Italian Cheese Bread

This is yummy bread. It is also very quick to make. You can have it ready in an hour.
It is great to serve with spaghetti. Or, just eat it by itself.


You will need a 12" pizza pan, greased.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ingredients:


BREAD DOUGH-
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon dried yeast
1 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon olive oil

TOPPING-
3 - 4 Tablespoons Italian salad dressing
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
dash pepper
1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

To mix the bread dough, put the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl and stir.
Add the water and oil and  mix to form a soft dough.
You may need to add a little bit more flour if it is too sticky.
Turn out on floured surface and knead for a couple minutes.
Put back into bowl and cover with a towel.
Let rise for 20 minutes.
Punch down dough and pat into pizza pan.
For the topping mix the salt, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and pepper and set aside.
Brush the dough with the Italian dressing. Or spread with the back of spoon or a knife.
Sprinkle with the spice mixture.
Sprinkle with the cheeses.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the top starts to turn golden brown.

With a knife or pizza cutter, slice it into pieces the size you want.

Serves 4-5 people.

Brown Bread

If you ever went to Monroe Elementary or Monroe High School in Monroe, IA during the 1970s or 80s than you know all about this brown bread.
This bread's coloring and sweetness comes from molasses.
It is light and fluffy with a glaze that is brushed on soon after taking out of the oven.

Makes 3 loaves in 8"x4" loaf pans.

Ingredients:

BREAD-
1 cup warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 packages dry yeast (4-1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup whole wheat meal or oatmeal( Roman meal is a great substitute for the wheat but can be very hard to find)
6-7 cups flour

GLAZE-
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 of the warm water.
Add the rest of the liquid, molasses, shortening, eggs, salt, and oatmeal.
Stir well.
Add flour a few cups at a time, stirring well after each addition.
When you can't stir anymore with a spoon, switch to your hands and mix well.
Turn out onto floured surface.
Knead until you have a soft dough that stays together, adding flour if needed.
Put dough back into the bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap.
Let rise.
Punch down.
Divide into three and put in loaf pans.
Let rise.
During the second rising preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake approximately 30 minutes until bread seems done. Use the thump test.
Mix glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.
Brush glaze over the hot bread.
Remove from pans to cooling rack.

Basic White Bread

This is my basic white bread recipe. If you are nervous about baking with yeast here are some tips.

This is how my mother makes bread. A full batch will make four loaves or 3 loaves and some buns.
You can halve most of the ingredients for a half batch. In that case the yeast and salt amount remain the same.


Ingredients:

1 package dried yeast(2-1/4 teaspoons)
4 cups warm water or milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil, shortening, or butter
1 teaspoon salt
11-12 cups flour

In a very large bowl, add the yeast and water or milk.
Add a small amount of the sugar.
Let sit for about 5-10 minutes until the mixtures gets all foamy.
Add the rest of the sugar and oil.
Stir and add a few cups of flour.
Stir well and keep adding flour and mixing in.
The dough will get so you need to mix the last of the flour in with your hands.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Grease your bowl.
Put the bread dough into the bowl and turn over so the the top of the dough is greased.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise until double.
It will take an hour or two.
Punch down the dough.
Now, you can either put it in pans to rise again or you can just let it rise again in the bowl.
If you let the dough rise a second time in the bowl, the bread seems a little lighter than if it only rises one time in the bowl and another in the pan.
After the dough has risen a second time in the bowl, punch down and let rest while you ready your pans.
Grease the pans. Either 8x4 or 9x5.
Shape the bread into loaves or balls for buns and put into pan.
Cover with towel and let rise.
This will take another 30-45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put loaves into oven and bake for 30 minutes.
It is done if the bread is golden brown and has a hollow sound when thumped.
Turn out the bread onto a wire rack to cool.

Cheese Casserole Bread

This is a yeast bread that is super simple to make. You don't even knead it, just beat it with a spoon or use a mixer.

It is great served along side soup or salad.

Makes 2 loaves baked in 1 quart casserole dishes

Ingredients:

4 - 5 cups all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

2 packages dry yeast( 4-1/2 teaspoons, by measure)

2 cups water

1/3 cup dry non-fat milk

2 Tablespoons shortening

1-1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.

In a saucepan or microwavable bowl mix the water, dry milk, and shortening. Heat just until warm. Add it to the dry ingredients and beat with a spoon or with a mixer for a couple minutes.

Add the cheese, egg, and about a half cup flour to make a thick batter and stir or mix again for another couple minutes.

With the spoon, stir in another couple cups of flour. Just so the batter is stiff but manageable.

Cover the dough and put it in a warm place and let the dough double in size. This will take about 40 minutes or so.

Now, you need to grease your two casseroles pretty well.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stir down the batter and beat vigorously for about 30 minutes.

Divide among the two casseroles.

Make for 45 minutes. To check use a toothpick inserted in the center. It will come out clean dry.

Take out and remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.

Let them sit for probably 5 - 10 minutes before cutting. Serve in wedges or slices.

Corn Bread

I love corn bread. I grew up on it. Many people just have it with ham and bean soup, but my mom made it just whenever.
So, in my opinion, no recipe blog would be complete without a good 'ol fashioned corn bread recipe.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Grease a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt( optional)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter
2 beaten eggs

Combine, flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, egg and oil all at once and stir til moistened.
Pour into baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until it is golden and tests done.
Cut into squares and serve warm.
Great also if you are going to make corn bread stuffing.

Pumpkin Bread

This recipe makes two 9x5 loaves or three 8x4 loaves.
This bread is nice and moist.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottoms of your loaf pans.
Don't grease the sides.

Ingredients:

2-2/3 cups white sugar
2/3 cup shortening or cooking oil
16 oz pureed pumpkin- if you can just find a 15 oz. can that will work
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3-1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup chopped nuts(optional)
2/3 cup raisins(optional)

Mix sugar and oil or shortening. Add the pumpkin, water, and eggs. To that mix in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves,and baking powder. Add your raisins and nuts if you are using.
Evenly pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when you check it.
Cool in the pans for 5 minutes and than remove to cool.

Raisin Bread

This raisin bread recipe is an old family recipe.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven.
3 greased 8"x4" loaf pans

Ingredients:

2 cups warm milk
1 Tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 eggs
5 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups raisins
Approximately 6 cups flour

Proof yeast in bowl with warm milk. Let stand 5-10 minutes til frothy.
Mix sugar, butter, eggs salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl and than pour into yeast mix. Stir well. Add raisins and flour. I like to mix the raisins with about 3 cups of flour and add it together. Stir that and gradually add the rest of the flour. When it gets to thick to stir, now it it time to knead the dough. Add flour as needed. Do not add too much flour over 6 cups even if it seems to take it. It will not bake right. Knead for about 5 minutes. Put in greased bowl and cover. Let rise for an hour or two. Punch down and make loaves. Put in pans and let rise again. The second rise takes about 45 minutes.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. If you like you can bake for 35 minutes, but no longer.
Turn out of pans immediately.

Cinnamon Bread

 
This is a very simple quick bread to make. The great taste of cinnamon is swirled throughout.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 8"x4" loaf pan.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Mix the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Alternate batter and cinnamon/sugar mixture in loaf pan. Make a few layers.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. Test for donenes with a toothpick inserted in the middle.
Let it rest for 5 minutes in the pan before loosening and turning out.

Dutch Apple Bread

This is my grandma's recipe for Dutch Apple Bread.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 8"x4" loaf pan

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon sour milk
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chopped apples
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange extract 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping- 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix topping in small bowl and set aside. Cream the shortening and sugar. Add eggs and extracts and blend. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. When
you have it all mixed well, add the apples.
Scrap into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the topping.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or til a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let rest for 5 minutes before loosening and turning out of the pan.