Whole Wheat Bread

I make this once a week... it makes two loaves and is adapted from my dear friend and best bread maker I know, Jenny B.

1/4 C warm water
1 T yeast

2 1/2 C hot water
1/3 C canola oil
1/3 C honey
1/2 T salt

1 1/2 C white flour
5+ C wheat flour

Put warm water in bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top, then swirl the water in the bowl to combime the yeast and water (this is my own method, people ask me specifically how i make this, so there you go). Give it 10+ minutes to get foamy on the top. Meanwhile, combine hot water, oil, honey, and salt and let it dissolve while yeast is proofing. Pour the hot water mixture into the yeast mixture and turn on hook to stir together. Add one cup of flour at a time until dough is all combined and sticking to the hook (like a cacoon, as Char would say). Knead for 2 minutes. Put in a greased bowl I( just spray with cooking spray) and cover with a light towl. Let rise for about an hour or until doubled... then split dough in half and place in a greased bread pan... let rise for a half hour and then cook at 350 for 35 minutes!

Eleanor's breadsticks

My cute cousin Eleanor sent me this recipe a few months ago, and Jeremy made it last night. So glad he did--these breadsticks were awesome... and easy!!! They're a perfect last-minute addition to a yummy soup-and-salad dinner. We paired these with Krista's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and my re-creation of Olive Garden's bottomless salad. YUM!!!

Eleanor's Excellent Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs yeast

1 cube butter

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Parmesan cheese

Garlic salt

Combine sugar, yeast, flour and salt. Add water and stir. Knead on floured board for 3 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough into rectangular shape (the size of your cookie sheet). With pizza cutter, cut lengthwise in half and then into inch-wide strips. Melt butter and dip strips in butter (or pour butter over top) and place on greased cookie sheet. Generously sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.

Let rise for 15-20 minutes, then bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until Parmesan cheese turns golden color.

ENJOY!

Brooke's Banana Bread

Our senior year, my friend Brooke compiled a book of recipes from women in the ward for her Laurel project. She gave one to each of us who were graduating, and I still have mine... It has been much-used and well-loved! I don't know who gave Brooke the recipe for this really yummy, no-fail banana bread, so she's been getting the credit all these years :o) Love you, Brookie!

Brooke's Banana Bread

1/2 C butter or margarine

1 C granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 C mashed bananas (abt. 2 whole)

1/4 C milk

1 tsp lemon juice

2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and beat. Add bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients, add all at once, and mix till thoroughly combined. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips, if desired. Bake in well-greased and floured loaf pan for 1 hour.

**My favorite thing to do with this bread is to sprinkle brown sugar on top just before baking. It gives the top a sweet, crispy edge (see the picture above)--YUM!

Donuts

For the last 2 years, I've been working hard to teach my Mia Maids (14/15-year old girls I work with at church) the value and importance of home skills so that when the day comes, they will be proud of their roles as mothers and homemakers. But in this day and age, it's a hard sell--so I've been easing them into it little by little... and what better way to start than with donuts! I had them over to my house last fall for a Mutual activity, and we had such a blast--although I was finding oil and powdered sugar all over my kitchen for the next month :o) Everyone helped out, and we had different toppings you could put on them when you were done. The girls were so surprised by how easy they were to make, and that they did it!

It's not something you want to do often (obviously!), but still a really fun group activity--whether for Mutual, Family Home Evening, or a day off school with the kids. Add some cider or hot chocolate, and you're in for a good time :o)

Here's the link to the recipe we used, but feel free to look around other sites and see if you like something else better. I just wanted to get the idea out there!

My Mom's Famous Whole Wheat Bread

One of the things I miss most about home is my mom's freshly baked whole wheat bread. I LOVED coming home from school to that smell... I do not profess to be the baker in our household; Mom definitely did not pass that trait on. But she gave me her recipe and I'm trying to figure out how to re-create the scene--hope you can, too!

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

5 cups hot water

1/3 cup honey

abt. 4 cups whole wheat flour

2 TB yeast

1 TB salt

1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

more flour... anywhere from about 4-6 cups more :o)

Put water and honey into mixing bowl; mix until honey is dissolved. While keeping the dough hook turning, add flour until combined--dough should be very wet! At this point, add yeast and let that mix again for about 1 minute. Then add salt and oil until combined. Start adding more flour to the mixture until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl; the actual amount of flour you need depends on lots of factors, so just watch the dough until it comes away from the sides. Once this happens, put the top on your mixer and let it mix for about 6 minutes.

Once you've done this, my mom likes to just let the dough sit and make sure it's starting to rise. Once you can see it is, split the dough into thirds and transfer to loaf pans. Let sit for another little while, then cook at 350 for 35 minutes. 

Stribling Apple Bread

About 20 years ago (am I right, Dad?), my parents created the family tradition of going to Stribling Orchard in Markham, Virginia to pick apples in the fall. Jeremy and I have continued that tradition in our little family--wherever we move, we always find an apple orchard to explore in October... Well, this month my brother Dave brought some of his friends from L.A. to give them the East Coast (a.k.a. Midaxlantic) fall experience, and of course at the top of his list of "things to do" was to go to Stribling. They kindly let us tag along, and we had a great time together. So here, in honor of all our Stribling memories...

Stribling Apple Bread (or muffins)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups apples, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add dry mix to wet mix, along with apples. Mix until well-blended; note that batter will be quite thick. Grease and flour loaf pan (or muffin tins); cook loaf for 1 hour, or muffins about 20 minutes.