Breads

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Banana Bread (Day 1)

by Crystal on May 1, 2012

Did you get something made for your freezer today? I did — but just barely.

Today was one of those days… where I felt behind, tired, cranky, and just plain unmotivated. And truthfully, if it wasn’t for the fact that I knew you all were also baking, I would likely have not gotten anything made. So thank you for doing this challenge with me to help keep me on track even when I’m really tempted to jump ship!

Silas helped me whip up the banana bread while I was making stirfry for dinner tonight.

Being silly.

We decided to mix things up a bit and add chocolate chips to the top of one loaf. Yum!

After the bread cooled, I sliced one loaf, wrapped it in plastic wrap and then in foil.

We’ve found that it’s nice to have the bread already sliced so we can pull a few slices out at a time. And while I wrapped this bread up really tightly as an example for those of you who are new to freezer cooking, truthfully, I often just throw the slices in a freezer bag, let out the air, seal it up, and stick it in the freezer.

I left the second loaf whole because I’m thinking I may end up giving it away to a friend. So I made sure to seal it really well with plastic wrap and then covered tightly with foil and labeled it.

Freezer-Friendly Banana Bread

Makes 2 loaves

4 cups flour (all-purpose, whole-wheat, or a mixture of both)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil (I used melted coconut oil.)
2 cups sugar (I used turbinado.)
4 eggs, beaten
6-8 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 Tablespoons milk

Stir together dry ingredients. Beat together remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend until just combined. Pour into greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.

To freeze: Slice loaf, if desired, and covered in plastic wrap, then in foil (or in a ziptop bag).

To serve: thaw on the countertop for a few hours or defrost an individual piece in the microwave for 20-45 seconds. We love to serve ours warm with butter.

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/05/4-weeks-to-fill-your-freezer-banana-bread-day-1.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

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Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffle Recipe

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by Crystal on February 15, 2012

When I found this Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffle recipe on Passionate Homemaking, I knew I had to try it.

To my surprise, they turned out beautifully! They were a little lighter and crispier than typical waffles, but they were delicious and definitely a winner gluten-free, dairy-free recipe.

Of course, in typical fashion, I had to tweak the original recipe. So here’s what I came up with:

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Waffles

3 cups homemade rice milk
1 cup brown rice
2 cups gluten-free oats (you could also use millet or brown rice)
4 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
4 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

In a Vita-Mix (or other powerful blender), combine rice milk, grains, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla. Blend on high for two minutes until the grain is completely ground and blended.

Add baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Turn on blender again and mix until blended. Oil or butter the waffle iron and cook waffles for 2-4 minutes each, until done.

Makes around 10-12 waffles.

Recipe adapted from Passionate Homemaking

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/02/gluten-free-dairy-free-waffle-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

Coming tomorrow: My homemade rice milk making experience.

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Do-It-Yourself Experiment: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

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by Crystal on January 25, 2012

Hundreds of you have raved about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I bought the book months ago, read it in Spring, and have since been trying out making the bread recipes.

The concept is simple: you take a few minutes to mix up some ingredients. You don’t knead the bread and instead let it rest for at least a few hours and then you can refrigerate it for up to two weeks to have fresh Artisan Bread with less than five minutes’ worth of work at any given time.

Truthfully, I was confused over the directions when I read the book the first time. I read and re-read the first chapter to figure out exactly what I was supposed to do with the dough once I made it.

I finally came across Mandy’s video (above) on how to make artisan bread and it all became much more clear. {Yes, I’m a visual learner if there ever was one!}

The bread was extremely easy to make, just like you all have been telling me. However, the first batch was way, way too salty. I followed the directions carefully and was quite disappointed in how it turned out. {Edit: I did use table salt instead of kosher salt the first time around and I’m guessing that could have been much of the issue.}

It looked beautiful, but it tasted gross. So gross, in fact, that I threw out the baked bread and the rest of the dough. And I was rather discouraged about the whole thing. This bread was supposed to revolutionize my baking. Instead, I threw it out. Um, that’s not exactly what I was envisioning with this recipe.

But then I read online where someone suggested cutting the salt in half. I did that and it was a lot better.

(Note: I didn’t use a baking stone (I don’t have one) or the steam method on these loaves. I think that’s why they look undercooked, even though I baked them the full amount of time. I’m going to keep experimenting and am hoping I can land on the perfect amazing bread you all keep talking about!)

I have yet to dub Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day as the next best thing to sliced bread and I won’t be making it exclusively as I have a number of other bread recipes I really love, but I think the concept is fascinating, the bread is undeniably easy to make, and it’s definitely a recipe I’ll be adding to our regular bread recipes line-up.

Have you tried the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Recipe? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought of it! (And feel feel to chime in on suggestions for me on what I’m doing wrong and how I can improve! I really want to make the beautiful loaves that the book pictures!)

Coming up tomorrow: My Homemade Detangler experiment.

{ 192 comments }

Cinnamon Roll Bread

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by Crystal on October 25, 2011

I made the Cinnamon Roll Bread today. As I suspected, it was delicious and so easy to do! It wasn’t quite as good as my Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls, but it was definitely about five times easier.

The whole family agreed that this recipe was a keeper. Next time, I want to try it with half whole-wheat flour and possibly coconut oil. Head over to Parenting Miracles for the Cinnamon Roll Bread recipe and simple instructions..

Looking for another quick and easy recipe? Try my Cinnamon Roll Biscuits.

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Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe

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by Crystal on October 21, 2011

I saw this recipe on Pinterest the other day and knew I had to try it. It’s hard to go wrong with anything that has bananas, chocolate, and chocolate chips.

And the recipe, as expected, didn’t disappoint.

My little taste-tester agreed.

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
3 ripe bananas, mashed well
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Carefully fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and wrap in plastic wrap and foil or in a ziptop bag. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/10/chocolate-banana-bread-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Easy Italian Breadsticks in the Bread Machine

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by Crystal on October 21, 2011

Reader Amy R. sent me this recipe and said “I wanted to share this recipe with you… It is definitely our family’s favorite bread. My husband calls them “Better than Olive Garden Breadsticks.”

Better than Olive Garden Breadsticks? This I have to try!

So yesterday, I threw all of the ingredients in the bread machine before we started our homeschooling lessons.

A few hours later, the dough was ready to be rolled into breadsticks.

I was running short on time, so I rolled some into breadsticks and the rest I just rolled out and sliced.

Kaitlynn enjoyed helping me roll her own “breadsticks”.

The verdict? These were very delicious. I’m not sure that the sliced dough option worked as well as the breadsticks I actually rolled into “ropes”, but I will definitely be making this recipe again in the future.

The whole family agreed that this recipe was a keeper. Best of all, it is so simple!

Easy Italian Breadsticks Recipe

1 cup warm water
3 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Topping:

2 Tablespoons butter (melted)
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Place ingredients in your bread machine in order listed. Run the dough cycle. When complete, divide the dough into 12 balls and form into 4-6-inch ropes. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Mix the butter and parmesan cheese and brush over breadsticks as soon as they come out of the oven.

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/10/easy-italian-breadsticks-in-the-bread-machine.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Cinnamon Roll Biscuits Recipe

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by Crystal on June 23, 2011

I made this recipe last week using the Homemade Baking Mix and it was a total winner. Everyone in our family liked these and we had guests over and they raved about them, too.

Best of all? These are so simple to make. I timed myself and can have these in the oven in less than 15 minutes. Now that’s my kind of recipe — delicious, quick and even made with all whole-wheat flour!

Cinnamon Roll Biscuits

4 1/2 cups Homemade Baking Mix
1 1/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar or raw sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Glaze (I made a little extra since we like lots of glaze around here!)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons milk

Combine Baking Mix and milk. Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead at least ten times (the dough will be sticky). Roll dough out into a rectangle.

Melt butter and brush over rolled out dough. Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over melted butter. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls.

Place in a greased baking pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Mix glaze ingredients together and drizzle over Cinnamon Roll Biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve warm.

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/06/cinnamon-roll-biscuits-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Homemade Baking Mix Recipe

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by Crystal on June 9, 2011

Doreen emailed me her baking mix recipe almost a year ago and I’ve had it in my file ever since to try. I finally got around to making it during my Freezer Cooking In an Hour session this week.

It was so simple to whip up and I’m excited to see how it works. I’ll be posting four different recipes using this mix in the next few weeks as I try them. In the mean time, here’s the baking mix recipe:

Homemade Baking Mix

10 cups flour (I used freshly-ground whole-wheat. Doreen suggested doing half white and half whole-wheat.)
8 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/4 cup powdered milk
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 cup sugar or turbinado
2 1/4 cup coconut oil or shortening

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in shortening or cold coconut oil until you have fine crumbs. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool place (if you use freshly-ground flour, store in the freezer). Use in place of Bisquick.

{ 56 comments }

Whole-Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe

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by Crystal on June 2, 2011

I’m sure you’ve probably figured out by now that we’re chocoholics around here. It seems almost every other recipe I post has chocolate as one of the main ingredients in it.

So it only was natural for me to modify our family’s favorite banana bread recipe to add chocolate. Because everything’s better with chocolate.

The result was scrumptious! This recipe is great for a quick and easy breakfast, snack or to stick in a brown bag lunch.

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
1 cup raw sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup to 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks (I used chunks, since that’s what I had on hand.)

Stir together dry ingredients. Beat together remaining ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend until just combined. Sprinkle chocolate chips in and stir.

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

To Freeze:

Fully cool, slice (if you like) and wrap the cut loaf in plastic wrap and then in foil (or stick in a ziptop bag) and freeze for up to six weeks.

To serve: Pull out desired amount of bread and thaw at room temperature.

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Whole-Wheat Chocolate Pancakes Recipe

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by Crystal on June 2, 2011

I made this recipe for the first time yesterday. Considering that there are only a few pancakes left and I doubled the recipe intending to freeze most of them, I’d say these were a hit!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Pancakes Recipe

Makes 12-16 full-sized pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups buttermilk (or make your own)
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
4 Tablespoons brewed coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine beaten eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, coffee and vanilla.

Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold in with a spatula until just combined. Allow the mixture to set for a few minutes to thicken.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt a teaspoon of butter in the pan. Ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and cook pancakes until small bubbles begin to form on the surface. Flip and cook one to two minutes more. Transfer to a serving plate and repeat for the remaining batter.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

To Freeze:

Lay cooled pancakes on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze for one to two hours. Remove from pan and stack in a ziptop bag. Seal tightly and freeze for up to a month.

To serve: Remove from freezer and warm in the microwave on high for one to two minutes, warm on a cookie sheet in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or heat in a toaster oven. Serve.

Recipe adapted from February/March 2011 issue of Kiwi magazine.