Loaves

Irish Soda Bread- A St. Patrick’s Day Recipe

Published March 13, 2013 | By Jennifer Sikora

In just 4 days, the old Irish holiday will be here. What foods will you be making? I have never had much of anything Irish, so I am thinking of trying my hand at a corned beef recipe or even attempting to create a delicious Irish pub recipe. In any circumstance, I will definitely be serving this Irish Soda Bread alongside whatever I decide to fix.

This bread is so unbelievably moist and sweet, and oh-so delicious!

Irish Soda Bread- A St. Patrick’s Day Recipe

Ingredients

4 to 4½ cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp butter, cubed
1 cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1¾ cups buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Whisk together the 4 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
Using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour, mixing until it resembles a coarse meal
Gently stir in the raisins.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour the beaten egg and buttermilk into the well, and combine with a wooden spoon until the dough is too stiff to stir.
Dust your hands with flour, then gently knead the dough- just enough to form a rough ball.
If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour.
NOTE: Do not over-knead! Your bread could become tough if you over-work it.
The dough will be a little sticky, like biscuit dough.
Transfer the dough to a floured baking sheet or a baking stone (unfloured) and shape into a round loaf. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an “X” shape.
Bake until the bread is golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a long, wooden skewer into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
To keep your bread from getting too dark, be sure and tent it during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Serve your bread warm with a healthy size portion of corn beef and roasted veggies.

What will you be fixing for St. Patrick’s Day this year?

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Bacon Cheddar Bread~Secret Recipe Club Reveal Time

Published October 17, 2011 | By Jennifer Sikora

This month in the Secret Recipe Club, I was given a blog that is FULL of yummy goodness. I had a really hard time finding just one recipe at Eat, Laugh, Love. I finally narrowed it down to this one:

Bacon Cheddar Bread. Yes. Bacon, cheddar, bread. . . all in the same piece of food.

Before I share with you about this absolutely delicious bread, I have to tell you about the website I was assigned this month. I love the fact that she shares about her passion for food. I can so relate to that! Her recipes are different than many that I normally try, which really has me wanting to experiment more and more.

You have to go by and check out Eat, Laugh, Love. You will be glad you did.

So here is the recipe. I adapted it a little, and it was SO delicious!

Ingredients

1/2 pound bacon

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

few dashes nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 F and spray a 10″ loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels then chop into small pieces. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, brown sugar, and spices. Add the shortening and, with your hands, mix it into the flour until it looks like coarse sand. Add the cheese and toss to combine.

In another bowl mix the eggs, buttermilk, and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour the wet over the dry and mix until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated. Add the bacon and fold in, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top of the bread is lightly brown and a thin knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out on a wire rack to cool.

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Rosemary Focaccia~Yumminess at Its Finest

Published December 15, 2010 | By Jennifer Sikora

If you want a delicious bread to go with any soup or stew that you make, this is the bread for you! I made a loaf of this for the first time the other day to go with my beef stew that I made.

It was very easy to make and came out just—hmmmm, hmmmm, good!

Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Rosemary Focaccia

Ingredients

1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading

2 1/2 teaspoons of table salt

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Stir together 1 2/3 cups lukewarm (105 to 115°F) water and yeast in bowl and let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, 1/4 cup oil, and 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt and mix with hands until a dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-6 minutes (it will still be slightly sticky), then transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and turn dough to coat with oil. Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, at warm room temperature, until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Press dough evenly into a generously oiled 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan. Let dough rise, covered completely with a kitchen towel, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Stir together rosemary and remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Make shallow indentations all over dough with your fingertips, then brush with rosemary oil, letting it pool in indentations. Sprinkle kosher salt evenly over focaccia and bake in middle of oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Immediately invert a rack over pan and flip focaccia onto rack, then turn right side up. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This post is linked to What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s On Your Plate, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck,

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Cheddar Cheese French Bread

Published May 14, 2010 | By Jennifer Sikora

I have to tell y’all how proud I am of my homemade french bread! I could not believe how gorgeous it turned out! Take a look:

Doesn’t it look like what you get at the store? Oh my gosh! It was SO fresh and soft and….hmmm, hmmm, good. I used this bread to make some delicious sandwiches that was a knock off from something we ate at Pizza Hut. Be on the lookout for that recipe later on this weekend, but for now…how about the recipe for these lovlies?

I wound up making four loaves of bread from this one recipe, so I froze the rest of them to use for garlic bread for some new pasta recipes I am making next week.

Cheddar French Bread

Ingredients
2 packages of active dry yeast
2 and 1/2 cups of warm water
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
7 cups of all purpose flour
cheddar cheese for sprinkling on bread

Directions

Put warmed water in a bowl and add yeast. Dissolve yeast in warm water.

Add salt, butter, and flour. Mix these together until well blended. Dump out onto a floured surface and knead for five minutes. Check to see how pliable the dough is. It will be sticky.

Take a clean bowl and grease it well. Place dough in bowl and roll it around to coat it in the oil. Cover top and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Punch dough down and divide into fourths. Roll each fourth into a rectangle. You may want to make sure to roll them out rather thin because when they rise they will get pretty big. Now begin to roll the rectangle up as tight as you can get into a long roll. Be sure to fold ends under and seam together the ending position.

With a sharp knife, make four diagonal cuts on the top. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

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No Knead Artisan Bread

Published February 24, 2010 | By Jennifer Sikora

I love bread. Period. But what I love more than bread is a recipe that does not require any kneading on my part! Here is a delicious and SUPER easy recipe! My loaf came out kind of lopsided, but still tasted delicious. To see what it should really look like, go HERE.

The recipe is also on that page!

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Sourdough Bread

Published January 26, 2010 | By Jennifer Sikora

I don’t know about you but I love bread. I could eat it at every meal. I try to be really good if I know we are having bread and not eat so much of it, but when I bake fresh homemade bread…all I can say is “watch out”.
This week, I made sourdough bread AND Amish Friendship Bread. I thought I would share both recipes with you since you know how I love to cook and then share what I made!

Sourdough Bread
In order to make sourdough bread, you have to have a starter. The process can be a bit long, so here is the link to an easy sourdough starter. Once you have your starter complete, you can make this bread.

2 Cups of proofed starter
3 Cups of unbleached flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil or softened margarine
4 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt

Add the sugar, salt, and oil (the oil is optional – you can use softened butter instead, or no oil at all) to the 2 cups of proofed starter. Mix well, then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time. Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough. You can do this with an electric mixer, a bread machine on “dough cycle,” or a food processor. You can also do it with a big bowl and your bare hands.
Let the dough rise in a warm place (I use my oven) until doubled in size. This can take anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on how proofed your starter was.
Once it has risen, punch it back down and knead a little more. Divide dough in half and place in a slightly greased loaf pan. Allow to rise again until double in size.
Place bread in a 350 degree un-preheated oven for about 35 or 40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when thumped. Allow it to cool for an hour before slicing.
Tomorrow I will share my Amish Friendship Bread recipe with you!

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Honey Wheat Bread

Published December 21, 2009 | By Jennifer Sikora

I have to say that I am quite proud of my loaf of bread that I made today! It turned out so pretty and actually looked like bread! LOL

Do you make bread from home? If so, how has yours turned out? Do you have any good tips for a greenhorn like myself??

Honey Wheat Bread

Ingredients

2 packages regular active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
½ cup honey
¼ cup butter or margarine, softened
3 teaspoons salt
2½ cups very warm water (120°F to 130°F)
4½ cups Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
2¾ to 3¾ cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

Instructions

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Add honey, butter, salt, 2½ cups very warm water and 3 cups of the whole wheat flour. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in remaining 1½ cups whole wheat flour.
With spoon, stir in 2¼ to 2¾ cups of the all-purpose flour until dough pulls cleanly away from side of bowl.
On lightly floured surface, knead in remaining ½ to 1 cup all-purpose flour; continue kneading 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with shortening or cooking spray; place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover; let rise in warm place 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Generously grease 2 (8×4- or 9×5-inch) loaf pans with shortening or cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate; divide in half. Shape dough into loaves; place in pans. Cover; let rise in warm place 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover dough; bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

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Homemade Bread Bowls

Published December 16, 2009 | By Jennifer Sikora

I was at the store the other day and liked to have had a cow (that’s Kentucky slang for throwin a fit) when I saw the cost of a round loaf of bread to use for a bread bowl. Almost $5.00! What???? I was NOT going to pay that price for some bread!

I started searching on my favorite recipe sites and finally found one that was worth trying: Bread Bowl Recipe from All Recipes.

I was kind of nervous because anytime I have fixed bread, it doesn’t “poof” like it is supposed to. But this time…well…..look….

I was so excited! we filled them with my famous Chicken Chili Recipe and they turned out delicious!

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Homemade Bread

Published November 29, 2009 | By Jennifer Sikora

Here is a picture of my homemade bread. It only took me four tries to finally get it right! I tried many recipes, but the one that took and actually worked for me was the one I found on the Hillbilly Housewife website.

Homemade Bread

Ingredients

3 cups of white or whole wheat flour, or 1-1/2 cups of each (plus a little extra flour for kneading)
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet, or about 2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar or brown sugar or honey
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup warm water (not hot, just warm)

Instructions

Measure the flour into your stand mixer.
After you put your flour into the mixer bowl, add the salt, sugar and yeast.
Add a cup of warm water.
Using the dough hook, mix on speed 2 until it gets sticky and stiff.
Continue mixing until dough comes together. If it is too sticky then add more flour. You may need to add up to ½ cup more flour, or even more sometimes. If it is too dry, then add a little bit of water at a time, to get it right. Usually a teaspoon of water at a time, is a good way to go.
In a clean bowl, add a spoonful of oil(teaspoon or tablespoon) will be just enough. Place the ball of dough into the clean bowl, on top of the oil. Roll the dough around in the oil, to coat it evenly. Place the dough in a warm spot, or on the counter near the stove. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Allow the dough to sit and rise. It may take the dough up to 2 hours to rise. You will want it to double in size.
When it is well risen, punch the dough down. Put your fist into the dough and smash down to force all the air out of it. Knead the dough again. This time, just knead it for a minute or so.
Shape dough the size of the loaf pan and place inside. Cover it with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Set it aside and let it rise for about an hour to an hour and a half. It should double in bulk again. After it has risen enough, it is time to bake it. Set the oven to 350° or 375°. Place the bread into the oven. You do not need to preheat the oven. Let the bread bake for 30 to 40 minutes.