The Greatest Toasting Bread

I don't know about you but I actually enjoy getting new kitchen tools, gadgets and appliances as gifts. Cookbooks are a perfect anytime gift too. 

Do you have favorite kitchen related gift you received that you are still super happy about? 

My all time favorite kitchen appliance gift I have, has got to be my KitchenAid Mixer. My husband gave me this for Christmas a few moons ago and I love it! It came with a meat grinder attachment, which I have used many times and am always trying to come up with new ways to use too. One of these days I will probably need to get the sausage maker attachment, so I can make my own sausage links.

Available at Amazon

The smell of fresh baked bread is such an inviting and comforting smell. I have a confession to make: I have a fresh baked bread addiction that I refuse to give up. I could give up other carbs but not my homemade breads!

If you are looking for a cookbook with easy to follow baking recipes with helpful explanations and  techniques to use then you should give Julia Child's "Baking with Julia" a try. 

I have to admit I didn't know that Julia Child had "just" baking cookbooks but my husband found this one for me and it now has a special spot on my cookbook shelf.

The first recipe I made using this cookbook was the White Loaves (pg. 81). I decided to try this recipe after seeing the color picture of some seriously scrumptious looking toasted bread on page 56 of this book. When I saw the picture of this bread, the first thought that came to my mind was: "I need this bread with a slab of butter right about now."

The recipe makes 2 loaves of bread but can easily be cut in half to only make 1 loaf. **My tip is if you have the flour on hand to make the 2 loaves do it and freeze one after it has completely cooled.

Toasting Bread

adapted from Julia Child-Baking with Julia

**From start to finish you will need about 3 hours to make 2 loaves**

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 TBS. active dry yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar

6-7 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour*

2 tsp. salt

¼ cup butter, softened

Directions:

Pour 1/2 cup of the water into your mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, mixture should look foamy.

Add the rest of the water and about half of the flour. Stir (using the dough hook) until well blended. Now add about 3 1/2 cups flour, the salt and butter and stir until well combined and shaggy. *You will need to turn the mixture off a few times to make sure you scrap down the sides of the bowl.

Continue to knead, about 8-10 minutes or until it’s smooth and elastic. If the dough does not look smooth and elastic at this point add a little (one tablespoon at a time) more flour until it looks and feels smooth.

You can do the kneading by hand if preferred or if you do not have a dough hook attachment for your mixer. Just make sure to knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.

Now it’s time to shape the dough into a ball and to put it into a lightly greased bowl (bowl should be large enough for the dough to double in size). Cover loosely with a tea towel and let it sit for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, until it’s doubled in size.

Meanwhile butter two 4″x8″ loaf pans and set aside for later.

If your dough has doubled in size you are ready to punch the dough down. Divide into 2 equal pieces. Now on a lightly floured surface pat each piece into a rectangle that’s about 9″x12″

 

Picture Credit goes to Max at Kvalifood

 Starting at a short end, fold it in thirds, like a letter. Place seam side down in the loaf pans, tucking the ends in. Cover with the tea towel again and leave them for an hour, until they puff right up out of the pan. While you are waiting for the dough to rise again go ahead and preheat the oven to 375°F and put the rack in the middle of the oven. 

Once the dough has doubled in size again you are ready to bake it. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown. Remove the loaves from the baking pans as soon as you take them out of the oven and put them on cooling racks to cool.

**Remember don't cut your bread until it is almost completely cool....I know, I know freshly baked bread is amazing BUT if you can control your urge to cut right into the loaf you really should. It still has some magic to work while it's sitting on the cooling racks.

>>I was not paid to mention the products or websites used in this post, the information given is based on my opinion only<< BUT I wouldn't mind doing sponsored post from time to time if asked ;-)

Insanely Awesome Recipes You Have to Add to Your Meal Plan

I don't know about you but the urge to add new recipe ideas to my already never-ending list of "Have to Try" seems to truly never end. I just can't help myself and the internet doesn't make this addiction any easier to handle....thanks a lot social media for making me a recipe hoarding addict!

So with that being said here are a few of my finds from this week. A few have already been tried and are going to my "Keeper" files. The others are going to my "Have to Try" list. Please tell me I am not the only one that has this list!

>>Loving this design<<

Breakfast....Bagel Bombs....Yes, please
Will make again.....Sriracha Caramel Corn....why?  Because it's addicting
Delish....Whiskey Slushes.....yum
I wonder.....Better Than Girl Scout Cookies......because I need to be convinced
Quick Dinner Idea.....Enchilada Spaghetti & Meatballs....change things up
Taste of Germany.....Bratwurst Sliders....OMG
Bacon...Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza....enough said
How about this Recipe?......Simple One Hour Bread.....yup, simple and great



If you have a great find of the week please do share. I not only found new recipes to try out but I also found a new blogs to follow....win win, if you ask me. What are some of your favorite blogs to follow?

English Muffin Bread

As I was going through some of my drafts of recipes I have already tried and taken pictures of to share with you I saw that this was in my drafts…..don't know why because I thought for sure I had already shared this with all of you. Anyhow….here is one of my all time favorite recipes.!!

I really like eating an English Muffin every now and then for breakfast or even for dinner but the price of them can is a little steep for something so simple to make on your own. I have made english muffins from scratch while in culinary school, they did turn out but they are much harder and more time consuming than baking a loaf of bread. So when my friend Aleta shared the website/recipe she uses I had to give it a whirl. The recipe looked to easy to be true, boy was I wrong! Not only was the recipe SUPER easy it turned out amazing.


Here is the recipe I used....I did modify the original recipe but only because I didn't have enough flour to measure out 11 cups.


English Muffin Bread

2 3/4 cups warm water
4 tsp of rapid rise yeast (this equals to 1 + 1/2 package of yeast)
1 TBS salt
1 1/2 TBS sugar
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Grease 2 loaf pans
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and divide evenly into prepared loaf pans.
Let rise until doubled in size (this may take up to 30 minutes, so I would wait to preheat your oven until you notice it starting to rise)
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Put bread in oven and bake for 35 minutes. After the 35 minutes are over brush the tops of the bread with a light coat of butter and return to oven for another 10 minutes.




Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in pans before removing. Then remove bread and let it cool completely before cutting.

I put one loaf in the fridge and one loaf in the freezer for later. When you are ready to use the second loaf take it out and let it thaw in the fridge.

The texture is just like an english muffin with all the little air pockets and gets that crispy layer to it when you pop it in the toaster. I don't think I will ever buy store-packed english muffins again.

THIS IS A KEEPER FOR SURE!!

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

This is the yummies bread I have made it a while, good thing the recipe yields 2 loaves! It smells so yummy while it is in the oven too. I am going to make sure to keep some extra cans of pumpkin in my pantry since after the holidays are over it always seems like canned pumpkin is nonexistent.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 eggs

2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pie mix)

1 cup canola oil or applesauce (I use applesauce whenever I have it)

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans, optional (I didn't have any on hand today)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F; grease 2 loaf pans

Combing your dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. 

In a larger bowl beat eggs with both sugars. Add pumpkin, oil (applesauce) and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients. 

Fold in cranberries and pecans.

Divide mixture evenly between the two loaf pans.

Bake 50-55 minutes, check for doneness before removing from oven.

Cool in loaf pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely. 

**I wrap my bread in plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator. These also freeze well. 

When I eat this bread I like to put my slices in the toaster for a few minutes and then I add either a dab of butter or smear a little peanut butter on before eating....yummm ;-)**

Blueberry Banana Bread

This recipe is one of my stand-bys for when my bananas turned brown faster then they were being eating. If you don't have blueberries you could use raspberries too! I like putting my slices into the toaster to warm them up a bit and then smear just a little butter on it before eating or peanut butter BUT is not needed. I like taking this bread with me as a little on the go snack too.

going in the oven

My recipe calls for 1/3 cup applesauce but you could use a jar/container of baby food too....bananas, pears or a fruit combo too. This won't change the flavor too much but works if you don't have applesauce. AND if you don't have applesauce or baby food, use oil (same measurement).


Blueberry Banana Bread

1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 whole bananas)
1/3 cup applesauce
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease your loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients including the oats. In another bowl whisk together the bananas, applesauce and eggs. Add banana mixture to the dry ingredients stir to combine. Fold in blueberries.

Pour mixture into your prepped loaf pan. 

Bake 1 hour (check with a cake tester before removing). Cool in pan at least 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely. **I keep mine in the fridge after cooling.**