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Bread Recipes

The bread recipes section includes a variety of great recipes for modern and tasty breads that can be prepared with regular kitchen tools most of us already have. Some examples of these recipes include "Almost No-Knead Beer Bread," "Whole-Wheat Brown Soda Bread," "Walnut Banana Bread" and more. Please feel free to browse, try the recipes out and share them with friends.

Buttermilk Cast Iron Skillet Dinner Rolls Recipe

May 16, 2018

I got the idea to make these rolls a few weeks ago when I made the sauerkraut pies. I used the breadmaker to prepare the dough with those pies and I guess I liked what I saw. I’m so used to making dough by hand that I really need to be in the mood to make any type of bread. With the breadmaker though, all I have to do is put the ingredients in and let the machine do all the work. It really is a better way to do things.

Buttermilk Cast Iron Skillet Dinner Rolls Recipe

The Recipe

This recipe is built off one that’s used for making Parker House rolls. There’s only one change; I don’t make the three inch dough circles, brush those circles with butter and then fold the circles in half. Instead, I roll the pieces of dough into balls and place them in the skillet to rise. During this time, I brush the individual balls of dough with butter and then sprinkle salt over them. I also brush them with butter after they come out of the oven. I made all of this up myself and what I found as a result was a buttery roll with just the right amount of salt on top. These are actually really good rolls. The buttermilk adds that bite and they’re perfectly fluffy to enjoy during dinner. That’s when I’ve been eating them for the past few days.

Ingredients

Makes: 16 Rolls

1/4 Cup Warm Water
1 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
3/4 Cup Warm Buttermilk
6 Tablespoons Butter, Melted, Divided + Some for Buttering Skillet
1/4 Cup Sugar
4 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Large Eggs
Salt

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Southern Cast Iron for the inspiration behind this recipe. While I did change things up quite a bit, I got the idea for the rolls from them.

Prep the Yeast

Add the 1/4 cup of warm water and the yeast to a small bowl and wait about five minutes for the top of the water to get frothy. Doing this gets the yeast ready for rising and baking and it also tests the yeast out to make sure it’s alive.

Mix Buttermilk & Sugar

In a medium sized bowl, mix together buttermilk, four tablespoons of the melted butter and the sugar.

Combine Ingredients

Add the yeast mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Then, add in the buttermilk mixture and two and a half cups of flour. Use the hook attachment and turn the mixer on to medium speed. Mix until these ingredients are combined well. Add in the two eggs and 3/4 teaspoon salt and continue mixing for another two minutes. Then, add in the remaining flour slowly so it has time to incorporate itself into the existing dough. Mix everything until you have a nice smooth ball of dough.

Knead Dough & Let Rise

Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it for about five minutes. Then, place the dough in a greased bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for one hour at 75 degrees. The dough should double in size during this time.

Divide into Pieces

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a tube shape that’s about a foot long. Then, cut the dough in half and continue cutting the pieces in half until you have 16 in all. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and stretch each piece around your thumb so it has a tight surface. Place each piece, seam side down, in a buttered 12-inch cast iron skillet. Then, brush about half the remaining butter onto the surface of each piece and lightly sprinkle some salt on their surfaces as well.

Raw Dough Balls in Cast Iron Skillet

Cover the skillet and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. This shouldn’t take any longer than a half hour if the conditions are warm enough (75 degrees).

Pre-Heat Oven

About half way through this last rising period, arrange your oven racks so one is in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the Rolls

When the dough is ready, add the skillet to the oven for approximately 30 minutes. The tops of the rolls should turn golden brown. If you are looking for more brown color, you can turn on the broiler and place the skillet on the top shelf for a few seconds. This will add the color you’re looking for, but I advise you to be very careful with this. The broiler can burn the rolls easily, so you’ll need to keep an eye on things closely.

When they’re finished, pull the skillet from the oven and turn off the heat. The rolls will appear dryer than when you put them in the oven. Brush the remaining butter on the tops of the rolls now.

The Final Buttermilk Rolls

I think the butter and salt on the tops of the rolls was a good addition. Those two ingredients really added interest to what I have been eating and enjoying thoroughly for the past few days. If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Thanks for reading!

Buttermilk Parker House Rolls

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads


Strawberry & Pecan Buttermilk Muffin Recipe

May 15, 2018

I haven’t made muffins in a long time and I’ve been craving some sweet ones that have a crunchy, sugary topping. I found exactly what I was looking for a few days ago and I quickly put the recipe on my list of those to make. Yesterday was the day. I was in the kitchen for quite a while, scrambling around while preparing not only the muffins, but some dinner rolls as well. I’ll share the dinner roll recipe after this one. Probably tomorrow.

Strawberry & Pecan Buttermilk Muffin Recipe

The Recipe

This recipe makes a great muffin. My favorite parts are the strawberries, pecans and sugar. The tops of the muffins include a nice layer of both the strawberries and the pecans, with those two ingredients being included in the center of the muffins as well. On the very top is the sugary crust that makes everything just so much better. The sugar is sprinkled on about one third of the way of the baking time, so it sort of comes together and forms a crisp edge. I love muffins like this.

Ingredients

Makes: 8 Muffins

1 Stick of Butter, Softened
1 1/4 Cups Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 1/2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, Chopped, Divided
3/4 Cup Pecans, Chopped, Divided
Sugar for Sprinkling

Muffins in Pan

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Taste of the South for this recipe. This resource has been very good to me and I’ve prepared some really great dishes and desserts that they’ve shared, so thank you.

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange your oven racks so one is in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the Sugar Mixture

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the brown sugar and butter. Turn the mixer on medium speed and mix until both of these ingredients are combined. Then, add the eggs and vanilla and mix again, until everything is combined. You’ll likely need to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl for better mixing.

Combine Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to mix these ingredients together well.

Mix the Above

Slowly add the flour and buttermilk, in small and opposing quantities, to the stand mixer bowl. Add a cup of flour and then a bit of buttermilk and continue alternating until all the flour mixture and the buttermilk have been combined with the sugar mixture. Be sure to use the low setting on the stand mixer and continue only as long as necessary.

When finished with that and when the batter is smooth, add in one cup of the strawberries and half cup of the pecans. Using a spatula, gently fold these two ingredients into the rest.

Add Batter to Muffin Pan

Butter eight cups of the muffin pans. I have two pans that hold six cups each, so I used both pans, but only two slots of the second pan. After thoroughly buttering the cups, divide the batter between the eight spots. After that, sprinkle the remaining strawberries and pecans on top of the batter.

Raw Batter in Muffin Tray

Bake the Muffins

Add the muffin trays to the oven and let the muffins bake for ten minutes. Then, remove the trays and sprinkle a nice coating of white granulated sugar over each muffin. Place the trays back into the oven for another 25 minutes. You’ll know the muffins are done when you insert a toothpick in their centers and it comes out clean.

The Final Strawberry & Pecan Muffins

These are very rich and robust muffins. They’re quite heavy to pick up, which I really like. The crunch on top is perfect and the strawberries and pecans are just right. If you decide to try this recipe out, please let me know your thoughts down in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Strawberry Muffin

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads, Muffins


St. Paddy’s Day Irish Soda Bread Recipe

March 19, 2018

Well, St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone. It was another festive weekend of eating all sorts of cabbage, mashed potatoes and soda bread. I made a loaf of the bread yesterday and thought I’d share the recipe here. It’s a really good one, but it’s not the authentic Irish version that contains only four ingredients. What I have to share today is the American version with two types of flour, raisins and caraway seeds. Trust me, this version is better.

St. Paddy's Day Irish Soda Bread Recipe

The Recipe

There are tons of different methods for making soda bread. Just choose one and go with it. If you don’t like that version, try something else. But when you do find one you like, keep that recipe and make that bread every year. It’s such an easy bread to pull off that there’s no reason not to.

Today’s version is very good. The bread is more moist that many other types and there’s really not a lot that can go wrong with it. I added raisins as a flair and some caraway seeds for some flavor. This is the perfect bread to enjoy with a pat of butter on top. It really is.

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Loaf

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Cake Flour
1/4 Cup Granulated White Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Regular Table Salt
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened in 1 Tablespoon Pieces
1 1/4 Cups Buttermilk
1 Large Egg, Lightly Whisked
1 Cup Raisins
1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds

Step-by-Step Instructions

This is a culmination of a few different recipes I’ve used to make soda bread in the past. Since I enjoy this one the most, this is the one I prepare every year.

Pre-Heat Oven

Adjust the oven racks so one is in the middle position and then warm the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine Dry Ingredients

Add both types of flour, the sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the hook attachment, combine these ingredients for a minute or so.

Dry Soda Bread Ingredients

After that, add the butter to the bowl and mix everything until you don’t see the butter lumps anymore.

Add Remaining Ingredients

Next, add the buttermilk, egg, raisins and caraway seeds to the bowl and mix just until the ingredients come together. You don’t want to overmix this dough because that will create a gluten complex that won’t work out. Combine with the mixer for a few seconds and then by hand if necessary. Just until there are no more dry parts of the dough.

Soda Bread Dough

Place Dough in Pan

You can use anything you want for this step, but I prefer to use my cast iron pans. It just looks so cool. With extra flour if necessary (so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands), form the dough so it’s a round disk that’s about two inches high in the greased pan of your choice. Then, make two cuts across the top of the dough that are in the shape of an X and that are about 1/2 inch deep.

Bake the Bread

Place the pan or skillet in the oven and let bake for 45 minutes. Begin checking on the bread after 35 minutes to be sure everything is going well. You can tell if it’s finished by the nice golden color of the crust and if there is no wet dough if you insert a toothpick in it’s center. Once finished, remove the dough from the oven and turn off the heat. It’s finished.

Irish Soda Bread in Cast Iron Skillet

Plate & Serve

When it’s cooled off a bit, go ahead and make a few slices and add a few pats of butter. Serve and enjoy!

The Final Soda Bread

This is a very straightforward recipe, so you shouldn’t have any trouble with it. I think you’ll enjoy it. If you give this one a try, please let me know what you think in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!

Irish Soda Bread

Soda Bread on Cutting Board

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads


Prune Muffins Recipe

March 4, 2018

About a month ago, I purchased a used baking cookbook at a local bookstore. Upon reading through the recipes, I decided that I was going to prepare each and every one the book contained. The very first recipe was for some pretty good looking prune muffins. As I was reading through the ingredient list and the instructions, I really didn’t think anything of it.

Just last week, I was in the grocery store buying what I would need to put this recipe together. During the checkout process, I happened to tell the woman behind the counter what I was making. I said, “I’m going to be baking some really great looking prune muffins.” She sort of scrunched her nose when she heard that. I don’t think she has a love for prunes. I couldn’t help but wonder what she had against these wonderfully sweet little dried fruits.

Prune Muffins Recipe

The Recipe

Okay, I get it; prune muffins don’t sound nearly as good as sugar topped apple muffins, but hey, they’re really not bad. And these are incredible with butter or jam. They’re sort of like raisin muffins, but better. I mean that. Raisins are smaller and “tighter.” Prunes are nice and soft and perfectly sweet. I actually enjoy eating prunes very much, so I thought it was a bit genius to include them in a muffin recipe.

Ingredients

Makes: 12 Muffins

1 Egg
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
3/4 Cup Prunes, Chopped
Butter for Greasing Tray

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank a wonderful cookbook called Muffins & Quick Breads that was put out by Linda Fraser. This book has tons of recipes for all type of breads and desserts. I’m looking forward to preparing all of them.

Pre-Heat Oven

Adjust your oven racks so one of them is in the center position and then pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix Wet Ingredients

In a medium sized bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil and white and brown sugar. Mix well.

Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Mix well.

Combine All Ingredients

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix everything just until there is nothing dry left. Add in the prunes as well. Mix them in thoroughly.

Muffin Mix

Fill Muffin Tray

Grease a muffin tray with butter. Divide the batter in the bowl between cups in the muffin tray. Be sure the batter is even throughout.

Filling Muffin Tray with Batter

Bake the Muffins

Place the tray in the oven for 20 minutes. When the tops of the muffins are golden brown, remove them, turn off the heat and allow the muffins to cool.

The Final Muffins

These were pretty good muffins. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles, but you knew that from looking through the ingredient list. The addition of nutmeg was nice and the prunes are very good as well. Give these a shot and let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Baked Muffins in Tray

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads, Muffins


Fluffy Herb Dinner Rolls in a Cast Iron Skillet Recipe

February 26, 2018

It takes a very special recipe to get results like this. Trust me when I tell you to be careful out there. The internet is full of all types of bread recipes that don’t work. Making any type of bread is a half day investment, so you really want to make sure you are working with something that has a tried and true track record. This recipe does. I’ve prepared these rolls enough times to tell you that they’re the real deal.

Herb Dinner Rolls in a Cast Iron Skillet Recipe

The Recipe

For these perfect dinner rolls, I decided to merge two recipes that I’m familiar with and that I’ve had good luck with in the past. I used a basic roll recipe and infused it with a variety of dried herbs. Then, I baked the rolls in 12-inch a cast iron skillet as opposed to a casserole. What I ended up with was 16 really fluffy and great tasting dinner rolls. There’s not much more to ask for. They’re moist, flavorful and just the right size. I’d definitely make these again, with or without the herbs. They’re good either way.

Ingredients

Makes: 16 Rolls

For the Rolls

5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoons Yeast
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk, Room Temperature
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Egg, Room Temperature
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening, Melted
3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

For the Eggwash

1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Water
Pinch Salt

Step-by-Step Instructions

For these rolls, I took advantage of the same recipe as I the one I used a while back. That was my base. Then, I found some tips and ideas on a few random websites out there and decided to not only add the herbs, but to use a cast iron skillet as well. I couldn’t believe the results. You can see them for yourself in the photos on this page.

Mix Ingredients

To start off, combine and mix the flour, yeast, salt, basil, parsley and rosemary in the bowl of a stand mixer. Then, combine the milk, honey, egg, shortening and butter in a medium sized bowl. Be sure the shortening and the butter are melted and that the honey is fully dissolved.

Next, while the mixer is running on low, slowly add the liquid mixture to the bowl. After all the liquid has been added, increase the speed to medium-low and let the mixer run for about eight minutes. After this time, the dough shouldn’t be sticky at all and should look like a regular ball of bread dough. You may need to scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula a few times during this process.

Knead the Dough

After the time in the bowl, transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter top. Knead the dough for about two minutes. Then, transfer the dough to a large bowl that has been lightly greased with one teaspoon of olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm area for anywhere between one and a half to two hours. The dough should double in size.

Ball of Dough

Arrange the Dough in the Skillet

After the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and place it on your counter top. Roll the dough out so it’s shaped like a log. Then, with a sharp knife, cut the dough log in half. Then, continue cutting the halves in half until you have 16 individual pieces.

Now, this is important. Form each piece of dough into a ball, but not just any ball. You’ll need to push your thumb into the dough a few times and stretch the dough around your thumb. The ball should be tight around the top and hide all the seams on the bottom. After you make each ball, place them in a greased skillet (1 tablespoon of olive oil) so they look like this.

Balls of Dough in Cast Iron Skillet

Notice how the seams aren’t showing and how the balls are taut?

Cover the skillet loosely with plastic wrap and place it somewhere warm for another hour or so. The dough should rise to about double it’s size again.

Risen Dough Balls

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange one of your oven racks so it sits in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add Egg Wash

Whisk the egg, water and pinch of salt together in a small bowl. Then, brush the egg wash over each of the dough balls in the skillet. You’ll likely have wash left over.

Bake the Rolls

Place the skillet in the oven and bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes. The goal is to create a golden brown color on the surface. The reason you’ll get this nice golden color and the shine is because of the egg wash, just in case you ever want to duplicate this effect with other bread recipes.

When you achieve the desired result, remove the skillet from the oven and turn off the heat.

Baking Bread Rolls in the Oven

Let the rolls cool for a few minutes and then dig in.

Cast Iron Skillet Rolls

The Final Fluffy Rolls

Every time I look at these photos, I am just so proud to have made something so delicious looking. These really are the perfect dinner rolls. If you decide to try this recipe out, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Fluffy Dinner Rolls

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads


Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins Recipe

February 19, 2018

I had every intention of making my first ever prune muffins this week, but I got sidetracked by some incredible looking apple cider ones instead. Really, it wasn’t my fault. Once you see these things, you’ll understand why. They taste just like those apple sugar donuts that you can get at the apple orchard right after picking a big bushel of apples.

Apple Cider Doughnut Muffin Recipe

The Recipe

This recipe calls for apple cider reduction, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. Lots of sugar. I suppose you could call these sugar apple muffins as opposed to apple cider muffins.

This isn’t a difficult recipe to put together at all. It takes only a few steps. Once you’re done though, you’ll end up with a muffin that tastes like a deep fried doughnut. Really. It’s crazy. There’s just the right amount of flavor and sweetness and there’s even that stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth effect you get after trying to eat an entire muffin in two bites. I suggest you drink a glass of milk while eating one of these. Either that, or dice up some apples and include them in the batter for moisture. But then again, that’s what apple cake is for.

The Recipe

Makes: 12 Muffins

For the Muffins

2 Cups Apple Cider
1 Stick Butter (Room Temperature) + Some for Pan
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs (Room Temperature)
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 1/4 Teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt

For the Topping

3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
4 Tablespoons Butter (Melted)

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank New England Today for this recipe. I started following this magazine a few weeks ago on social media and I have to tell you that they have shared some incredible looking dishes. I decided to nab this one because I just couldn’t let it pass me by. I’m definitely looking forward to more like this in the future.

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange your oven racks so one of them is in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Reduce the Apple Cider

Pour the apple cider into a medium sized saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Then, once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the cider is reduced by half. You should be left with one cup. When you are, remove the pan from the heat and let the cider cool.

Mix Butter & Sugar

Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Be sure the butter is at room temperature and fairly soft. Then, mix both of these ingredients for about five minutes or until they are thoroughly combined. You’ll likely have to clear the mixing blade once or twice during this process.

After that, add in the eggs and vanilla. Continue to mix for another few minutes or until these ingredients are completely combined.

Sugar, Butter & Vanilla Mixture

Mix Dry Ingredients

Next, combine the muffin flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix all these ingredients together well.

Dry Muffin Ingredients

Add Dry Ingredients to Mixer

Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the sugar and butter mixture in it. Then, turn the mixer on for about a minute to combine these ingredients. Add half of the apple cider reduction and mix again. After that, add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix for another minute or so. Finally, add in the rest of the apple cider and mix for a minute or until these ingredients are completely combined.

Apple Muffin Batter

Add Batter to Pan & Bake

Butter a muffin pan and then divide the batter between each cup.

Apple Batter in Muffin Pan

Then, place the tray into the oven for 17 minutes. Keep an eye on things for those last few minutes. You don’t want the muffin tops to get too dark. After 15 minutes, begin checking the centers with a toothpick and once the toothpick comes out clean, turn off the heat, remove the tray and let it cool down for a bit.

Baked Apple Muffins in Tray

Make the Topping

First, combine the sugar and the cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.

Sugar & Cinnamon Mixture

Then, melt the butter in a small bowl. Using a brush, brush some butter on the sides and top of a muffin. After that, roll that muffin around in the sugar/cinnamon mixture to coat. This is what you should end up with.

Sugar Coated Apple Muffin

Continue the process for the remaining muffins and after that, you’ll be finished. Put all the muffins on a plate and enjoy! Personally, I would eat one right then and there, but that’s just me.

Sugar Coated Apple Muffins

The Final Apple Muffins

I really want one of these muffins right now, but I promised myself that I’d only eat one a day. So, I’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Anyway, enjoy these special treats and if you do decide to give the recipe a try, please let me know your thoughts down in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Apple Muffins

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads, Muffins


Apple Cider Boule Bread Recipe

February 9, 2018

I’ll admit, I was nervous about this one. I had never made a bread recipe like this and I wasn’t sure how things were going to turn out. As I peeked into the oven after the dough had baked for 20 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised at what was sitting there. The most perfectly round boule I had ever seen. What a pleasure.

Apple Cider Boule Bread Recipe

The Recipe

You’re just going to have to go with me on this one. There’s a lot of rising and a bit of kneading, but the end result is a bread that will rise. And I’m saying it’ll rise because the yeast is tested and the dough will have had a strong gluten complex.

There are only four ingredients necessary to make this bread. Apple cider, all-purpose or bread flour, salt and yeast. That’s pretty, cool, I must say. This is a rustic bread. It’ll come out of the oven in a round loaf and it’ll take a long knife to cut through it. Personally, I cut straight into it while it was still hot and popped a few pieces into the toaster. A few moments later, I was slathering the surfaces with butter and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I was more than satisfied.

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Loaf

2 Cups Apple Cider
2 Teaspoons Yeast
5–6 Cups Bread or All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Downeast Magazine for this recipe. Downeast is Maine’s very own magazine and it’s got tons of really neat articles and recipes. I’m looking forward to many more interesting breads and dishes to come.

Combine Cider & Yeast

This step serves two purposes. It combines and dissolves the yeast into the cider and it also tests the yeast. If you see no action between these two ingredients, you’ll know your yeast is dead.

To start off, warm your apple cider to about 100 degrees. It shouldn’t be hot by any means, but warm to the touch. You can do this in a pot on your stove top or in a bowl in your microwave. It’ll probably take about two minutes in your microwave, depending on the heat setting.

Next, pour the cider into a large bowl. Add the yeast to it and mix both ingredients together. Let them sit in a heated area like next to a wood stove for about five minutes. After this time, you should see a raised foamy area floating in the middle of the bowl. That means the yeast is just fine.

Bread Yeast and Apple Cider

I had a nice foam area in my bowl and then I swirled it and lost it. This was, of course, right before I remembered that I needed to take a photo of it. I still caught some of the foam though, which was good.

Add Some Flour

Add two cups of flour to the bowl and stir it into the cider well. The consistency should be like pudding. Bring the bowl back to your warm area and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it sit for one hour. The result of this should be a slightly risen and foamy sort of very wet dough.

Soupy Bread Dough

Fold the Dough

At this point, you can add the salt to the bowl by sprinkling it around the edge of the dough’s surface. Also, add one cup of flour to the bowl and mix well. Continue to add flour to the bowl until the dough just begins to just pull away from its sides. Fold the dough 100 times with a wooden spoon. This will form the structure it will need in the oven to rise perfectly.

Wet Bread Dough

Knead the Dough

Liberally flour your counter top. Then, form a circle of flour (about one cup) that measures about a foot across. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the counter top. Begin to knead and if the dough is too sticky, continue to sprinkle flour over it. Do this until you can knead with no stickiness. Do this for five minutes. By this point, what you have in your hands should look familiar to you. Like regular dough.

Form the dough into a ball and tuck the edges under the bottom. The top should be taut. Lightly flour the inside of a large bowl and place the dough inside of it.

Ball of Dough in Bowl

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth again and place the bowl back near the wood stove for another hour. During this time, the dough should double in size.

Risen Dough

Let it Rise One More Time

Sprinkle some additional flour over the dough in the bowl. Then, reshape it into a ball by tucking the sides underneath the bottom. Cover the bowl again and let things rise for another 20 minutes.

Warm the Oven

While the dough is rising this one last time, warm your oven to 450 degrees. You should keep one oven rack in the center position and remove the other. You’ll need some room in there.

Also, place a large Dutch oven with its lid in the oven while it’s warming. The goal here is to make the Dutch oven very hot.

Transfer the Dough to the Dutch Oven and Bake

Be very careful during this next step as to not burn yourself. After the 20 minutes of rising, remove the Dutch oven from the oven (with oven mitts). Take the lid off and flour the inside liberally. Transfer the ball of dough from the bowl to the Dutch oven. Reshape if necessary. When the dough is in the Dutch oven, make four shallow slices like a number sign across the top with a sharp knife. Replace the top of the pot and put the entire Dutch oven into the regular oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the top of the Dutch oven and allow the bread to bake for another 10-15 minutes. Keep your eye on things after ten minutes because you don’t want the top to burn. You just want it to end up golden brown.

Boule Bread

When the bread is perfectly colored, turn off the heat and remove the Dutch oven from the regular oven. Remove the lid and the bread and allow the bread to cool for about 20 minutes. The bread is finished.

The Final Boule Bread

I have been cutting into this loaf of bread for two days now. I first ate a few slices with butter and then I made a nice sandwich with it. It’s perfect. It takes a bit of labor to make this loaf, but I would do it again because of the positive results I experienced. It’s pretty awesome. If you give this bread recipe a try, please let me know your thoughts on it in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Boule Bread Loaf

Sliced Homemade Bread

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads


Classic American Sandwich Bread Recipe

May 9, 2017

Out of all the yeast risen bread recipes I’ll ever share on this site, this one has got to be one of the most straightforward. If you’ve ever thought about the steps necessary to make homemade bread, you probably thought of the ones I’ll show you below. This bread recipe is a classic and it needs no special skills to pull off. Oh yeah – it also tastes great.

Classic American Sandwich Bread Recipe

The Recipe

When you think of regular sandwich bread, you probably think of soft and fluffy white bread with a nice, soft, brown crust. Well, I’ve got a special treat for you because today’s recipe is just that – the perfect white sandwich bread. It’s got some bounce to it and as I mentioned above, the steps necessary to make this happen are as easy as it gets. All you need is a stand mixer, a pan, the ingredients and an oven. The result will be something you’ll likely want to prepare over and over again.

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Loaf

2 1/2 Cups Bread Flour
2 Teaspoons Instant Yeast
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
3/4 Cup Whole Milk, Room Temperature
1/3 Cup Water, Room Temperature
2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
2 Tablespoons Honey

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank America’s Test Kitchen and their wonderful resource called Bread Illustrated for this recipe. I’m slowly moving through this book and it’s been awesome. I never knew I was so talented at making bread.

Mix Dry Ingredients

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the flour, yeast and salt and whisk together.

Dry Bread Ingredients in Stand Mixer Bowl

Mix Wet Ingredients

In a large measuring cup, add the milk, water, melted butter and honey. Whisk well with a fork until these ingredients are combined.

Wet Bread Ingredients

Combine Ingredients in Mixer

Turn your mixer on low and slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Then, increase the mixer speed to medium low and continue mixing for 8 minutes. At this point, the ingredients should be fully elastic and should have taken the appearance of dough. If yours is still too wet, add flour by the teaspoon until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.

Knead the Dough

Once everything is finished in the mixer, take the dough out and place it on a floured counter top. Then, knead the dough with your hands for about 1 minute. If it becomes sticky, sprinkle the dough with more flour. Form the dough into a ball with the seam at the bottom and place the ball into a lightly greased bowl that’s large enough for something at least double the size of the dough.

Ball of Dough

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Place in Pan

Lightly grease a pan that measures about 9 inches by 5 inches. When the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and place it back on your counter top. Push the dough flat and form it into a rectangle that measures about 8 inches wide by 6 inches tall. Then, roll the rectangle up so it forms what looks like a tube. Place that tube, seam side down, into the pan.

Raw Bread Dough in Pan

Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it comes out of the pan by an inch. This should take about an hour, depending on the temperature of your house. You’ll want to grease the piece of plastic too, so nothing sticks to it.

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange your oven racks so one is in the lower middle position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the Bread

After the dough has risen and the oven is to temperature, remove the plastic wrap and place the pan in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. You’ll know the bread is finished when the top crust is golden brown and the center temperature is between 205 and 210 degrees.

When it’s finished, remove the pan from the oven, turn off heat and let everything cool for about 30 minutes. After that, pop the loaf out of the pan, slice and enjoy.

Loaf of Homemade White Sandwich Bread

The Final Bread

Mine came out rather well, but it’s on a slight tilt. That was probably from the way I loaded the pan with the dough. Otherwise, it’s perfect. It actually rose more than I thought it was going to and it kept the interior texture perfectly formed. It didn’t fall flat like others I’ve prepared and it tastes just like sandwich bread. Give this a shot. It’s a good recipe. Thanks for reading!

Fresh Homemade White Sandwich Bread on Cutting Board

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads


Fluffy Dinner Rolls Recipe by Bread Illustrated

March 21, 2017

This is the seventh bread recipe I’ve tackled from Bread Illustrated. If you haven’t been following along, feel free to check out my Breads category. Most of the recent recipes from from this resource, but many recipes came from a bunch of others. The recipe I’ll be sharing today is, without a doubt, one of my favorites so far.

Fluffy Dinner Rolls Recipe by Bread Illustrated

The Recipe

I have a feeling the reason I love these rolls so much is that they were really easy to make. It seemed as though each step I took turned out exactly the way it was supposed to. It began in the mixer, when the gluten network took shape. I watched the dough hook do its work and as it did, a wet and sticky looking dough transformed into a wonderfully elastic one. It was mesmerizing.

The next success came with the first rise. I had absolutely no issues with getting the dough to grow, even though our house was on the cool side last night. When the dough doubled in size, I knew it was time for the next step.

These rolls bake at 350. Because of this low temperature, they had ample time to expand and turn into the wonderful items you see in the photo above. It was fun to watch the process, to say the least. After I removed the casserole dish from the oven, I kept saying to myself, “I can’t believe these things came out so well.” It’s true, I’m simply delighted.

About the rolls themselves – they’re awesome. They have a chew to them and they’re somewhat sweet. They also have a great texture with a slight bit of crumb, which is due to the use of some vegetable shortening. All in all, I’d definitely make these again and I encourage you to give them a shot as well. If I can do this in the first shot, anyone can.

Ingredients

Makes: 15 Rolls

For the Rolls

5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoons Instant Yeast
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk, Room Temperature
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Large Egg, Room Temperature
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening, Melted
3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
Regular Olive Oil

For the Egg Wash

1 Large Egg Beaten with 1 Tablespoon Water

Step-by-Step Instructions

As I mentioned above, I pulled this recipe from Bread Illustrated. If you aren’t aware, this cookbook was put out by America’s Test Kitchen. Since they are responsible for this recipe, I’d like to say a hearty thank you. It was superb.

Whisk Dry Ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, yeast and salt. Whisk these ingredients together well.

Dry Bread Ingredients

Whisk the Wet Ingredients

In a 4-cup measuring cup, add the milk, honey, egg, shortening and butter. Whisk these ingredients together well.

Wet Bread Ingredients

Mix the Dough

With the dough hook attached to the stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients on low. Add the wet ingredients in 4 parts and continue mixing until you see a wet, sticky dough with no dry areas. At this point, increase the speed of the mixer to medium low and mix for 8 minutes. During this time, the gluten network will form and the dough will become much more elastic.

Dough in Stand Mixer Bowl

Knead & Let Dough Rise

When the dough is finished mixing, remove it from the stand mixer bowl and place it on a floured counter top or work area. Continue to knead the dough for about a minute and then shape it into a taut ball. Add it to a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours at room temperature. During this time, the dough should double in size.

Rising Dough in Large Bowl Covered with Plastic Wrap

Prepare the Casserole Dish

For this step, you’ll need a 13×9 inch casserole dish. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the dish so it covers both handles. Then, use a brush to apply a coating of olive oil to the foil. One that’s done, set the dish aside.

Divide the Dough

This is probably the trickiest part. You’ll need to remove the risen dough from the bowl and place it back on your counter top. Then, push the dough to deflate it. Roll the entire thing into a log that measure about 15 inches. Try to make the log as even across as possible. Divide the log into 15 equal pieces.

For each one, you’ll need to stretch each piece around your fingers a few times to create a taut ball. Continue to stretch gently until each one is round. Then, place them, one at a time, into 3 rows of 5 in the casserole dish on top of the foil. Make sure the seam side is facing down in the casserole.

Dough Rolls in Greased Casserole Dish

Dough Balls in Foil Lined Casserole Dish

Using the same brush as before, apply some olive oil to the top of each ball. Then, cover the casserole and let the dough rise slightly for about an hour. The reason I suggest applying oil to the dough is so the plastic wrap doesn’t stick to it if the two materials come in contact.

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange an oven rack so it’s in the middle position. Bread Illustrated suggests a middle-lower position, but I think the bottoms of my rolls came out a little darker than I would have liked them to. Warm the over to 350 degrees.

After the rolls have sat for a while, remove the plastic wrap and brush some egg wash onto each one, just like you did the oil.

Brushing Egg Wash onto Raw Dough

Bake the Rolls

Place the casserole in the oven for about 30 minutes. I set my timer to 20 minutes and then added 5 minutes in increments, just to make sure they didn’t burn. Surprisingly, it took every second of 30 minutes to bake perfectly.

When the tops of the rolls turn golden brown, turn the heat off and remove the casserole from the oven.

Fresh Baked Dinner Rolls

Let cool for at least 15 minutes before attempting to touch the rolls. When ready, you can use the foil as a sling to remove all the rolls at once.

The Final Dinner Rolls

I’m thrilled with this recipe. It came out so well. I’d like to think I had something to do with it, but I just followed directions. If you give this one a try, please report back with your results. Thanks for reading!

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads


Easy Sandwich Bread Recipe

January 16, 2017

Well, it looks like I now have a new bread recipe. For years, I’ve been using a bread maker that gave me so-so results. Actually, I never really knew what kind of bread I’d get out of the thing. It seemed like it would do whatever it wanted. I’ll tell ya – for something that does exactly the same thing, time and time again, I sure get some weird looking bread. I can even remember tossing something that felt like a log out into the woods. Good times.

Loaf of Sandwich Bread

The Recipe

I’ll be honest with you here. I had to prepare this recipe twice. The first time, I didn’t use the paddle attachment for our stand mixer. I used the dough hook instead. Because the dough in this recipe is so moist, the hook didn’t create a complex enough gluten network. To simplify what I’m trying to say here – the bread didn’t rise. It rose the first time quite well, but when I knocked it down and let it rise for the second time, it didn’t do so great. And it did nothing after I put it in the oven but sit there and get brown. Lesson learned.

There’s a reason the creators of this recipe explicitly ask you to use the paddle. It’s because the wet dough needs to be kneaded and kneaded and kneaded. If you skip out on the kneading, your bread will suffer the same fate as mine did.

As you can see from the photo above, the second go round wasn’t perfect either. The center sunk in, but I did manage to get a much better loaf of bread. During the second time, I used the correct mixer attachment and was overly sure to watch my times. I also used some shortening to grease the bread pan. Because of this, the bread popped right out after it was finished cooking.

This is a good hearty sandwich bread recipe. The bread’s got a nice soft center and an evenly distributed crumb. The flavor is what you’d expect a rich sandwich bread to taste like – good. That’s because of the two types of flour used. First is bread flour, with a much higher protein content than regular all-purpose flour and second is a whole-wheat flour. That adds some flavor and richness by itself.

This recipe may take once or twice to get used to, but I really encourage you to give it a shot, especially if you’re into making your own bread. If you get it right, the result can be great. It’s just the small nuances that need to be taken into account. This isn’t one of those “mix twice and pop into the oven” types of things. This will take some thinking, but the reward will be worth it.

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Loaf

2 Cups Bread Flour
6 Tablespoons Whole-Wheat Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoons Instant Yeast
1 1/4 Cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Warm Water
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
1 Tablespoon Honey
3/4 Teaspoon Salt

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank America’s Test Kitchen for their awesome cookbook called Bread Illustrated. I’m working my way through this book, from front to back, and have to say it’s been a learning experience. This is exactly what I wanted.

Mix Dry Ingredients

Add the bread flour, whole-wheat flour and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. The mix these ingredients together well.

Bread Flour in Stand Mixer Bowl

Mix Wet Ingredients

Add 1 1/4 cups of warm water, 2 tablespoons of melted butter and the honey to a 4 cup measuring cup and mix until the honey is dissolved.

Water, Butter and Honey in Measuring Cup

Mix Ingredients

Attach the bowl with the flour in it to the stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, turn the mixer onto the low speed. Add the liquid slowly to the bowl and let the mixer run on low for 1 minute. Then, turn the mixer onto the medium speed setting and let the dough mix for 4 minutes.

Mixed Dough in Bowl

You may need to stop the mixer periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl as well as the paddle with a rubber spatula. The above photo is what your dough should look like. Don’t worry if it looks wet. It’s supposed to.

Let Dough Rise

When the mixing is finished, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it’s twice its original size. This usually takes about 20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature.

Risen Dough in Mixer Bowl

Pre-Heat Your Oven

Arrange one of your oven racks to the lower center position and turn on the heat to 375. Also, you can grease an 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch bread pan with either butter or shortening.

Add Remaining Water

In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of warm water. Then, add the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and mix until completely dissolved. When the dough is finished rising, add this water to the bowl, attach the bowl to the mixer and run the mixer for another 2 minutes on the medium speed. You’ll likely need to stop the mixer to scrape things down again. The water can make the dough look sticky at first. It will look normal once the water is mixed in thoroughly.

Add Dough to Bread Pan

Once the dough is mixed, add it to the greased bread pan, smooth out and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Dough in Bread Pan Covered with Plastic Wrap

Let the dough rise until it’s about a quarter inch from the plastic wrap. Keep your eye on this closely. Don’t let the dough touch the wrap. After it’s risen slightly, remove the plastic and let the dough rise until it’s mounding out of the pan. The entire second rise should take about 30 minutes, depending on air temperature.

Bake the Bread

After the dough has risen out of the pan, add it to the oven and let bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking. When you see the top of the bread turn a golden brown, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the oven. Let cool for 1 hour before trying to remove the bread from the pan. You may also brush the last tablespoon of melted butter on the top of the bread.

The Final Sandwich Bread

Like I said above, this batch isn’t exactly perfect yet, but it’s getting there. I’ll continue using the same recipe and keeping my eye on the timings and technique. I’m sure it’ll be perfect soon. Besides the dipped center, it sure does taste good!

Sandwich Bread in Pan

Homemade Bread

Homemade Sandwich Bread

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Breads

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