fiber; 5.5 g protein

Recipe source: adapted from Taste of Home

Honey Wheat Pita Bread
Printable Version

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 1/2 cups water, heated to 110 F
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon canola oil

*If you are nervous about making pita bread, I’d recommend checking out the step-by-step photos at Evil Shenanigans, where I found this recipe. If you do not have a mixer with dough hooks, see my note following the recipe for instructions.

In a large measuring cup combine the water and yeast. Let stand for ten minutes, until foamy. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the yeast mixture, both flours, salt, honey, and oil. Mix on low speed for three minutes then check to make sure the dough is not too liquid, but it should be sticky to the touch. Mix on medium speed for five minutes. Cover with plastic and let rise until double in bulk, about an hour.

Heat the oven to 475 F with a pizza stone, or 9″ or larger cast iron skillet, for thirty minutes.

Once the dough has risen turn out onto a floured surface and press out the excess gas. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Roll the dough into balls then cover with a towel and allow to rest for twenty minutes.

Once rested roll the dough into a thin circle, about 1/8″ thick. Place the dough on the heated pizza stone and bake for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Cover the baked pita with a clean towel and repeat with the remaining dough.

Makes 8 pita.

Veronica’s Notes: I used rapid-acting/instant yeast, so I used my usual method of mixing it with the dry ingredients, then adding the wet (no proofing/activating necessary with instant yeast). I made my dough by hand and had to add about 1/2 cup more all-purpose flour to get it to where I could knead it without it completely adhering to my hands, but made sure to leave it slightly sticky. I kneaded it for about 5 minutes. You can usually skip the first rise with instant yeast, but I went ahead and let it rise and then divided it into balls and let them rise again. If you want to skip the first rise and go directly to shaping the balls, you’ll have to let them rise for an hour or until doubled in size.

A word of warning! I used a Pampered Chef pizza stone and it exploded halfway through the process of baking the pitas. I got the stone from a friend who didn’t want it any more and I had no information on how to care for it, etc., so I’m sure I did something fundamentally wrong (like washing it with soap–yes I did) before placing it in the oven and that the process of baking pitas has nothing to do with the explosion. After all, Evil Shenanigans used a pizza stone with no trouble. But I just wanted to warn you–a cast iron skillet might be safer here.

Nutritional Information (per 1/2 pita): 94 calories; 1 g fat; 73 mg sodium; 18.5 g carb; 1.4 g fiber; 2.6 g protein

Recipe Source: slightly modified from Evil Shenanigans

11 Comments

Posted in Bread, Burgers & Sandwiches, Lighter Fare, My Favorites and tagged pita bread, pita pockets, potluck. Bookmark the permalink.

Lasagna & Garlic Bread

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Veronica

Both these recipes come from my favorite food blog, My Kitchen Cafe, and are the best lasagna and garlic bread I’ve ever made. We ate huge pieces of the lasagna and couldn’t stop going back for more of this amazing garlic bread until only 1/4 of the loaf remained. 5 cloves of fresh garlic cooked in butter for 7 minutes, then stirred into softened butter makes an amazing spread. This dinner was delicious, hearty & satisfying. Serve it with a green salad and you’ve got a wonderful meal.

Mom’s Lasagna
recipe adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

1 package oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 to 1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (undrained)
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cloves minced garlic
2 ½ teaspoons dried basil
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 container (15 ounce) ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook ground beef and onion, drain. Stir in tomatoes (undrained), tomato paste, sugar, garlic, basil, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally (this is actually so thick that it doesn’t exactly simmer. I just left it on low heat and stirred it once in a while). In a small bowl blend ricotta, egg, parsley, parmesan cheese and ½ teaspoon salt. Put a layer of noodles in a 9 X 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil, a layer of meat sauce, layer of ricotta mixture and a layer of the cheese then repeat all the layers twice more. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover, bake 10 minutes more. (I cooked mine 30 minutes foil on & 20 minutes without the foil, that’s why the cheese got all dry-looking.) Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to about 40 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Garlic Bread
adapted from Melanie’s Cheesy Garlic Bread

5 garlic cloves, finely minced (click here for a tutorial on working with fresh garlic)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt (1/2 tsp if you’re using unsalted butter)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 18-20-inch baguette or loaf of french bread, sliced in half horizontally

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400.

In a small nonstick skillet, cook the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the butter and water over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is straw colored, 7-10 minutes. It is important to keep the heat low or the garlic will burn and turn bitter. The garlic should be lightly browned but not burned!

In a small bowl, place the remaining 7 tablespoons softened butter and the salt and pepper. Mix in the hot garlic mixture and stir to combine. Using a rubber spatula, spread the butter mixture on the cut sides of bread. Sandwich the bread back together and wrap the loaf in foil. Place the wrapped loaf on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Cut into angled pieces and serve hot. Please try to exert self-control and share the bounty with others at the table.

11 Comments

Posted in Bread, Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta and tagged garlic bread, lasagna. Bookmark the permalink.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Veronica

OK, I’m just going to get this off my chest. I’m a wuss. A wimp. And I’m not afraid to admit it (my strategy is to point out my shortcomings to others before they beat me to it!). My friend, Pia, posts so many gorgeous ethnic dishes that I would love to serve at my own table, but do I make any of the recipes she posts? Of course not–I’m either too lazy or too intimidated (probably both) to break out of my comfort zone enough to make my own Kimchi (which my hubby would much appreciate) or even something as American as General Tso’s Chicken (another of Dennis’ favorites) . But yesterday she posted a recipe for Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins and guess what I did? That’s right, I made them immediately. These babies were exactly the kind of thing I love whipping up, but they offer no challenge. If the muffins weren’t so delicious, I’d be disgusted with myself.

Once again, I’m promising myself that I will, I WILL, make something from her blog that is not American and is not a dessert. And there is plenty to choose from. In the meantime, however, lets talk about these muffins.

They are soft & moist. So moist. They are flavorful–the banana complimented by chocolate and nuts. They are irresistable, especially when they’re still warm and the chocolate is all melty. Hold on, I think I need to grab another one while they’re still hot…

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Inato lang Filipino Cuisine and More

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup ripe mashed banana (about 4 bananas)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups (you might need 14 as I did) with paper liners or grease them well. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and stir in the remaining ingredients one by one, including the nuts and chocolate chips (reserve a couple tablespoons of both if you want to sprinkle them over the top like I did). Using an ice cream scoop with a lever, fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips over the center of each muffin (they will spread as the muffins rise).

Bake for 8 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and continue baking for another 6-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the muffins sit in the pans for a few minutes before removing them to wire racks to cool.

Tip: The burst of heat in the initial high temperature helps dome the muffins.

Veronica’s Notes: I used bananas that I froze several months ago, just as I always do with anything calling for mashed banana. I constantly replenish my stock of frozen bananas because I like to have extra-ripe bananas at the ready–you never know when you’ll have a hankering for banana bread or cupcakes! I have a whole post devoted to the subject of over-ripe bananas and freezing them and you can find it here.

13 Comments

Posted in Bread, Breakfast and tagged banana nut chocolate chip muffins. Bookmark the permalink.

Incredible Dinner Rolls (bread machine)

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Veronica

It took countless batches of dinner roll failures over the course of two years to finally perfect a recipe to my tastes. This one has everything I love in a dinner roll: soft, light, slightly sweet, and simple to make. They are just incredible, especially when warm and served with butter.

Incredible Dinner Rolls
Printable recipe

1 egg
3 Tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 ¼ teaspoon (1 package) bread machine yeast*

Crack the egg into a Ziploc bag and place it in a bowl of hot tap water, so that it will come quickly to room temperature.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then stir in the milk and heat the mixture until it reaches 110-115 degrees, or until it feels very warm to the touch.

Squish the egg while it’s inside the bag until it looks lightly beaten. Empty it into the bread machine pan; add the milk mixture, and then top with the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Set the machine to the dough cycle.

When the machine starts to mix the dough faster, check on it and, if necessary, use a spatula to help incorporate the flour. I always have to do this, but that may be because my machine is old and sub-par.

Once the cycle is complete, remove pan and punch down dough. If you’re making 12 large rolls, spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. If you’re making 20 standard-size rolls, spray two 9-inch round cake pans.

Divide the dough in half, and then divide each half into 6-10 pieces, depending on the amount you want to make. Shape each piece into a ball as you pull off the dough, and place in pan(s), spacing evenly.

Cover with clean cloth(s) and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes, or until rolls are doubled in size.** Preheat oven to 375 while your dough is rising.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown. When done, remove from oven and rub the end of a cold stick of butter over the tops of the rolls. Serve warm & with lots of butter. :) If making in advance, store them in an airtight container (I always use a gallon-size Ziploc bag) and reheat them in the oven when you’re ready to serve them (be sure to remove them from the bag first!)

*Also marketed as “rapid-rise” and “instant” yeast.
**I most often use my oven for rising bread. I preheat it to its lowest setting (170 degrees) once the dough begins its first rise in the bread machine and turning it off when it’s done preheating, that way it’s warm but not too hot once I place the pans in to rise. That works the best. (If you use this method, you’ll have to remove them after they’re done rising, preheat the oven, and let the rolls rest on the counter until it reaches 375.) If the top of your oven gets warm when you preheat it, you could also set your pans up there. The last trick I use is to place the pan on a heating pad set to low.
***You could also make these by hand or using your stand mixer with dough hooks, letting the dough rise in an oiled bowl for one hour or until doubled after kneading. I don’t know how long you’d have to knead it, though. I’d estimate 10 minutes.

19 Comments

Posted in Bread, My Favorites and tagged bread machine, dinner rolls, incredible, light, soft, sweet. Bookmark the permalink.

Buttery Beer Bread

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Veronica

I first posted a similar recipe in January, but am reposting this slightly revised version since I’ve made is so many times that I’ve had ample opportunity to improve it. I think I’ve got it to the point of perfection now.

I find this savory quick bread it to be just as good, if not better, than homemade yeast bread. It is a very simple recipe with just a few ingredients but I find it absolutely delicious. The beer gives it a yeasty flavor and the sugar lends a hint of sweetness and you just can’t go wrong with an entire stick of butter soaking in from all sides during the baking process. It creates a thick, buttery, and crunchy crust and the inside is soft and flavorful. It is divine.

For a fun and unique gift, package up the dry ingredients after sifting them together, attach baking instructions and include a can of beer if you wish.

BUTTERY BEER BREAD
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
I usually use self-rising flour and omit the baking powder and salt because it seems to taste better this way and is even easier to prepare!

3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-oz) can beer
1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×5* loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl and stir briefly with a whisk to combine everything. Pour beer over the flour mixture and stir in the beer with a spoon. The mixture will be thick but much more like batter than regular bread dough. Dump into the prepared pan and spread out as evenly as possible. Pour the melted butter or margarine over the top and bake for 1 hour. (The butter will run down the sides and underneath as it bakes.) Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack for fifteen minutes, or as long as you can stand it, before serving. Best served fresh from the oven.

*Please do not use a smaller loaf pan, or the butter will overflow and make a huge smokey mess. If you don’t have a larger pan, then place a baking sheet below the pan to catch any butter overflow.

Recipe source: Recipe Rhapsody

18 Comments

Posted in Bread, My Favorites and tagged beer, Bread, buttery. Bookmark the permalink.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Vanilla-Rum Custard Sauce

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Veronica

I’ve previously mentioned my failed attempt at a brown butter pound cake. Wonderful flavor, but overbaked to the point that it was almost too dry to choke down. Well, after keeping it in the freezer for a month, I finally decided upon my method of recovery for the dried loaf (with some help from my friend, Laura). And Redbook magazine helped me with the recipe.

Using pound cake rather than bread worked well here, giving an almost creamy texture to the pudding, but I think it would be just as good with the brioche or challah.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Vanilla-Rum Custard Sauce

from Redbook magazine, November 2009

1 T unsalted butter
1 lb brioche or challah loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used about 1 1/2 loaves brown butter pound cake)
4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree
1 c packed light-brown sugar
1 T pumpkin-pie spice
2 t vanilla extract
1/4 c dark rum
1/4 t salt
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Vanilla-rum custard sauce (recipe below)

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with butter.

Bake bread cubes in a roasting pan, tossing several times, 15-20 minutes or until bread feels dry and slightly firm (I toasted mine 30 minutes–they were almost like croutons after cooling) . Transfer cubes to a large bowl. Turn off oven.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, cream, milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin-pie spice, vanilla, rum, and salt. Add bread cubes, tossing to coat. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover; chill overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place baking dish in a roasting pan and pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of dish. (I didn’t do the water bath and it turned out fine.) Bake 50-55 minutes or until a knife tests clean (Mine was not done until 65 minutes). Let cool in pan on a wire rack until warm. Dust with confectioners’ sugar; serve with vanilla-rum custard sauce.

Makes 12 servings. Each serving: 401 calories, 22 g fat, 9 g protein, 43 g carb

Vanilla-Rum Custard Sauce
6 large egg yolks
6 T sugar
1 c heavy cream
1 c milk
1 T each vanilla extract and dark rum

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar, about 3 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, heat cream and milk over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge. Slowly whisk cream mixture into yolk mixture; pour back into saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly, until sauce coats back of a spoon, 3-4 minutes or to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and rum. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 2 1/2 cups. Each (1 T) serving: 42 cal, 3 g fat, 1 g protein, 2 g carb

3 Comments

Posted in Bread, Sweets and tagged bread pudding, custard sauce, pumpkin, rum, vanilla. Bookmark the permalink.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread with Caramel Swirls

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Veronica

I tried making brown butter pound cake a couple weeks ago and ruined it by overbaking it. Despite the the need to drink an entire glass of milk with each bite, Dennis and I couldn’t resist having several slices because of the wonderful brown butter flavor. (If you’ve ever had browned butter in a dessert, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t–then you haven’t fully lived!)

While the remainder of the pound cake lies in the freezer, awaiting it’s transformation into a creative bread pudding, I found the link to a similar recipe waiting for me in my inbox yesterday, compliments of my good friend, Krista. The recipe is, in fact, based upon that brown butter pound cake, but with the addition of pumpkin and dulce de leche.

Krista knows me too well. Cake, brown butter, pumpkin and caramel? Oh yeah, I’m there, baby!

After baking it and diving in (I only had a tiny slice…times five), I discovered that the texture isn’t dense like pound cake, but lighter like regular cake and very moist. But since it doesn’t look like cake, I’m calling it bread. Which kind of makes the name sound a little more wholesome, even with the mention of brown butter and caramel and the fact that the only wholesome thing in there makes up a very small part of the cake bread.

Whatever you want to call it, this stuff is awesome–bake a loaf and see for yourself!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread with Caramel Swirls

Slightly adapted from “Pumpkin Pound Cake with Dulce de Leche Swirls” at browniesfordinner.com, which was adapted from the Brown Butter Pound Cake in Gourmet, October 2009

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum (optional)
about 1/2 – 3/4 cup dulce de leche (recipe here)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and lightly flour an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch (or 9 by 5-inch) loaf pan.

Heat the butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until the milk solids on the bottom are a dark chocolate brown. Transfer to a pie plate or shallow bowl and put it in the freezer just until it congealed, about 15 minutes.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Cream the brown butter with the sugars with mixer until it is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin, vanilla & rum. On a low speed, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Transfer about half of the batter to the loaf pan and smooth it around so that it covers the bottom of the pan and forms an even layer. Place small grape-sized dollops of dulce de leche on the surface. Swirl by running the tip of a knife through one or two times to create a swirly pattern. Cover with the rest of the batter, smooth the surface. Use the rest of the dulce de leche on top, also in small grape-sized dollops and swirled with the tip of a knife.

Bake 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours (75 to 90 minutes). Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack (right side up) to cool completely, about one hour.

Veronica’s Notes: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & ginger. I used 1/4 t cinnamon, 1/8 t nutmeg, a couple sprinkles of cloves and the rest ginger.

3 Comments

Posted in Bread, Cake & Frosting and tagged Bread, brown butter, caramel, pumpkin, swirls. Bookmark the permalink.

Honey-Whole Wheat Bread

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Veronica

Somehow with my car breaking down along with the microwave and Dennis finding out he needed to have oral surgery to remove a cyst, I completely forgot to blog this recipe, despite the fact that it was one of the small things that got me through the week. Bake up a couple loaves yourself and see what kind of magic good, fresh bread can work on your life.

https://i0.wp.com/a4.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/32/b87b822dfd73470aba8f9e23bca3cb99/l.jpg

This. Bread. Is. Very. Good.

Honey-Whole Wheat Bread
from the back of a Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour bag

2 packages regular active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1/2 c honey
1/4 c butter or margarine
3 t salt
2 1/2 c very warm water (120-130 degrees F)
4 1/2 c Gold Medal whole wheat flour
2 3/4 to 3 3/4 c Gold Medal all-purpose flour

In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside. in large bowl, mix honey, butter, salt and very warm water; cool 5 minutes.

To cooled honey mixture, beat in 3 c of the whole wheat flour with electric mixer on low speed, scraping bowl frequently, until moistened. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in remaining 1 1/2 c whole wheat flour and dissolved yeast. With spoon, stir in 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 c of the all-purpose flour until dough pulls cleanly away from side of bowl.

Place dough on floured work surface. knead in remaining 1/2 to 1 c all-purpose flour; continue kneading 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with shortening or cooking spray; place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. let rise in warm place (80-85 degrees F) 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Generously grease 2 (9×5) loaf pans with shortening or cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate; divide in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough with rolling pin into 18×8 inch rectangle. Starting with one 8-inch side, roll up dough tightly, pressing with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal; pinch each end to seal. Fold ends under loaf; place seam side down in pan. Cover; let rise in warm place 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. uncover dough; bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Makes 2 loaves (16 slices each)

Veronica’s Notes: You can use whatever brand of flour you happen to have. Just don’t tell Gold Medal I told you that. :)

I used my usual quick method, as follows: substitute rapid acting yeast & omit the first 1/4 c water. Mix the yeast with the whole wheat flour. Combine the honey, butter, salt & water in a saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Cool until warm to the touch, then add to the flour & yeast mixture and mix according to directions. Skip the first rise and as soon as you’re done kneading, shape into loaves and place in pans to rise for 1 hour. Bake according to the recipe.

P.S. We got my car working and now just need a new microwave. Den has his surgery on Thursday and we now have the money for it.

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Praline Sweet Potato Bread

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Veronica

Quick breads that incorporate ingredients like sweet potato and pumpkin are one of the ultimate fall comforts for me. This recipe comes from my friend Marina, and like her other recipes, does not disappoint. The texture is lovely, much lighter than what I usually make, and I love the hint of rum. Without the topping, this bread is fantastic. With it, it is perfection.

PRALINE SWEET POTATO BREAD
Adapted from Marina C.

4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. allspice
½ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. ginger
1 lb. cooked & peeled sweet potatoes (I used canned & drained them, then weighed)
4 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
¼ c rum + enough cold water to equal 2/3 cup total liquid*
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 cups light brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans

*The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon rum extract and 2/3 cups cold water, should you wish to use that instead. The measurement of rum that I used gives just a hint of rum flavor and a wonderful smell.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9” loaf pans with shortening, then dust with granulated sugar (pour some in and move the pan around until it coats the bottom and all sides). Set aside.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & spices in a large bowl. Set aside.

Beat the sweat potatoes in a medium bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the oil, rum mixture & sugars and beat until well combined. Pour into the dry mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake one hour at 350 degrees. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Pour praline topping over loaves. Cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap.

Praline Topping
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. dark corn syrup
1 tbsp. sweet butter
¼ tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. chopped pecans

Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla in medium saucepan. Cook and stir on medium heat until butter is melted and mixture is blended. Add chopped pecans and pour over loaves. (I doubled the topping ingredients.)

*To make 3 (5”) loaves, bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
*To make a bundt loaf, I recommend greasing and flouring the pan instead of using sugar (like I did) b/c it doesn’t make a very pretty top for presentation. Fill the pan ¾ full of batter & bake for 1 hour, 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. You will have extra batter & can use it to make mini loaves (bake 30 minutes), one small loaf (as above) or muffins (haven’t tried this but I’d start checking after 15 minutes for doneness).
*Loaves may be frozen.