Tomato Basil Bread - like Panera Bread

• No more store bought bread...that is one of the new things I decided to start doing for my family.  I don't want to be ingesting 30+ ingredients every time I put a piece of bread in my mouth, no matter how tasty it is!  There just is no good reason for it!
• And homemade, nutritious bread is cool and all, but I do not want to just eat boring whole wheat bread all the time either.
• So today I decided to try to make Panera Bread's Tomato Basil bread.  You know the one...it has the crunchy brown sugar topping that is just SO amazingly paired with the tomato and basil flavors!  (I know, sounds totally gross, but it's super good!).  I couldn't find their actual recipe online, or an exact "copycat" recipe, but I did find a recipe for Tomato Basil Bread here that I used.
• I added the topping, omitted crushed red pepper flakes, and swapped canned san marzano diced tomatoes for the tomato paste.  Result?!  Probably the best bread I've ever made...and I have made bread many times! :)  This is definitely going to be a new staple in our family! 
• I used unbleached bread flour this time, but next time I will do half all purpose and half white whole wheat to see if we like it with the whole grain.  I figure even if I don't switch to all whole grain flour, every little bit helps...and of course, the fact that I only used 11 ingredients for this gourmet, several flavor bread is a huge plus in my book, even if it was regular old flour!
• Two notes - I didn't put brown sugar on the whole thing...just wanted to try it without too, since I hadn't made this before...AND, I served this with a vegan chili recipe that I came up with and it was such an awesome pairing - the sweetness of the brown sugar and the smokey chipotle flavor in the chili.  DEFINITELY a great combination!
• Ingredients:
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
  3/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)1/4 cup fresh basil , minced (can substitute with 2 tablespoons dried)
  1/4 cup parmesan cheese , grated4 heaping Tbsp canned diced san marzano tomatoes1 tablespoon sugar1 tablespoon olive oil1 teaspoon salt2 1/2-2 3/4 cups bread flour
• Ingredients for Brown Sugar Struesel Topping
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
  1/4 cup flour (I probably used a little less than that)
  3 Tbsp cold butter
• 
  

Directions:

1. 1
   In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in basil, Parmesan cheese, tomato paste, sugar, oil, salt, pepper flakes and 2 cups flour. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
2. 2
   Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. 3
   Punch dough down; knead for 1 minute. Shape into a round loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
   Make Brown Sugar Struesel - In medium bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour.  Add butter and cut with pastry blender until it's the size of small peas.
4. 4
   Top dough with brown sugar mixture and bake at 375° for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cooling rack.

Steel Cut Oatmeal Bread

Here's another whole grain bread recipe!

We have made a LOT of very significant changes in our diet, one of them being no store-bought bread.  And trying to add lots of whole grains into our diet.  So, I stumbled upon this recipe and tried it out, and it was a big success!  It made great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and great toast with a little apple butter!  We will be making this a few times a month for sure!  It's so good!  Very filling too!

(this makes 2 loaves of bread)

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 3/4 cups steel-cut oats
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• Dash of granulated sugar
• 2 packages dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons each)
• 1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
  

  Preparation

  1.  Combine the first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a stand-up mixer, and let stand 25 minutes.
  
  2.  Dissolve granulated sugar and yeast in warm water; let stand 5 minutes or until foamy. Add to oat mixture. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 3 cups whole wheat flour to oat mixture. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of the remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).
  
  3.  Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll each portion into a 14 x 8-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Roll up each rectangle tightly, starting with a short edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place each loaf, seam sides down, in a 9-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
  
  4.  Preheat oven to 350º.
  
  5.  Uncover dough, and brush egg evenly over loaves. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until loaves are browned on bottom and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan, and cool on wire racks.

Crockpot Blueberry Peach Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 cup steel ground oats
1 cup Arborio Rice
4-5 cups water
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
About 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
About 1 cup frozen peaches, chopped


Directions:
1.  Pour blueberries and peaches into bottom of crockpot.
2.  Add remaining ingredients and stir together.
3.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours, overnight.
4.  When serving, if you want a little creaminess, add a drizzle of raw milk.

Roastes Brussels Sprouts

It still cracks me up after about 6 years...that both of our daughters LOVE brussels sprouts!  They have been one of their all time favorite vegetables since they were old enough to eat them!  And I've only ever bought the frozen ones that are in a steam bag that you toss in the microwave, and top them with a tiny bit of butter, salt, and pepper...So easy!
But today I decided to try something new with them, and we all loved them!

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Cut stems off of brussels sprouts.  Toss the sprouts in an oven-safe dish with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast in oven for about 20 minutes or until they just start getting brown.

40 Minute Hamburger Rolls

Another very quick, simple recipe that we can make in our kitchens from scratch with very little effort! 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 white whole wheat flour

 Directions:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
• Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.

Cherry Vanilla Applesauce

This couldn't be easier!  And no corn syrup, crushed up bugs (google "cochineal"), and definitely no beaver anal glands (goodle "castoreum"), or any other "natural ingredients"!  Just full of goodness, vitamins, and yumminess! 

Ingredients:
6-8 apples, cored and sliced (skins on)
2 handfuls fresh sweet cherries, pitted
about 3 cups water
juice from one lemon
1-2 Tbsp agave nectar, optional
1 tsp pure vanilla extract


Directions
1.  Put apples, cherries, water, lemon juice, and agave nectar in large pot.  Bring to a boil, and then lower heat and simmer for about 25 minutes until very soft.
2.  Add vanilla.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to mostly room temperature (or else you may break your blender if too hot!).
3.  Blend in a blender until it's the consistency you like!

Apparently this should store for at least a few weeks in the fridge, but I'm sure it won't last that long in our house!  :)

No Knead Artisan Bread

If you want to wow your family with almost no effort, make this bread!  It's so good, especially warm from the oven, and yet it takes literally 5 minutes of your time...with no kneading or large mixer...just a bowl and a spoon!!!  And since it's this easy, who can say they don't have time to make bread for their family?!  So simple!  And NO chemicals, preservatives, dyes, or anything that I can't pronounce or don't know what it is!  :)

You do need to plan a little ahead though, as it needs to rise for 12-24 hours...although I'm pretty sure you could let it rise for just 2 hours and it would work...but if you let it rise longer it gets a lovely slightly sourdough flavor to it!  If you do a shorter rise, I would probably use quick-rise yeast.

The directions call for a cast iron dutch oven, which I do not have...so I used a different technique...see both below.

Also (sorry for all the notes!), you can add different things to this dough to add flavors!  I haven't tried them yet, but I saw online that you can add herbs, cheese, berries, lemon/orange zest, jalapenos, etc.  I think I will try jalapenos and cheddar soon!  Not sure about leaving it out for 24 hours with cheese in it though, even though people say you can with no problems.  Will probably try that with a quick rise (and quick rise yeast of course!)...

No Knead Artisan Bread

3 cups flour (I use half all-purpose, half white whole wheat)
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions:
1.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, salt, and yeast.  Add water and mix until it fully comes together.  Add a tiny bit of extra water if needed to get all the ingredients damp.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-24 hours.

2.  If using a dutch oven, please see #2 below.  Otherwise, heat a stone dish in the oven to 450 degrees (I used a pie dish, but could really use any shape of stone).  Below the stone dish, place an aluminum baking pan of any size.  

3.  Meanwhile, as it's preheating, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface, a pizza peel is ideal (you can use flour or cornmeal) and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating. 


4.  When the stone is preheated, push the dough onto the hot stone and return to the oven.  Place about 2 cups of hot water into the aluminum pan and shut oven door immediately.  Cook for about 30 minutes until golden brown.


Dutch Oven Directions:
2.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  When it has reached temperature, place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface (use flour or cornmeal) and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating. 

3.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

White Chocolate Martini

This is my all-time favorite adult beverage!  :)  Just wish it was totally calorie free!  But, I must say it's worth every single calorie!

Ingredients:
2 shots white chocolate liqueur
1 shot vanilla vodka (could use cake, whipped, really anything that's got a vanilla-y flavor!)
chocolate syrup

Directions:
1.  In shaker glass, combine white chocolate liqueur and vanilla vodka, and some ice.  Shake for several seconds to combine and chill.
2.  Pour a little chocolate syrup onto a round plate.  Dip rim in chocolate, and then swirl a little extra around the inside of the glass.  Pour the drink inside!

Crock Pot Apple Cherry Crisp

This was pretty tasty!

Ingredients:
3-4 apples, cored and chopped
1/2 lb fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup quick -cooking oats
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Place apples and cherries in bottom of small crock pot.  In bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.  Pour over fruit.
2.  Cook on low for 2-3 hours.

Steel Cut Oatmeal Bread

Here's another whole grain bread recipe!

We have made a LOT of very significant changes in our diet, one of them being no store-bought bread.  And trying to add lots of whole grains into our diet.  So, I stumbled upon this recipe and tried it out, and it was a big success!  It made great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and great toast with a little apple butter!  We will be making this a few times a month for sure!  It's so good!  Very filling too!

(this makes 2 loaves of bread)

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 3/4 cups steel-cut oats
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• Dash of granulated sugar
• 2 packages dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons each)
• 1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
  

  Preparation

  1.  Combine the first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a stand-up mixer, and let stand 25 minutes.
  
  2.  Dissolve granulated sugar and yeast in warm water; let stand 5 minutes or until foamy. Add to oat mixture. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 3 cups whole wheat flour to oat mixture. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of the remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).
  
  3.  Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll each portion into a 14 x 8-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Roll up each rectangle tightly, starting with a short edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place each loaf, seam sides down, in a 9-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
  
  4.  Preheat oven to 350º.
  
  5.  Uncover dough, and brush egg evenly over loaves. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until loaves are browned on bottom and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan, and cool on wire racks.

Whole Grain Waffles

I just can't believe how AWESOME these turned out!  Who would ever even believe that they are good for you?!  The kids devoured them!  And they have whole wheat flour, flaxseed and chia seeds :)
Gonna put these in the freezer so we have a quick healthy breakfast to pull out of the oven on school days...can't wait to top them with some fresh strawberries!

Whole Grain Waffles

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
3/4 cup wheat germ (I didn't have this, so I used wheat gluten?)
6 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal
3 Tbsp chia seeds
6 teaspoons baking powder
3 Tbsp raw sugar, white sugar, or agave (I used raw sugar)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk (we use raw milk)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1.  Whisk together flour, wheat germ, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
2.  In separate bowl, whisk together milk, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture and whisk together until smooth.
3.  Plug in (and pre-heat) electric waffle iron.  When hot, spray non-stick spray into an iron.  Laddle into waffle iron and cook according to your iron's instructions until golden brown.

(made about 20 square waffles for me, but each waffle iron will hold a different amount of batter...)

Soft Pretzel Rolls

Oh. My. Goodness!  These were SO good!  And so easy and pretty fast too!
Will definitely make these a lot more!  And with only a handful of ingredients they are so much better for you than any store-bought bread!  I'm gonna try them with whole wheat flour and see how they do...but GREAT!

I served these alongside cream of spinach and tomato soup and it was perfect!  But I can't wait to try these as a sandwich bread!  I was at a local Amish market this week and had a hot, soft pretzel ham and cheese sandwich and it was one of the yummiest things I think I've ever had!  So I will definitely be trying that soon!

Note - We cooked these at 425 as the recipe called for but by about 15 minutes in, they were already very dark brown.  And our oven is usually on the cool side...so next time I would probably lower the temp to 400 and start watching at 10 minutes.  But even with them being dark brown on top, they were wonderful, soft, and fluffy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 c warm water
• 2 tbsp warm milk
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/3 c light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 4 c flour
• Pretzel salt, kosher salt, or sea salt. (I used sea salt.)
• 2 quarts cold water
• 1/2 c baking soda

Directions:
You will want to use a bread machine or stand mixer with a dough hook for this recipe.
Heat 1/3 c. water to 110°, add yeast and let stand until foamy.
Add remaining 1 c. warm water, milk, sugar and melted butter. Mix slightly to dissolve the sugar. Add flour and mix on medium-low speed.
Remove dough from mixer, or bread machine, once it forms a nice firm dough ball as shown above.
Knead dough for two minutes, roll into a 12″ log and cut into 12 equal balls.
Cover dough and let sit for 10 minutes.
Pat dough into rolls and set on a lightly floured surface (don’t skip the flouring part even if you have a nonstick pan), cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°.
In a saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil and add baking soda.
Drop two rolls into boiling water, turning once, for 30 seconds. Remove from water and let drain.
Set rolls an inch apart. To get that x mark, use a sharp knife and barely break the surface of the roll in an x shape.
Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.