Homemade Bread

I love Homemade Bread. It tastes yummy, makes the house smell great, and is definitely worth the work. That said, here are six yummy homemade bread recipes, including Mexican Chocolate-Zucchini Bread and Magic Caterpillar Peanut Butter Bread. (No caterpillars were hurt in the making of the bread!) Enjoy!

EGG CINNAMON BREAD



I've been making this for years – actually, for decades – and almost always gotten rave reviews on this recipe. It got to the point that several people have specifically requested this recipe – and, if I'm visiting, it's pretty much expected that I'll bake up a batch. This recipe makes three loaves.





Ingredients

2 envelopes yeast

1 C warm water

1-2 T honey

1 C milk (Note: 1 cup soy milk can be used in place of the milk)

1/2 C margarine (1 stick)

2 eggs, beaten

6-7 C unbleached white flour

1/4-1/2 C margarine (1 stick)

2-3 C cinnamon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Stir honey into warm water. Stir in yeast. Set aside.

Heat milk until warm. Pour into large bowl and add 1/2 C margarine, cut into 4 pieces. Stir, allowing margarine to melt. Cool to room temperature. Stir in salt, yeast mixture and eggs. Add flour, 2 cups at a time until stiff. Place dough on floured towel and knead for 4-5 minutes.

Wash and dry bowl. Oil dough, place in bowl, cover with clean towel and place out of draft in a warm place. Allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until double.

Melt 1/4-1/2 C margarine. Grease 3 loaf pans. Punch dough down, then divide into three sections. Roll out with rolling pin, then brush with melted margarine. Spread cinnamon sugar over melted margarine, then roll all three sections into loaves. Place in pans, place clean towel over pans, and allow to rise again for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove towel, then place loaf pans into preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

MAGIC CATERPILLAR PEANUT BUTTER BREAD

Years ago, I got hooked on Breaking Bread with Father Dominic on (if I remember correctly) the Food Network. Unfortunately, the show has since left the air, at least where I live. However, you might be able to check out a few episodes by Google-ing his name for the latest places that show him, or on YouTube. Check out his website, The Bread Monk, at http://www.breadmonk.com/. This recipe yields 1 loaf.



Ingredients:

1 package Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk

3/4 cup chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

For decoration: tubes of colored frosting, candies, gumdrops, licorice, etc.

Directions:

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl; stir to dissolve yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes, or until foamy.

Combine milk, peanut butter, sugar and salt in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. Let cool to lukewarm, then add to yeast mixture. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition until flour is thoroughly incorporated.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead 5 minutes, adding small amounts of the remaining flour as needed to keep dough manageable. Rinse and dry bowl, then lightly oil surface of dough and place dough in bowl. Cover with a dry cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Knead briefly to expel large air bubbles. Roll dough into a rope about 24 inches long. Form rope into a large S shape on a lightly greased 18x12-inch baking sheet. Using a butter knife or dough scraper, chop rope into 3-inch sections, but do not separate completely. Cover with a cloth and let rise about 30 minutes. (The caterpillar will magically grow back together during rising and baking.)

About 15 minutes before end of rising time, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake loaf 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate cooled loaf with frosting and gumdrops or other candy. Poke holes in the sides with a wooden pick and insert sections of licorice for legs.

Note: Decorating gel doesn't work as well as frosting as a glue for the candy decorations, so make sure you pick up the right tube at the store. Any candies will work to make spots for the caterpillar's sections. Thin red licorice makes the perfect legs and antennae, unless you know your youngsters prefer the flavor of black licorice.

TEXAS MOPPIN' ROLLS

Yield: 12 rolls.

I frequently make these (from Breaking Bread with Father Dominic) to go with chili or homemade spaghetti. Definitely yummy!



Ingredients

2 packages Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast

1 teaspoon honey

2 cups lukewarm water

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

1/2 cup minced onion

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Directions:

Combine yeast, honey and warm water in large bowl; stir until completely dissolved. Add salt, hot red pepper flakes, onion, Monterey Jack cheese and Cheddar cheese; stir until thoroughly mixed. Add 6 cups of the flour, 2 cups at a time, mixing after each addition until the flour is completely incorporated.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 to 8 minutes, adding enough of remaining flour to form a fairly stiff dough. Rinse and dry the bowl, then oil surface of dough and place dough in bowl. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch down dough. Knead briefly to expel large air bubbles. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a fat oval. Place rolls in a lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan (three rolls across, four down). Let rise about 20 minutes, or until nearly doubled.

While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place on middle rack of oven and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until top crust is browned. Remove rolls from pan and let cool on racks.

Note: "With so many different palates to please, our abbey cooks are usually pretty cautious about spicy seasonings. As a result, sometimes monastery food is a bit bland, so I like to create breads with strong flavors. Every time I serve these rolls, one of the brothers is sure to comment on how he expected "just another roll" and got a mouthful of pepper-and-cheese-bread-with-an-attitude. These rolls are actually pretty mild compared to a lot of Tex-Mex food, so feel free to increase the amount of crushed red pepper.

"I used ordinary dried crushed red pepper (hot red pepper flakes) for this recipe, but if you keep fresh jalapenos or other hot peppers in the fridge, by all means use them. Three 3-inch jalapenos, minced fine, provide moderate heat. You can experiment with other peppers as well." (All notes after the recipes are Father Dominic's notes.)

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI BREAD

This comes from Deb Wise on MyRecipes. She wrote, “Got a boatload of zucchini? A loaf of so-simple quick bread is a delightful, kid-friendly way to put it to use. This decadent twist spices up classic zucchini bread with cocoa powder, cinnamon, a rich chocolate glaze, and roasted pepitas. Easy-to-make, incredibly moist, and intensely chocolatey, this Mexican Chocolate Zucchini Bread is sure to be a new favorite.”

Active Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes; Yield: Serves: 10 (serving size: 1 slice)

To view this online, go to https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-chocolate-zucchini-bread.

Ingredients

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini

1 2/3 cups (about 7 1/8 oz.) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. roasted and salted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), divided

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate baking bar, finely chopped

1/2 cup (about 2 oz.) powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with baking spray.

Place eggs in a large bowl; lightly whisk. Add granulated sugar, oil, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Stir in grated zucchini.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl just until combined. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the pepitas into batter. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top with spatula. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour.

Cool bread in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of pan to loosen bread. Remove bread from pan, and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour.

CORN BREAD

I found this buried in a group of recipes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. While it looks like it's from Diabetic Gourmet, I couldn't locate a link for it on the site.

Yield: 12 servings

Source: "The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/26.shtml

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup fat-free milk

2 large eggs, slightly beaten, or 1/2 cup egg substitute

3 tablespoons canola or corn oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square pan with nonstick pan spray.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Combine the milk, eggs, and oil in a small bowl, add to the dry ingredients, and blend well.

Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and turn out of the pan onto a rack. Cool slightly before cutting. Cut into 12 equal portions. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (2-1/4 inch square): Calories: 130, Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 36 mg, Sodium: 207 mg, Carbohydrate: 18 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 4 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Fat

CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY MUFFINS

By now, you may remember me posting about Rollin' Oats. It has two stores in the Tampa Bay (Florida) area, one in Tampa, the other in St. Petersburg. Since I live way closer to St. Pete, I frequently go to that store. It's really one of my favorite places to shop. (Hint: If you live in the area, or are visiting, I highly recommend checking it out.)

Anyway, whenever I'm in Rollin' Oats, I pick up a copy of Taste For Life. This is from the March 2021 issue of Taste For Life (page 12). Prep Time: 35 minutes, plus 30 minutes cool time; Makes 9 muffins

To view this online, go to https://tasteforlife.com/healthy-recipes/desserts/chocolate-raspberry-muffins.

Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 large eggs

1/4 cup oil, plus additional for greasing pan

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 9 of the muffin cups in a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, combine coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Gently fold in raspberries.

Scoop approximately 1/4 cup of batter into each greased muffin cup.

Bake approximately 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan for 1/2 hour.