Sweet Potato Bread for the bread machine….

I had a left over sweet potato, and I decided to make a loaf of bread out of it. I have never made sweet potato bread before, so I needed to look up a recipe…..so, off to the internet I went. I also knew I wanted to use my bread machine. I found a recipe and adapted it. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out…but it was delicious….especially slathered in butter. It reminded me of a pumpkin bread.

Sweet Potato Bread for bread machine

Adapted from a recipe by Mary E. Crain from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/sweet-potato-bread-i/detail.aspx

Ingredients

½ cup water
1/2 cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3-4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (depending on how much your bread machine prefers!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 teaspoons yeast

Directions

Combine all ingredients into your bread machine in the order listed. Set for sweet, dough cycle.
When finished, bake at approximately 350° – 375° in your oven for approximately 20 minutes.

Challah Bread in the Bread Machine…..

River had Challah bread at preschool…have I mentioned that she LOVES preschool…..and so, we just had to make some at home. And, of course, I had to use the bread machine. After searching the internet for some recipes..I settled on this recipe. River was very excited to make it and patiently waited for it to be finished. It was a huge loaf! And was very delicious!! As you can see, at least one of the babies was in the background, cooperating, as we baked!!

Jewish Bread Machine Challah Bread

This bread machine challah recipe is adapted from “The Artisan Bread Machine” by Judith Fertig.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large beaten egg
1 large beaten egg yolk
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup honey
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons instant or bread-machine yeast
1 large beaten egg for egg wash
Sesame or poppy seeds (optional)
.

Preparation:

Add salt, egg(s), water, honey and oil to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.
Select the Basic / White or Sweet cycle and the Dough setting and press Start.
Remove dough from bread pan, transfer to a floured surface and punch down gently. Divide dough into thirds. Roll each third into a 10-inch long rope. Lay the three ropes out parallel to each other on a floured surface so they are very close, but not touching. Braid ropes together snugly. Tuck ends under to form an oblong loaf.
Brush braid with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired, pressing the seeds into the dough.
Bake in oven at 375° for approximately 20 minutes.

English Muffins…..homemade using the bread machine…

Tuesday loves to eat English muffins for breakfast..but I wasn’t thrilled with the ingredients in Thomas’ English Muffins…lots of artificial stuff. So, I looked for a good recipe, using the bread machine, of course…and I found a keeper! I found it on the King Arthur flour website. I cut down the amount of sugar and I think next time, I may try to make them with whole wheat flour.

It was a pretty easy recipe. The bread machine did most of the work. I had to roll it out onto corn meal and cut into 3 inch circles. After it rose for a bit, you had to cook them on a griddle…who knew!

I had no idea that is how you made an English Muffin! But they turned out great…and great tasting…and they even looked like English Muffins. My daughter did say they didn’t have as many nooks and crannies..but hey, maybe the next batch will!

English Muffins

1 3/4 cups milk, warm
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 to 4 1/4 cups Unbleached Bread Flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the “dough” or “manual” setting. After the cycle is complete, transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out until it’s about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out circles with a floured 3-inch cutter. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Heat a frying pan or griddle to very low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook four muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 7 minutes a side.

Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light; if they seem to be cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle.

When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the rest. If you have two frying pans (or a large griddle), you’ll be better able to keep up with your rising muffins. Yield: 16 muffins.

Brioche in the bread machine…..

So, this week I decided to try to make a sweet bread. I had never had brioche before, so I had nothing to compare the recipe to. I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com…which is a site I love for recipes. There were some suggestions for tweaking the recipe a bit…..so I gave it a try! The recipe took a lot of eggs!! But it made a huge loaf of bread! While it was cooking, it tasted so delicious! We were all excited to give it a try while it was still warm out of the oven!

And we weren’t disappointed..it was delicious…warm with a little bit of butter! The next day Christopher made french toast with it….it was incredibly absorbent..and required a lot more eggs…but delicious and filling! River ate it the rest of the week for breakfast. Overall, I loved this recipe and will definitely make it again!

French Brioche

Ingredients

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
¾ cups butter, softened
¾ teaspoon salt
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Optional:

1 egg white
2 tablespoons water

Directions

Place the first seven ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by your manufacturer. Select sweet bread, dough cycle.
Turn finished dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead 5 to 10 times. Separate into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll with hands into strips. Braid or twist strips together. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Optional: Whisk together 1 egg white and the water. Brush onto the top of the loaf.
Bake in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Beer Bread in the Bread Machine…..

Over the weekend, I tried another bread recipe….beer bread. I have never made a beer bread nor eaten a beer bread, though I have heard many people mention it. I am not a beer fan..I think even the smell of beer is unpleasant….but I wanted to give it a try….

I actually made two loaves of the bread. The first time I made the recipe, I used a Belgium wheat beer, which my husband said is delicious. The second time I made the beer, I used an organic India pale ale….that supposedly has a very strong, bitter taste. There was a slight difference between the two loaves, but I still thought each was delicious. My daughter, Tuesday, did not like the second loaf at all…she said it was not nearly as good as the first. So, when you are making the bread, you do have to consider the type of beer you are using.

But, in general, I thought the bread was delicious and very “robust”….it was a good, thick bread that I thought was perfect for sandwiches.

Basic Beer Bread in a Bread Maker

Ingredients

12 oz. can or bottle of room temperature beer
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar or honey
1 tsp. salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Directions

1. Open the beer and pour it into a bowl. Whisk to get out as much of the carbonation as possible.

2. Pour the flat beer into the “bread bucket” in your bread machine. Add the oil, flour, salt, brown sugar or honey, and yeast. You can add the dry ingredients in any order, and there’s no need to stir.

3. Set the bread machine to run on the “basic” or white bread, dough cycle.

4. Bake at 375° for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Bread continued…..

So, I looked up a list of different types of bread and I decided I wanted to work my way through it. I’m mainly interested in breads that I can adapt for my bread machine. And some of the breads I’m just not interested in…like bagels and things. So, the first type of bread, on the list, that I made was a baguette. On the first try, I think it turned out really well. I really liked the recipe that I used and I thought it was very easy to do…we ended up slicing each loaf in half and making it into baguette pizzas….very delicious and incredibly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside! So delicious!

So, here is the recipe:

French Baguettes in the bread machine

Ingredients:

1 cup water

3 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Optional:

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select French and Dough cycle, and press Start.

2. When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

3. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16×12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8×12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

4. Preheat oven to 355 degrees F. (Optional: Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.)

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Printed from Allrecipes.com

Ciabatta Bread with a bread machine……

I’m into making bread…but using my bread machine. I’m trying to make all different kinds of breads. I have perfected my plain rolls and my french bread recipes.

I decided to try Ciabatta bread. The first recipe I tried is considered for beginners…..next, I will have to try the more complicated version….supposedly using sour dough or “sponge”…..I will keep you posted on the outcomes.

The recipe was incredibly easy…it did say that the dough will be incredibly sticky and runny…and it was! The bread turned out flat…I don’t know if that was due to the high humidity that day…or just my baking skills..but it was tasty..and as always, much better when eaten fresh!

Ciabatta Bread – Bread Machine Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Directions

Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle, and Start.
Dough will be quite sticky and wet once cycle is completed, resist the temptation to add more flour. Place dough on a lightly floured board, cover with a large bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly flour or use parchment lined baking sheets. Divide into 2 pieces, and form each into a 3×14 inch oval. Place loaves on prepared sheets, dimple surface, and lightly flour. Cover, and let rise in a draft free place for approximately 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Dimple dough for a second time, and then place loaves in the oven, positioned on the middle rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. During baking, spritz loaves with water every 5 to 10 minutes for a crispier crust.

Pita Bread…..

I’ve always wanted to make homemade pita bread. So, this weekend, I finally gave it a try. It wasn’t too difficult..it just involved time, like most bread recipes. You had to do a bit of stuff and wait….do a bit of stuff….then wait 3 hours…do a bit of stuff and wait…

My plan was to make homemade pita bread and then homemade hummus. I have a delicious hummus recipe that my aunt gave me…but at the last minute I realized I didn’t have enough chick peas…and I really didn’t feel like going out to the store…so I tried to use what I had..but I ended up adding too much tahini paste…oh well.

But I did think the pita turned out nicely. The first batch..I cooked too long and they are a bit chewy. I think I will freeze some of them and see how they taste after being frozen. We like to use them for little mini pizzas when we need a quick meal.

You had to bake them at 500°, so the entire kitchen got incredibly hot…maybe next time I won’t pick a 94° day to make pita!! Next…I am going to make tortillas……

Pita Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine flour and salt in large bowl.

Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression.

Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated.

Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to also preheat your baking sheet.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.

Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.

Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.

Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.

Aunt Loretta’s Hummus Recipe

1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

Aunt Loretta’s Hummus Recipe

2 cups cooked chick peas
4 to 5 garlic cloves, mashed
1/2 cup tahini paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon
2-6 teaspoons water

Add all in food processor and blend til paste. Garnish with paprika and parsley.

For Baba Ganoush – follow same recipe but use eggplant instead of chick peas and no water

Multigrain Bread…

So the other day I went to Whole Foods Market (gotta love that place!) and in the bulk section, I found organic 7 grain cereal. It was only thirty-nine cents a pound! It looked perfect for making multigrain bread.

Of course, I wanted to use my bread machine, so I used the recipe from the bread machine recipe book..I figured I would start with that and see how it turned out….well, I think it turned out really well.

As soon as it came out of the oven, we all wanted a piece, which I think is always a mistake..it seems like those types of bread always have to sit for a bit…at least twenty minutes.

Multigrain Bread (large loaf bread machine recipe)

1 ¼ cups water

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/3 cups white flour

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup 7 grain cereal

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons regular active dry yeast