Blueberry lemon bread

Well, it sure has been a while. My 2013 posting count is pretty abominable (2, as of May!). As usual, I blame it on the doggy. Anyway, I've decided to leave my commentary on these blog posts to a minimum, and focus on the food. No one wants to hear me whine about my poor blogging performance on every post. And, when I look at most food blogs, it annoys me that I have to scroll down a huge page full of blahblahblah by someone I don't know to get to the recipe I want to use. I finally got a new awesome-sauce camera that makes me more excited about taking food photos, so hopefully that will give me some incentive to post. Hooray, back to baking! (and cooking, I guess.)

1.5 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter (melted)
1/2-1 cup sugar (depending how sweet you want it)
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 tbs lemon zest
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups of blueberries (I use frozen)
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use regular milk with a little bit of lemon juice)

Put everything in a bowl. Mix it up. (Maybe save the blueberries for last, and fold them in.) Scrape into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Easy peasey. 

(If you want to do it the hard way, click here)

Apple Bread

Similar to banana bread.....but also very different. Dave's favorite, so I made it for his birthday!

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 apples, chopped

In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. Pour mixture into bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.


Original recipe here 

Rainy day bread making

What better to do during a hurricane than...make bread?? That's what I thought.
I was at home with my parents during Hurricane Irene, and I decided a few days beforehand that I really wanted to make bread (so that I wouldn't have to get any ingredients in the storm). It has been far too hot to bake anything for the past few months, and I have been itching to make more bread since I made challah! My mom has a recipe from one of her Armenian friends that she used to make when she was in her 20s. It calls for a rare spice that can be found at a market in Watertown, but I didn't plan far enough in advance to pick it up. We found online that cardamom was a good substitute, so I used that instead. This bread is even better than the challah I made a few months ago. It's moist but flaky and absolutely delicious. It also makes a TON - I made 2 large loaves, a medium sized loaf, and a small twist (I didn't have enough left for a braid). The recipe supposedly makes 5 loaves, but it varies based on how thick you make your braids, etc. The bread also freezes well, which makes the whole process worthwhile (though I would argue it is anyway)!
(I currently don't have the recipe on hand, but will gladly send it by request)

Maple Cornbread

I've always been a huge fan of corn bread (mainly corn muffins, from Perfecto's), but haven't made either of the two in far too long. I didn't realize how easy corn bread recipes are - and now I want to make bread/muffins all the time!! I've made this recipe twice, and will likely make it again soon - it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. The bread has a little hint of maple syrup, which is hard to notice but it is a nice twist on a classic recipe.

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup stone ground or yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk (I used skim milk...it was fine)
1/4 cup (2 3/4 ounces) maple syrup
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425° F. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into an 8 or 9-inch square or round baking pan.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, maple syrup, remaining butter, and eggs. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir together just until moistened.

3) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup (optional - the bread is delicious on its own!).

Makes 9 servings

Original recipe here 

Braided Challah Bread

I've been wanting to make bread for a while, but have been slightly intimidated, and haven't been able to set aside the time. Then I found this recipe for Challah bread, which I love, so I decided to give it a shot. Yesterday (Saturday) was a dark dreary day, and a perfect day for making bread. This recipe is actually pretty easy, and has detailed directions on how to braid the bread (it took me a minute to understand, as I'm not a great braider, but I pulled it off). I used active dry yeast instead of instant yeast - and with help from the madre, I made it work. I put a little less than 2 teaspoons of the active dry yeast in a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of sugar to "proof" it, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then added the flour to make the "starter." Beware - if you want to try this, make sure you have a good 5 hours or so to spare.

Braided Challah Bread
Quick Starter
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup water
2 tsps instant yeast
Dough
All of the starter
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 3/4 tsps salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs + 1 yolk (save 1 egg white for the wash, below)
Wash
1 egg white
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp water
poppy seeds (optional)

• To make the starter, mix the 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and yeast together in a large bowl. Let the mixture sit for about 45 minutes. 
• Add the dough ingredients to the starter and mix and knead together until smooth.  The eggs and oil make for soft, lovely dough. 
• Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turning it over once to coat both sides. Cover it and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over once or twice to break down the bubbles.  Do not punch! 
• Divide the dough into four even pieces and roll each into a strand about 18 inches long.
• On a lightly greased or parchment-lined sheet pan, braid the strands.
• Once your braid is done, make the wash by mixing together the reserved egg white, sugar, and water.  Brush the loaf with half the wash.
• Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it’s almost doubled in size.
• Brush the loaf with the remaining egg wash, and sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired. 
• Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Remove it from the oven, and cool completely before slicing. (Or don't - it's delicious right out of the oven.)

Yield: 1 loaf, about 16 1-inch slices.

Original recipe here