Delicious and EASY Breadsticks

Hello, again!  Now that it is Fall, and all of my kids are in school all day long, I am hoping to have more time to keep posting and sharing on this blog.  ; )

I was scrolling through all my posts looking at a few that got stalled in the "draft" stage, and I came across this one.  I guess I uploaded the pictures and never got around to typing up the recipe.  

You will want to try these.  They are SO easy.  And SO good.

The best thing about these is that they can be done so quickly.  You can go from start to finish in about 45 minutes...with most of that time involving no work from you since the dough will be rising or baking.

Here's how to do it....

Warm up 1 1/2 cups water in a small bowl in the microwave.  Add 1 T yeast and stir.  Sprinkle 2 T sugar over the top and stir again.  

In a large bowl or mixer, combine 3 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp salt.  Add the yeast mix and stir well.

  LET SIT 10 MINUTES.

While that starts to rise, cut up 1/3 -1/2 cup butter on a cookie sheet and place in the oven with the oven  either on warm.  Set a timer for 3-5 minutes so you don't end up burning the butter.  ; )  Take the butter out of the oven and sprinkle on garlic and parmesan cheese to your taste.  You can also sprinkle on herbs like Italian Seasoning, Oregano, Basil, etc. (I use the herb mix that I always have on hand for dipping our Italian bread in.  You can find it here.)

After the 10 minutes, roll out the dough into a rectangle and cut into strips (I cut them on the shorter side of the rectangle.)  

Take one strip and coat both sides in the butter.  If the dough is pretty stretchy, I like to stretch each one a bit and fold in half and twist...as shown below.  Or you can keep them straight and just lay them on the cookie sheet.  Repeat with all remaining breadsticks.  My recipe normally makes about 15-16.

Let rise for 10-15 more minutes while you preheat your oven to 350*.

Bake for 15-17 minutes until  just barely browned.  You don't want to overcook these.  And the longer you can let them rise, the thicker they will be and the softer they will end up being.

These are SO simple to make.  They are my favorite thing to make when we have company coming because it is the easiest homemade bread, EVER!!

Homemade Bread Bowls

I love making homemade bread bowls to serve with soups.  I've made them a lot for my family and a couple of times for the teachers at our elementary school for their dinner during Parent/Teacher Conferences.

EVERYONE loves them!  Call me old-fashioned, but I think there is something special about homemade bread.  I grew up with a mother and grandmother that made bread all the time.  I remember coming home to fresh bread and jam.  I remember LOVING my grandmother's WHITE homemade bread...she always offered us a slice when we visited her.  And NOTHING compares to the smell of bread baking in the oven.  I love it and I wish I took the time to do it more often!

I make these bread bowls out of my regular bread recipe that I've always used in my Betty Crocker Cookbook.

I always start my breads by warming the water in a bowl in the microwave.  Then I test it to make sure it is just between warm and hot.  Then I stir in the yeast and sprinkle the sugar over the top and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  This is called "sponging".  It just lets you know that the yeast is working.  That way, if nothing happens (like if your water was too hot and kills the yeast) you can just start over and you've only wasted a little yeast.

Start with:

2 1/4 cup very warm water    ( Heat in pan or microwave.)
2 packages regular or quick acting dry yeast  (I just use 2 T)
3 T sugar

Let sit for 10 minutes.

In large mixing bowl:

3 1/2 cups flour
1 T salt
2 T shortening

Stir and then add yeast mixture.  Add more flour one cup at a time (about 3-3 1/2 cups more) until the dough is SOFT but not terribly sticky.  It has become my opinion (especially when working with whole wheat dough) that softer is always better.  You can always add more flour in the kneading or rolling process...but you cannot take it out!

This is what my dough looks like just after I've mixed it:

Grease a large bowl and place dough in it. Cover with towel or saran wrap and place in a warm area for 40-60 minutes.  And if you are in a rush...30 minutes.


It should look something like this when it is ready:

Now you will form the bread bowls.  I don't bother making huge bread bowls like you get at a restaurant because all that means is a lot of wasted bread!  If you gently cup your hands and then touch your fingertips together--that is the size of dough that I use to make a bread bowl.  (Hope that makes sense! ; )
I do slightly smaller if it is going to be for young children.

I also make them smaller with the understanding that we will re-fill the bowl with a second serving.  So it doesn't have to be huge.

I like to sprinkle cornmeal on my cookie sheet and then place the balls evenly spread out so they have room to rise without touching.

Now, cover these with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 40-45 minutes.  Sometimes, if I am in a rush, they only get about 30 minutes...and it turns out fine too.

They should look like this when they are ready to be cooked:

I bake them at 375* for 20-25 minutes, just until they are golden brown.

Let them cool slightly after you take them out of the oven and then take a small knife and cut a hole in the center of the bowl.

Gently pull out the "lid" with your fingers and pull out as much bread as you want.  (When I do this for company, I pre-cut the holes, but let each guest dig out their own top.)  Fill with whatever delicious soup you desire!  Cream soups work the best since they don't make the bread all soggy with broth.  Cream of Broccoli is the most common one that I serve this way.

So the next time you are making soup, plan a little extra time and make it extra special with some homemade bread bowls.  Your family will love it!!

Black Bean Puree

{The best oil substitute around}   Trust me!!

Over the years, I have tried many different techniques for cutting fat out of my baking.  For years, I used a lot of applesauce...which I believe works fairly well, but sometimes I wasn't happy with the change in texture that resulted.

Then, a couple of years ago I came across an online post about making brownies with black bean puree.  I tried it and really liked it and then I just started experimenting with most of my recipes.

If you are using canned beans, you have two choices.  You can totally just take the whole can and dump it in a blender.  It works great.  Or you can drain off the thick liquid on the top and fill it with tap water...and throw it all in the blender.

Either works great.  It makes it just about the same consistency as oil.  I store whatever I have left in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.  After it sits in the fridge, it thickens up into a paste-like consistency.  I simply stir in a little water just before I want to use it to make it a little runnier again.

You can use your own soaked beans too...you just have to play around with the amount of water to get the right consistency.  I have had to learn how much water to put with my own canned beans...but it's all good in the end!

I use it in tons of recipes: brownies, cupcakes, muffins, cakes.  Each of them needs a little different substitution.  Some of them can take a full substitution and some of them can only take about 1/2 substitution.  I have just learned by trial and error which ones work well and I will be posting all my recipes that work great with this puree.  As I post each one, I will put a link on this post so they are all in one place.

I love using this puree.  I just LOVE cutting out so much fat in my recipes.  AND adding protein--but NOT adding sugar (like applesauce)!  Most of the recipes that I use it in actually turn out better than ever.  They are so moist and delicious.  Try it...and see how you like it!

Recipe Ideas:

Banana Crumb Muffins
Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins
 

Bruschetta Biscuits with Feta

Got this one out of my Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  We loved these!!  I love making biscuits when I want a "bread" to go along with a meal, but I need it FAST!

These ones are packed with everything delicious!

3/4 cup milk plus extra for brushing
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
(I just threw in some of our frozen pesto--you have to scroll down for the pesto recipe)
1/4 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup olives, pitted & chopped
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbsp. pine nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425. In bowl combine milk, oil, spinach, basil, tomatoes, and olives.
2. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, & salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture; add milk mixture. Stir with a fork until moistened.
3. Gently knead dough on lightly floured surface. Pat into about an 8X8 square and cut into squares.

4. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on oiled baking sheet. Brush lightly with milk; sprinkle with feta and pine nuts.. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.  Serve with your favorite soup!

Italian Bread with Herb Dip Recipe

 Here's the recipe for the Italian Bread.  It really is a quick bread...takes about an hour from start to finish and we LOVE this bread!  I posted this recipe on a very early post, but I thought I would post it individually.

Italian Bread with Herbs

1 T. yeast
1 T. sugar
1 cup very warm water
2 T. oil
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour (I always use half white/half wheat)

Mix yeast and sugar into water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Mix in oil, salt, and flour (one cup at a time) until soft dough forms. Knead lightly until smooth. Cover in bowl and let rise 20 minutes. Shape dough into round loaves (each batch makes 2 loaves...I always double or triple the recipe) and cut three small lines in the top of each loaf.




Cover with towel and let rise 20-25 minutes. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes.





Cut into thick slices and serve with this:





Here's how you make it!

Italian Herb Mix
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. dried rosemary
1 T. dried basil
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together with the back of a spoon. The minced garlic helps it clump together a little. Put 1-2 tsp. of mix on small plate and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with warm bread....it is heavenly! My kids eat so much of this stuff...they all love it.

Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Bruschetta

Oops...sort of missed "Meatless Monday" this week.  Sorry.  It has been a busy time around here.  I am in the middle of multiple house projects and on top of all of it--not sleeping well at all.  This morning I woke up at 3:55 am (after 6 hours of sleep) and literally laid in bed for 3 hours more with NO more sleep.  I am exhausted beyond description!  But the day goes on, and I'm off to the gym for what I'm sure will be a very sluggish workout...but, oh well.

I thought I would quickly post this little recipe.  It was quite yummy.

Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Bruschetta

3 heads garlic
2 T  (plus 1 tsp.) olive oil
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 T parsley
12 mushrooms (it called for shiitake, but I used crimini)
4 slices rustic Italian bread

Break off two cloves of garlic from one of your garlic heads.  Chop finely and reserve for later.  Trim the tops off of each garlic head, exposing the tops of cloves.  Place heads on foil, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, and season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp. thyme.  Wrap tightly in foil and roast in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.  (Your house will smell AMAZING!!  I did this on fast sunday and it was KILLING me!)  Squeeze out garlic and discard heads.

Mix the unroasted garlic with the lemon zest, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Place mushrooms on a baking sheet and toss with 2 T. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. thyme.  Roast at 400 for 12 minutes (when I make this again, I am just going to saute them in a skillet--my mushrooms got really dry in the oven).

Sprinkle with garlic/lemon/parsley mixture.
Spread roasted garlic on bread slices, top with mushrooms and broil for 3-5 minutes.

I sprinkled a little grated parmesan on top...I always love parmesan!

I think that mine were dry because I only had one garlic head for all of this bread.  The original recipe (as you can see above) calls for 3 whole heads of roasted garlic to just 4 slices of bread--so you really want to slather the garlic on there.  And I think next time I will cut my bread a little thinner and just barely broil them.

Herb and Butter Breadsticks

I originally got this recipe from my sister-in-law.  It was a favorite family recipe.  And I know why....because it used a cube of butter!!!!  I don't think I have ever made them with the full amount and now I've changed the recipe so that it only needs about 3 T of butter.

First of all, I need to introduce my apprentice bread maker.

On Sundays, I often just tell her which bread I want for the dinner, and she gets right on it.  It is often a joint effort, but there have been many times where she takes it from start to finish.  It is wonderful!!  Get training your daughters, ladies!!  And by the time they are 13 or 14, they can make homemade bread for you!  ; )  It reminds me of this book from my childhood...has anyone else read it??

She has 21 children that she trains to do all the housework and play music and paint pictures, etc.  Not that I want 21 children...but it is nice to have one that is trained in breadmaking!

Breadsticks

1 T yeast in 1 1/2 cup warm water
Add 2 T sugar.  Let sit for 10 minutes.
Until it looks like this:

In a different large bowl, combine

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Stir together, then add yeast mix. 
Stir together and add up to a 1/2 cup more flour to create a SOFT but not sticky dough.  You want to use as little flour as possible, but still be able to work with the dough.
I use 100% whole wheat flour that I grind myself and it makes very light and delicious breadsticks...but only if I am careful to not add too much flour.
Let sit 15 minutes.

When the 15 minutes is almost up:
Melt 3 T. butter on a cookie sheet in a warm oven.  DON'T BURN!!  It only takes a minute or two.  Remove from oven and sprinkle on about 1 tsp. of herb mix (recipe at bottom!) and 2-3 T. of parmesan cheese.

Roll out dough and cut strips...

Take each strip to cookie sheet and lightly coat each side in the melted butter/herbs.  If you want to you can twist them.  If the dough is really soft, sometimes the strips stretch out too long...no worries, just double it up and then twist.  You really can't go wrong with these!

Cover with a towel and let rise on top of oven for 15 minutes.  Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.  I love them JUST BARELY cooked through.  You don't want them to be doughy...but I think I used to overcook them and then they would be dry.


Here's the recipe for the Herb Mix.  We use this mix with our italian bread which you will find included with this post.

Italian Herb Mix
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. dried rosemary
1 T. dried basil
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together with the back of a spoon. The minced garlic helps it clump together a little.   Store in ziploc bag in refrigerator.

Easy Whole Wheat Bread

(I've posted this bread before with a meatless monday, but I find that I refer to it so often, I wanted to re-post it separately.)

 

You really should try this bread!  It is the quickest bread recipe I've ever made!

EASY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 c. gluten flour

1 1/4 T. yeast

Mix together.....and add:

2 1/2 cups hot water (not scalding...just barely "hot")

Stir and then cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Then add:

1 T. salt

1/3 cup honey or 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 c. oil

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

Beat one minute.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour--Add one cup at a time to make a soft dough.

Preaheat oven for 2-3 minutes to lukewarm.  Turn off.

Turn dough onto oiled countertop and divide into 2 loaves.  Put in greased pans.  Let rise in warm oven for 15 minutes. Do not remove from oven. Turn oven on to 350* and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Try it...it is so yummy!  The gluten flour helps it to have a wonderful texture.  It is kindof pricey...but you don't go through it very fast!