Homemade Bread

There was a time when I used to bake Homemade Bread every week. Now, it's more of a hit-or-miss thing. But when I do bake up a loaf or two (or muffins, etc.), I'm glad that I took the time to do it.

To that end, here are six yummy bread and muffin recipes, including Browned Butter Jalapeno Cornbread and Maple Pecan Sweet Potato Scones. 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.

NUTELLA BANANA BREAD

This is from Yossy Arefi in The New York Times cooking e-newslestter. Yossy wrote, "This banana bread definitely leans toward dessert, thanks to thick swirls of chocolate-hazelnut spread. Browning the butter may seem a little fussy, but it's totally worth the time and effort. The resulting toasty warm flavor pairs perfectly with sweet bananas and the rich spread. After all, the French term for brown butter is 'beurre noisette' which literally translates to hazelnut butter."

Yield: One 9-inch loaf; Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019019-nutella-banana-bread.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), plus more for greasing the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pan

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, from about 3 medium bananas

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, like Nutella

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

Stir the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

Brown butter: Melt butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook butter, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a rubber spatula until it turns a deep golden brown and smells nutty. Don’t walk away from the pan during this process. The butter will go from browned and nutty to acrid and burnt in moments. Transfer butter to a large heat-safe mixing bowl and let it cool slightly.

When the butter has cooled a bit, add the mashed bananas, sugar, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined, then add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Pour half the batter into prepared pan and spread it evenly with a knife or offset spatula. Spoon half the chocolate-hazelnut spread in several dollops over the top and use a toothpick or skewer to swirl it into the batter. Spoon and spread the remaining batter over the top followed by dollops of the remaining spread. Swirl in the spread, then bake the bread for 55 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

BROWNED BUTTER JALAPENO CORNBREAD

This incomes from the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of Renew by UnitedHealthcare, page 26. It begins, "Browned butter adds nutty depth and jalapeno adds a kick to this classic crowd-pleaser, made mildly sweet with honey and moist with yogurt." Makes 9 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup better

1/3 cup honey

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams, then turns to a toasty brown color, about 2 minutes. Remove rom heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the browned butter to a 9X9 inch baking pan, swirling to coat the bottom.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining butter, honey, egg, yogurt and milk, whisking to combine.

Add the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder all at once. Stir together only until combined. Stir in the halapeno. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm.

Nutrition: Calories: 207, Total Fat: 6.6 g; Saturated Fat: 3.8 g; Cholesterol: 36.5 mg; Sodium: 87 mg; Carbs: 33.6 g; Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g; Protein: 4.3 g

MAPLE PECAN SWEET POTATO SCONES

This comes from United HealthCare, and begins, "Tender and fluffy, these spiced scones are full of veggies, whole grains and maple syrup and are best served warm. Even better? They’re easy enough to whip up for brunch or afternoon coffee."

Yields:12

You can view this online by clicking here.

Ingredients:

Scones

2 3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 stick cold butter, diced

2/3 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed

1/3 cup real maple syrup

2 eggs

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon real maple syrup

2–3 teaspoons milk

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry blender until crumbly. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet potato, maple syrup and eggs until blended.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in half and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat each half into a 6-inch circle about 1 inch thick. Transfer the two circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a knife, cut each circle into 6 wedges, gently separating the wedges with the knife until they are about 1/4 inch apart.

Bake the scones for 16–18 minutes or until golden. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the warm scones. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Yields 12. Calories: 231, Total fat: 10.8g, Saturated fat: 5.4g, Cholesterol: 51.3mg, Sodium: 96mg, Carbs: 30.8g, Dietary fiber: 3.7g, Sugars: 8.3g, Protein: 5.2g

SESAME TWISTS

This was in the November/December 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 66. It begins, "These pretty breadsticks may look complicated, but they’re not—twisting them is as easy as wringing a dishcloth, though it takes a lighter touch."

Makes 30 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/sesame-twists/.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. sugar

1 1/2 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. salt, plus more for sprinkling

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (4 oz.)

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425F, and coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl. Rub butter into flour mixture with fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour, or overnight.

Place dough on well-floured work surface. Roll into 15×15-inch square. Brush with water, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt, if desired. Cut square in half, then cut each half into 15 3/4-inch thick strips.

Twist each strip twice, set on baking sheet and gently press ends flat to prevent twists from unrolling. Bake 15 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.

VEGAN BLUEBERRY MUFFIN

This was in the June 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 11), and begins, "'I came up with this because I couldn’t find easy baked-goods recipes for vegans,' says Laurie Dolan. I saw in a PETA newsletter a while back that you could substitute applesauce and baking powder for eggs, so I started experimenting with basic cookie, cake, and muffin recipes. One of my favorite results was this vegan blueberry muffin recipe.'"

Makes 12 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/vegan-blueberry-muffins/.

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy margarine

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup soymilk

2 cups fresh blueberries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 1/3-cup muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl. Spoon into muffin cups, filling three-quarters full.

Bake 35 minutes, or until tops are firm. Cool slightly on rack.