Banana Bread with Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze

The pudding really adds a lovely flavor and keeps it from being dry.

Banana Bread with Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze
Courtesy of averie cooks

Bread:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (half of one stick) 
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 
2 large eggs 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
6 ounces vanilla yogurt (one standard-sized small container; Greek-style preferred, or sour cream may be substituted – do not use fat free or light yogurt or sour cream) 
2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups mashed) 
One 3.4-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix (not Cook ‘n Serve) 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F, spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray with flour or grease and flour the pan; set aside.

In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute. To the melted butter, add the sugars, eggs, vanilla, yogurt, and stir or whisk to combine. Add the bananas and stir to incorporate. Add the dry pudding mix and stir to combine (Note: You are not making pudding; simply add the mix as a dry ingredient. You don’t have to use pudding mix but it creates wonderful moisture and flavor in the bread. If omitting, you may wish to add an additional 1/4 cup granulated sugar and an additional 1/4  to 1/3 cup flour, based on taste preference and how your batter looks).

Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix or bread will be tougher as the gluten will over-develop. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 to 58 minutes, or until top is golden and set, and a wooden skewer, cake tester, or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If bread is browning too fast on the top, you may wish to lower your oven temperature to 325°F midway through cooking, at about the 30-minute mark if your oven runs hot or tent the pan with foil in approximately the last 20 minutes of cooking. Allow bread to cool in the loaf pan for at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze
1/4 cup butter (half of one stick)
1 cup+ confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoons+ cream or milk, optional and to taste

You can brown the butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop, heating over medium heat. Swirl the pan or stir frequently for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sputtering, crackling, and foaming has subsided, the butter has browned, and has a nutty aroma. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t go from browned and nutty to burnt and inedible.

Or, brown the butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl by heating it on high power, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sputtering, crackling, and foaming has subsided, the butter has browned, and has a nutty aroma. The same rules apply in the microwave as on the stovetop; watch it closely and start checking it every 15-to-30 seconds starting at about the 5-minute mark, so that it doesn’t go from browned and nutty to burnt and inedible.

Transfer hot butter to medium-sized mixing bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.  Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Based on desired glaze consistency and taste preference, add the cream one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached, playing with sugar and cream ratios as necessary. (I only use butter, sugar, vanilla in this glaze, no cream). Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread before slicing and serving; or slice, serve, and glaze each piece individually. I prefer to use the glaze like butter and spread it liberally on the interior surface of a slice.

Store unglazed bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or store glazed bread in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unglazed bread can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

This was mighty labor-intensive, but as expected, it was also very yummy. I didn't really taste the pumpkin, so I'm sure just making monkey bread with prepared dough would be just as tasty. It was worth a shot though.

I didn't add the rum so that I wouldn't, again, have to worry about getting my kids drunk on dessert. They were plenty high from the sugar.

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread
Courtesy of Sunny Side Up



Bread:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Buttered Rum Glaze:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon rum (optional)

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110°F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well, making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle. Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat an oven to 350°F. After rising in the pan, bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is a very deep golden brown.

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum (if using) and powdered sugar.

Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup

This is a splendid option for a first course during a holiday meal. Paired with some good bread and a salad, it makes a very yummy autumnal meal.

Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
1 large white potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup apple cider
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish (optional)
Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sage and flour. Add the cider and cook over high heat, stirring, until thickened. Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potato is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until crisp, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in a blender in batches until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the prosciutto, more cheese and chives, if using. Serve with bread, if desired.

Onion Soup with Loads of Thyme and Giant Gruyère Crostini

This was my first attempt at French Onion Soup, and it was very good, if I do say so myself. I would love to say that I enjoyed it on a chilly Fall day, but I really made it out of frustration with the lingering humidity that will not leave us alone. I will make it again though, and hopefully when I won't have to sweat my way through its preparation.

This recipe was from a cooking for two recipe book, so since I doubled the recipe, I'm accounting for that here.

Onion Soup with Loads of Thyme and Giant Gruyère Crostini
A variation on this recipe from Cooking for Two: Perfect Meals for Pairs



2 pounds yellow onions, halved and thinly cut lengthwise
8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups beef stock
2 cups water
Ciabatta bread, sliced to fit crocks or ramekins
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups grated Swiss Gruyère cheese 

In a heavy 5-quart pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the onions are deep amber and exceedingly soft, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. 

Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine, increase the heat, and let the wine bubble away for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef stock and water, and let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

 

Preheat the oven to broil. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. 

Place the ciabatta on the middle rack of the oven and toast until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. 

Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the soup and discard. Pour the soup into ovenproof bowls, float the toasted ciabatta on top, and cover it with a thick layer of the Gruyère. Put the soup bowls under the broiler on the middle rack and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and golden.

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread

I made this for my brother-in-law for his birthday, after he posted a link to the recipe on Facebook. It was not my favorite thing in the world, but the look on my brother-in-law's face when I told him what we were having for dessert made it totally worth it.

I added less peanut butter cups than the original recipe called for. I wanted to be able to taste the banana, and I thought the amount of cups called for was a bit of overkill. I'm sure that helped protect me from total sugar shock... Though the follow days of eating the rest of the cups as an afternoon snack didn't do so. Oof, I can't eat sweets the way I used to.

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread
A variation on this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen



1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup of softened butter
¾ cup of sugar
3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of milk
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and mashed banana together until very creamy about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until well combined. Add flour, yogurt and milk alternatively until well combined.

Gently fold in chopped peanut butter cups.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out almost clean in center.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove from pan gently and transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.

Turkey and Stuffing Casserole

I will never make a whole turkey ever again. This is perfection. The stuffing was the best I'd ever had. Add a few sides dishes and some gravy, and Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner is done. Perfection.

I used a turkey London broil (boneless skinless turkey breast), that I cut into two halves, and 3 turkey legs.  The breast pieces definitely needed to be taken out a little earlier than the legs, only by about 15 minutes or so. Next time, I'm going to brine the turkey pieces and use breasts with the skin on. I'm telling you, this is perfection.

Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
A variation on this recipe from Budget Bytes



6 ounces bacon, diced
1/2 bunch celery, diced
2 medium apples, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 loaf French bread, cubed
1 teaspoon chicken base
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 pounds turkey pieces

Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crispy. Add the onion, apples, celery, and garlic to the cooked bacon. Sauté just until slightly softened (about five minutes). Turn off the heat and add the thyme, sage, freshly cracked pepper, and salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. If your bread is fresh, slice it and place it in the oven as it heats up to dry it out. Or, buy the bread a couple of days ahead of time and allow it to dry out or get stale on your countertop. Once the bread is dry, cut it into small cubes. Add the cubed bread and parsley to the cooked vegetables and bacon. Stir until everything is well mixed.

Mix one teaspoon of chicken base with one cup of hot water. Pour this over the bread mixture and stir until everything is well coated. Transfer the stuffing mixture to a large 9x13 inch glass casserole dish.

Unwrap the turkey pieces and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Arrange the turkey pieces over the stuffing in the casserole dish. Place the whole dish in the oven and let roast, uncovered, for one and a half hours. The turkey skin should be brown and crispy and the stuffing should be bubbling around the edges. Transfer turkey pieces to a plate and let rest under tin foil for about 10 minutes. During that time, return stuffing to oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the stuffing to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread

We loved this so much that we didn't get a chance to take a picture of it. Delicious.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread
Courtesy of My Baking Addiction 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinse, dried and chopped
 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

With electric mixer cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.

In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined; do not over mix.

Carefully fold in strawberries. Dough mixture will be thick.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Easter Dinner 2012 (Chicken wtih Mustard Cream Sauce and Asparagus Gratin)

I had been planning on grilling on Easter, but we're currently under a fire weather warning, so I thought it would be a bad idea to do so. So I found these recipes instead. And they were very tasty. I paired them with some popovers, which were absolutely perfect for sopping up the mustard cream sauce. Yum.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
A variation on this recipe from The Pioneer Woman




4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 whole garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup brandy (or white wine, if preferred)
1 tablespoon (heaping) Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon (heaping) grainy mustard
1/4 cup (to 1/2) heavy cream
1/4 cup (to 1/2) chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you have eight smaller, thinner chicken cutlets. Salt and pepper both sides.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets on both sides until nice and golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and keep on a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the pan and saute it for a minute, stirring to make sure it won't burn. Next pour in the brandy (or wine if using) being careful if cooking over an open flame. Then just let the booze bubble up and cook until it's reduced by half.

Throw in the mustards and stir to combine, then pour in the cream. Stir in chicken broth, adding more if the sauce seems too thick. Taste sauce and adjust whatever you think it needs. Add chicken breasts back to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Allow sauce to cook for another few minutes, shaking the pan if needed to move things around.

Serve chicken, spooning the sauce over the top.

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Asparagus Gratin
Courtesy of Leite's Culinaria



1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Asiago fresco cheese
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Arrange the asparagus in a single layer in a large baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss the spears gently to coat with the oil.

In a bowl, whisk together the cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a grinding of pepper. Drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the asparagus. Bake, uncovered, until the asparagus is just tender and the topping is melted and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus.

Drizzle the asparagus with some lemon juice and serve hot, straight from the baking dish, or transfer to a lovely little gratin dish to take to the table.

Vegetable Soup with Fennel and Pine Nut Toasts

Meh. Not great. As usual, Rachael Ray's recipes prove to be a bit too bland.

Vegetable Soup with Fennel and Pine Nut Toasts
Courtesy of Rachael Ray



3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large bulbs fennel; quartered, cored and coarsely chopped, fronds reserved for garnish
1 large onion, chopped
4 celery ribs with leafy tops, thinly sliced on an angle
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on an angle
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
2 32-ounce containers (8 cups) chicken broth
1/2 pound egg noodles
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 loaf ciabatta bread, split
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

In a soup pot, heat the oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are softened, 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the egg noodles and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Using a food processor, combine the cheese, nuts and butter. Lightly toast the ciabatta halves under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Spread the cheese mixture on the toast and melt under the broiler. Cut into eighths.

Discard the bay leaf; sprinkle the fennel fronds on the soup. Add the lemon peel. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the toasts for dunking.

Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Crostini

I love butternut squash soup. And adding a cheesy bread thing to go with/on/in it just makes it that much better.

Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Crostini
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis



Soup:
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crostini:
1/2 baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 cup (2 ounces) grated fontina cheese
Kosher salt

In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.

For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini.

Cook's Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

Indian-Spiced Roasted Squash Soup

Delish. And I just love love love how roasting vegetable smell. And it goes especially well with the garam masala biscuits I decided to make.

Indian-Spiced Roasted Squash
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light



1 cup chopped yellow onion
8 ounces carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 (1-pound) butternut squash, peeled and cut into (1/2-inch) cubes
1 (8-ounce) acorn squash, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Arrange the first 5 ingredients on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, turning once. Cool for 10 minutes. Peel acorn squash; discard skin.

Combine vegetable mixture, 2 cups water, curry powder, garam masala, and red pepper in a food processor or blender; pulse to desired consistency. Scrape mixture into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

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Garam Masala Biscuits
A variation on this recipe from Alton Brown



2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and garam masala. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that's life.)

Brush with heavy cream and bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

Popovers

I love popovers. Especially with soup. The soup pictured in the background is this one. Just make sure you don't forget to preheat the pans, otherwise, they'll end up like this.

Popovers
Courtesy of allrecipes.com



1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Spray a popover pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place pan on center rack of oven and preheat for 2 minutes.

Blend flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until it looks like heavy cream, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Cut chilled butter into 6 even pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in each cup and place pan back in oven until butter is bubbly (about 1 minute).

Fill each cup half full with batter and bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Italian Herb Bread

This is a great bread for soups. It's a recipe made for the Oster bread machine I have, but I imagine you could tweak it to accommodate whatever bread machine you have.

Italian Herb Bread
Courtesy of Oster



1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan. Measure and add dry ingredients (except yeast) to the bread pan. Use your finger to form a wel (hole) in the flour where you will pour the yeast. Yeast must NEVER come into contact with a liquid when you are adding ingredients. Measure the yeast and carefully pour it into the well.

Snap the baking pan into the breadmaker and ctose the lid. Press “Select” button to choose the french setting. Press the “Crust Color” button to choose light. medium or dark crust. Press the “Start/Stop” button.

Broccoli Gratin

This is what every broccoli casserole wants to be. It's fresh and creamy. It's light but satisfying. Jonathan couldn't stop eating it. And when he saw the picture of it again just now, he started to gush all over again about how good it was. Score.

This recipe originally called for Brussels sprouts, but it's not quite close enough to the holidays for them to be readily available in my local grocery store yet. Which is a total bummer since I love them. But I will definitely be trying them in this recipe as soon as I can find them.

I did not steam the broccoli before putting everything together and sticking it in the oven. It kept the broccoli crisp, which we loved. I really dislike mushy vegetables.

Broccoli Gratin
A variation on this recipe from T'afia for Food Network Magazine



2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the dish
Kosher salt
1 pound broccoli, cut into florets
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish. Add broccoli to the prepared baking dish and toss with the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste, then spread out evenly. Pour the cream on top, sprinkle with the cheese and breadcrumbs and dot with the butter pieces.

Bake the gratin until bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Homemade Dinner Rolls

I liked these a lot. They ended up looking like giant dinner roll muffins, which is not a bad thing. But I know I could make smaller rolls and stretch the recipe by using two muffin pans instead of one.

I definitely needed more flour to make the dough elastic enough to knead properly, but even when it was more elastic, it was still pretty crazy sticky. It ended up working really well, but I was nervous along the way.

It wasn't suggested in the recipe, but I added fleur de sel to the top of the rolls since I love salted rolls.

Homemade Dinner Rolls
Courtesy of Tanya Holland



1 (1/4-ounce) package dry active yeast
1 cup warm water, about 110°F
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk, scalded but cooled to warm
4 ounces melted butter, plus 2 ounces
5 cups flour, plus more, as needed
6-cup, 3-inch muffin tin pan

In a standing mixing bowl with dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until lightly foamy, then stir in sugar and add egg, salt, warm milk, and 4 ounces of butter. Slowly add 5 cups flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough. Mix well, then roll out to floured surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Place dough in buttered bowl, cover with towel, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Lightly oil the muffin pan. Punch down dough and form dough into 1-inch balls. Place 3 balls in each muffin tin. Fill muffin pan, cover with towel, and allow to rise an additional 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Brush with remaining melted butter. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Whole-Wheat Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

I don't know if it's because Fall is coming or because I'm highly suggestible, but when I saw this recipe in Food Network Magazine (seriously, the best food magazine I've ever subscribed to), I developed an incredible craving for it and had to try it asap. And I'm so very glad I did. It's the best I've ever had. It's a whole lot more labor-intensive than this one, but it also easily blows it out of the water, no contest. And since it makes two loaves, I'm also looking forward to when it starts to get a bit stale to try using it in this french toast recipe.

Whole-Wheat Cinnamon-Raisin Bread
Courtesy of Ellie Krieger for Food Network Magazine



2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
Cooking spray
2/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

Make the dough: Measure out 1 1/4 cups very warm water and check the temperature; it should be 120°F to 130°F. Combine both flours, the dry milk, egg, canola oil, honey, salt, yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix 3 minutes on the lowest setting, then increase to the next highest setting and mix 5 more minutes. The dough should be soft and sticky.

Let it rise: Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough has nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Soak the raisins: Dry raisins will rob moisture from the bread, so soak them first in boiling water until plump, about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Fold the dough: Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Picture it as a loose square. Lift up one side of the dough and fold about one-third of it across; press down on the dough with spread fingers to remove any air bubbles. Repeat with the remaining 3 sides of the dough.

Add the filling: Mist two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the dough in half; roll out each half into an 8-inch square. Brush each square with canola oil, then sprinkle with the cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins.

Form the loaves: Roll up each square of dough into a tight cylinder; place seam-side down in the prepared pans. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough fills the pans and springs back when touched, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Bake the bread: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with canola oil and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Perfect French Toast

I used some leftover challah that I had in the freezer (defrosted in the fridge overnight) to make this french toast. It was very good. Not overly sweet (especially because we used pure maple syrup), and the challah gave it an extra boost of flavor and a great texture. I also felt like putting the toast in the oven after sautéing it made it so that it wasn't floppy like some other french toasts I've had/made. I'm sure slicing the bread thick didn't hurt either.

I think it probably could have used a little more nutmeg or maybe pumpkin pie spice? We'll see for next time. I know I'll be making it again.

Perfect French Toast
A variation of this recipe from Food Network Magazine



4 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
1/2-3/4 teaspoon nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt
Butter
Thick slices of challah, brioche, or white bread
Maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Whisk eggs, half-and-half or milk, spices, vanilla extract, sugar and salt in a shallow bowl.

Heat butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, dip bread in the egg mixture and cook in the skillet until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more butter as needed. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until puffed, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle the French toast with maple syrup.

Pull-Apart Garlic Buns

I really enjoyed making these. There's only one rising, so it doesn't take as long as other homemade breads. They also tasted awesome dipped in the chicken dripping from our gorgeous roast chicken dinner. The only thing I did differently was omit the sesame seeds (just not a huge fan and felt like they wouldn't go well with the other flavors in my meal). But I did sprinkle some kosher salt on top since I love salted rolls (must be my soft pretzel love coming through).

Pull-Apart Garlic Buns
A variation on this recipe from Taste of Home



2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat the milk, water and shortening to 120°-130°F. Add to dry ingredients; beat until moistened. Add egg; beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces. Shape each into a bun. Combine paprika and garlic powder. Dip each bun in melted butter, then in paprika mixture.

Place six buns in a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Top with remaining buns. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Summer Pudding

I've had my eye on this recipe for a couple of years now. I'm not sure why I waited until now to make it, but I'm glad I got around to it. It was a big hit.

I used the challah bread that I made and tried using all local fruit, but with the recent ridiculously hot weather, the locally-grown raspberries and blackberries were totally disgusting. So while I did find good local strawberries, I had to find some other suitable berries that were grown elsewhere.

My father-in-law decided that he couldn't properly assess this dessert with only one try. So I guess I'll have to try my hand at brioche and give it another whirl. (This joke of his never ever gets old.)

Summer Pudding
Courtesy of Emily Luchetti via seriouseats.com




3 pints strawberries (about 6 cups), hulled and quartered
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt
2 pints blackberries (about 4 cups)
2 1/2 pints raspberries (about 5 cups)
1 loaf (1 pound) Brioche, Challah, or thick sliced white bread

Spray a loaf pan or souffle dish with nonstick spray. Line the sprayed pan with plastic wrap, making sure to press it into the corners and allowing a 1 1/2-inch overhang on all sides.

In a heavy, nonreactive saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries begin to give up some of their juice, about 10 minutes. Add the blackberries and raspberries and continue cooking until all the berries are soft and have broken apart, forming a sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to warm.

Trim off the crusts from the brioche and cut the loaf into 32 slices. Each slice will be about 1/4 inch thick.

Spread 1/2 cup of the berry sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan. One piece at a time, dip the brioche into the sauce in the saucepan, saturating it. Place the berry-soaked brioche pieces in the pan, forming a single layer and a snug fit. Spread 1/2 cup of the berry sauce on top of the brioche. Repeat the layering, starting with the berry-soaked brioche, until the pan is full, ending with the berry sauce.

Cover with the plastic wrap overhanging the sides and place the loaf pan on a baking sheet. Cover with a pan just large enough to fit over the loaf pan, and put a large food can or other weight heavy enough to compress the pudding into the second pan. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

To unmold the pudding, remove the weight and second pan, fold back the plastic wrap, and invert the loaf pan onto a cutting board. Lift off the pan and carefully peel off the plastic. Cut the loaf into 8 slices and place on individual plates. Top with whipped cream.

Planning Ahead: The pudding may be made 2 days in advance and kept refrigerated. Unmold just before serving.

Challah

In preparation for making a summer pudding, I decided to try my hand at making challah. It was fun to make, but it definitely didn't come out looking like "normal" challah. I had to transfer one loaf to another baking sheet before putting the loaves in the oven. So they kind of deflated a bit and never quite recovered. The taste was fine, but I'd like to try a loaf from a bakery and see if it's worth all the trouble of making my own. Yup, I've never had challah before...

I used this video to help me with the braiding.

Challah
Courtesy of smitten kitchen



1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling, if desired

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.

Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150°F then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.

At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. Divide dough in half and braid each loaf. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.

Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.

If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375°F and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.

Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190°F.) Cool loaves on a rack.

Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.