Almond Poppy Seed Bread

This bread is so good. Its very moist and easy to make. The glaze is the best part! 

Almond Poppy Seed Bread 

3 C. Flour
1 1/4 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/2 Tbs. Poppy Seeds
1 1/8 C. Oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 C. Milk
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. Almond

Mix and bake at 350° for 35 - 45 min. Makes 6 small loafs, or 2 regular loafs. Fill pan half full.

Glaze: 

3/4 C. Sugar

1/4 C. Orange Juice OR 1/4 C. Water with a few drops Wild Orange Essential Oil (I was out of orange juice but the water and orange oil was FANTASTIC!)

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Almond

Heat in the microwave for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. Then add the following until it makes a thin glaze. 

1/2 - 1 C. Powdered Sugar

Pour over hot bread. Let cool completely before serving.

Zucchini Bread

This is my grandma's recipe and has always been a family favorite.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 Eggs
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Veggie Oil
2 C. Shredded Zucchini
3 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. Nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
3 C. Flour
½ C. Chopped Nuts (optional)

Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes. Until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 1-2 loafs.

Sara’s notes - I peal the Zucchini so there’s not big green chunks, and I add a sprinkle of spices: cloves, ginger, and allspice.

Asiago Artisan Bread

Lately I haven't done much cooking, but I have made a few loafs of bread. Last night I had a Church activity and one of the ladies shared her Artisan bread recipe and demonstrated how she makes it. It reminded me that I hadn't posted about my cheesy bread. I made this probably 3 weeks ago. This loaf has been my favorite so far. Making Artisan bread is SO easy and I love the outcome. My family does also. They ask me to make it all the time. I've had to tell them ‘no’ a few times, it's not great for the waist line. But it is delicious bread.

ASIAGO ARTISAN BREAD

3 C. Sifted Flour (plus extra for kneading)
2 1/2 tsp. Yeast
2 tsp. Salt (a little less if adding strong cheese)
2 TBS. Sugar
Mix dry ingredients, then add:
2 C. Water (Warm water if you're in a hurry)

1-2 Cups cheese, I used shredded Asiago, cheddar chunks and a few tablespoons of Parmesan, I added the cheese when I kneaded dough. (Add shredded Asiago to the top of the bread once you place it in the dutch oven.)

Mix ingredients together until well mixed with a fork, cover bowl with plastic wrap let sit until mixture has doubled or tripled in size. (About an hour.) It will look really wet and bubbly.

Turn oven on to 400, add Dutch oven to heat up with oven. (Dutch oven needs to be very hot when adding the dough.)

Meanwhile, knead dough with a extra of flour, add cheese let rise for 30 min while oven heats up.

When oven is at temperature and your dough has doubled in size again, add to hot dutch oven. Do not add any oil. Cook with lid on for 30 min. Remove lid and cook for 10-15 more minutes to brown bread.


Remove from oven. This is the end result. Yummy hot cheesy bread.

Artisan Bread

Yesterday I decided to try something new, Artisan Bread. I found a recipe that required the dough to sit for 18 hours, then I found another one that required it to sit for 4 hours. I decided to try that one. Everyone showed up earlier than I expected so the dough only had one hour to raise, but it turned out great! I will definatly make this one again.

ARTISAN BREAD

3 C. Flour
2 1/2 tsp. Yeast
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbs. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Water


Mix all ingrediants together with a fork. Cover and let sit for four hours ... or one hour. *If you do one hour, use WARM water in the dough. 30 minutes before cooking, turn oven on to 450°, put a cast iron or ceramic dutch oven in the oven to heat up. Meanwhile, punch down the dough, turn over a few times, make a ball, sprinkle with flower and let sit, covered, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add dough to hot dutch oven. Do NOT put oil in the dutch oven... I made that mistake and the bottom was a little too tough. Cook for 30 minutes with lid on. Remove lid after 30 minutes and let cook until golden brown for another 15-20 minutes.

The crust on this is crusty and the inside is chewy and delicious.

I should note, I doubled the recipe and let it raise in a sunny spot on my kitchen table. (Sorry, no pictures of that process). Next time I will try a little variety, add some cheese, spices, herbs, nuts, dried fruit, etc.