Pita Bread

I love experimenting with making breads.  I love learning about breads from other cultures.  One of my favorite breads to eat is pita bread - a flat bread popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.

Here are the ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons olive oil

To begin, put 1/2 cup warm water, salt, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl.  Wait a few minutes and make sure that your yeast is active.  You will know it is active because the mixture will start to bubble or foam up.

Once you know your yeast is active, slowly add the flour, olive oil and water, alternating between them.

Once the dough balls up on your dough hook, it is ready.  Put the dough in a well oiled bowl.  Set the bowl in a warm place and cover it with a towel.  Let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

Punch the dough down and break into 8-10 smaller pieces.  Roll the small pieces out, using flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Heat a cast iron skillet.  Put a little oil so that the bread doesn't stick as it cooks.  Brown the bread on each side and keep warm until serving.

For a healthier version or to allow the bread to form a "pocket," place in the oven to cook.  The bread will bubble up and form a pocket.  You can stuff the pocket with goodies.  I cooked mine with the cast iron skillet because I used the bread to make gyros!

Enjoy!

Easter Bread

Every Easter my Nonna would bake this bread.  This isn't her actual recipe.  As far as I know, no one in my family has it.  I have few memories of her, for I was young when she passed away.  I remember every time we went to her house, she always had food and was always saying, "Mangia."

My Nonna in front of her Mary statue, in her back yard.

If you don't have your families recipes written down, do it now!  You never know when life will lead you down a road you don't want to be traveling on.  There were so many lost recipes when she passed!  

Anyway, off of my soapbox............I remember this bread every Easter.  I did some research on other Easter breads and then made this recipe.  My mother tasted it and told me to add some additional ingredients, based on what she remembered.  Here is the complete recipe:

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 hot milk, brought back down to room temperature

1/3 cup soft butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup dried fruit cut into small chunks

4-5 cups flour

6 dyed Easter eggs

1 extra egg to make an egg wash

To begin, color the eggs.  You do not need to boil them.  The eggs will cook in the oven, with the bread.

In  your mixer, with your dough hook, add the yeast, salt and milk.  ALERT!  If your milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast.  Make sure to bring it down to room temperature.

Let the yeast activate.  This means that it will start to foam and/or bubble.  This is what will make the bread rise.

Add the butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, cinnamon, dried fruit and 2 cups of the flour.  Mix the ingredients together and then slowly add the remaining flour.  You will know when you have added enough flour when the dough forms a ball on the dough hook.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl.  Cover and let it rise for 1 hour.  Punch the dough down and divide into 12 parts.

Take each of the 12 parts and make a long rope.  Take two ropes and twist them.

Complete the twist and make into a circle.  Place the egg in the middle of the bread circle.  Let that rise 30 minutes.

Take the extra egg, and whisk it with a little water and sugar.  Brush that on top of the bread.  Sprinkle the bread with...............sprinkles.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Sierra was introduced to Easter bread!

Mangia!

Honey Wheat Bread

This weekend, Mai and I made home made butter with fresh cow's milk.  The butter turned out beautiful but we quickly discovered we needed some fresh baked bread to go with it!  

Here are the ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup warm milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups white flour
2 cup whole wheat flour

In your mixer, add the warm water and yeast.  Let that sit a few minutes to let the yeast activate.  You will know when the yeast is active because it will bubble and/or foam. 

Once the yeast is active, add the salt, sugar, milk, honey and white flour.  Mix together, adding the remaining flour a little at a time.

The dough will form on the dough hook.  When it balls up, the dough is ready.  Cover with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm spot - about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and let it rise again-another hour.

Punch down again and put into a loaf pan, sprayed with PAM.  Let it rise another 20 min or so. 

Brush with melted butter and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Garlic Balls

My sister Laura lives in California with her lovely family.  We do not get to see them often, but I always enjoy our visits.  California is too far away!

Laura, Tonette, Me and Karrie - giving a toast to Dad

A few months ago, Laura and her daughter Alex came to visit for Dad's funeral.  We went to the house that Dad was born in.............he always told a story that there was a plaque on the house, saying "This is where Tony Maniaci was born."  On this visit, my niece Maria went looking for the plaque-hehe.  I can't help but think Dad was up in Heaven, laughing at the joke.

Little Maria searching for the plaque

Alex and Laura at the house Dad was born in

Laura shares a passion for cooking.  She says this is one of Aaron's favorite things to eat!  Garlic balls!

Aaron’s Garlic Balls

 

2 pkgs premade pizza dough

2 clove garlic, minced

2 tbs minced parsley

a pinch of garlic salt

a pinch of Italian herbs or seasoning of your choice

 

Mix all together, form small bite sized balls (about the size of a small meatball).  

Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven at temperature required for the pizza dough until balls are lightly browned.

 

1 cube of butter

3 cloves of minced garlic

Parsley

 

Melt butter and saute garlic in butter to flavor butter thoroughly, add parsley.  Put this mixture into a large mixing bowl and throw all the garlic balls directly from the cookie sheet into the butter mixture, mixing until thoroughly coated.  

Serve piping hot as an hors de oeuvres or with your favorite pasta dish.  This is a dish that is best served right from the oven.

Mangia!

Oatmeal Molasses Bread

Oatmeal+Molasses=Great Bread!  (That is the teacher in me!)  I am always on the look out for a great recipe.  The problem with me is, I can't follow a recipe (most of the time).  I always tweak, add and just plain do my own thing.  That is how this recipe came about, but I must say, the results were worth it!

I had some left over whey in my refrigerator from when I made mozzarella cheese-check it out:

http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/02/mozzarella-cheese.html

I've read about what to do with whey.  Everything I've read says use it in your bread recipes, so I did!

Ingredients:

1 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 cup oatmeal, plus 2 tablespoons to put on before baking
1 cup whey
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 cups flour
2 tablespoons melted butter

To begin, soak the oatmeal in the whey.  Let that sit for an hour or so.  When the oats are soft, you are ready to begin making the bread.

Put the water in your mixing bowl.  Combine the yeast and let that proof for 5 minutes.  This means you are activating the yeast.  You will know if your yeast is good if the water forms a little foam or bubbles. 

Put in the sugar, salt, oatmeal, whey, molasses, oil and about 3 cups of flour.  Make sure you have a dough hook on your mixer.  Start the mixer on speed 2.  Let the ingredients combine.  Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, until the dough forms into a ball on the dough hook.

Take the dough and put it in a lightly oiled bowl.  I set mine on the stove top, letting it warm.  Be sure to cover it with a towel.  That will help the dough remain fresh and not form a crust.

Let that rise for 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours.  It should double in size.  Punch the dough down and let it rise again, about 1 hour.  Punch it down again.

At this point you need to decide if you want one large loaf or two smaller loaves.  Prepare your loaf pan by spraying with PAM.  Put the dough in the pan and let it rise again - about 30 minutes.

Take a sharp knife and cut some slits into the top of the dough.  Brush some melted butter on the top of the loaves.  Sprinkle with oatmeal.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or so, or until the loaf is golden brown.

Enjoy!

This recipe is shared with:

Fabulous Fridays

Sourdough Starter

I've always wondered how they made bread before you could go to your neighborhood grocery store and buy yeast...........I did a little research and was amazed at what I found.

Did you know that there is yeast floating around in the air?  Did you know that the Egyptians made leavened bread, learning the art of creating a bread starter?

Can you imagine being the first person to leave flour and water set out, watching the bubbles form, and then saying to yourself, "Hmmm, look at these bubbles.  This smells funny.  I think I'll make some bread with it anyway."



Sourdough has a wheaty, tangy taste to it.  This is because the flour and water "sour," allowing the bacteria to enter the flour/water mixture.  You can see bubbles in a sourdough starter.

Get your geek on people!  Try something different - taste what nature has to offer you!

To start a sourdough starter, mix 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup of water.  Mix together until a dough is formed.  Place in a plastic, glass or ceramic bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.  Let that sit for 1 day.  Your mixture should create bubbles.

After 1 day, you should be able to smell the yeast that is forming.  Mix a 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup water.  Cover this dough with a damp towel and let it sit another day.

Refresh the dough by discarding 1/2 of the starter and mixing 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water. 

Your starter should double between each feeding. You will use a small portion of the starter in a recipe.  Save the rest and store it in the refrigerator.  Feed the starter once a week by adding more flour and water.

My starter has been fermenting away for a week now.  Guess who's baking bread tonight?

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Rolls

In recent months, I have enjoyed making different bread recipes.  I have memories being in my Grandfather's house, watching him make loaves of bread.  He had these HUGE kitchen mixers.  I was always fascinated with those mixers.

Grandpeepaw and Nana

 

Every time my Mom watches me cook, she tells me that I cook just like Grandpeepaw.........we are MESSY!

 



The ingredients for today's recipe:

1 package active yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg beaten
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons melted butter
5 cups flour

To begin, pour warm water in your mixer bowl.  Add the yeast and let it proof.  This means that the yeast will start to "bubble."  Add the next 6 ingredients, along with 3 cups of flour.  Mix well.  Slowly add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time.

You will know that the dough is ready because it will gather up on the dough hook.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl.  Put the bowl on top of the stove, with the oven on a very low heat.  Cover with a towel and let it rise 2 hours.

After 2 hours, punch the dough back down.

 

 

Tear small pieces of dough and roll them into balls.  Put them in a greased pan and let them rise another 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Brush with melted butter after removing them from the oven.

 

 





Enjoy!

Aunt Trudy's Refrigerator Pan Rolls

My Aunt Trudy lives in California.  Although I don't get to see Aunt Trudy very often, I have some great memories.  She is a feisty woman!  I remember one time we were in Oregon at my Aunt Hazel's farm.  We were picking blackberries or some kind of berry.  As we were picking, Aunt Trudy looked up and there was a snake staring right at her!  Needless to say, some of her feisty-ness came out that day!

Aunt Trudy shared this recipe with me for the blog.  As I type, I am eating one of these fabulous rolls!  This roll is fluffy and mmmm, mmmmm good.  I slathered mine with butter and am loving it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry yeast
6-6 1/2 cups flour
2 cups water
1 stick butter
1 egg
melted butter

In my Kitchen Aid mixing bowl I added the sugar, salt, yeast and 2 1/4 cups flour.  I gave that a stir to mix all of the ingredients.  In a Pyrex bowl measure out 2 cups hot water.  I put the stick of butter in the measuring cup and stuck it in the microwave to heat it up.  The butter doesn't have to melt all the way but the water should be hot.

Slowly add the water/butter mixture to the flour mixture.  Beat well - add the egg.  Slowly add the flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough forms onto the dough hook and the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead everything for about 10 minutes.  Remove the dough from the bowl.  Form the dough into a ball and let it rise in a warm place until double in size.  Punch down the dough.  Spray a large plastic Ziploc bag and put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  If you leave it overnight, you will need to punch the dough down a few times.

About 3 hours before you are ready to cook the rolls, let the dough come to room temperature.  Cut the dough into 30 different pieces and form into rolls.  Place in buttered dish and let rise until double.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 -20 minutes.  Brush rolls with melted butter and serve.

Thanks Aunt Trudy for this great recipe!  These might be the best rolls I've ever eaten!

Aunt Trudy with my great nephew Callahan

Enjoy!  This recipe is featured on Lady Behind the Curtain!

Zucchini Bread

One of my favorite vegetables is zucchini.  I love summer when you can go to your local farmer's stand (or raid your neighbors garden) and get those huge zucchini.  The problem with those HUGE zucchini is that I'm the only one in my house that eats it!

To solve this problem, I decided to make zucchini bread!  Here is a list of ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon allspice
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup raisins

To make the bread combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar and vanilla.  Add oil, applesauce, zucchini and raisins.  Stir to combine ingredients.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.  Stir and place in bread pans that have been sprayed with PAM or buttered/flour.  This recipe makes one large loaf and one small loaf.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until brown.  When you stick a toothpick in the loaf, it should come out clean or with a few crumbs.

This zucchini bread is so moist!  It is a fantastic recipe.  If you want to get creative, you can substitute crushed pineapple for the applesauce or dried cranberries for the raisins.  If you like nuts, go ahead and add some!

Enjoy!

French Bread

There is nothing like fresh, homemade bread.  Coming back from Hawaii I was reminded about my Grand Pee Paw and Nana.  They used to live there and I was fortunate enough to visit them when I was a child.

One of the things that I remember about my Grandfather is that he was always cooking.  He had these HUGE mixers, 3 or 4 of them and they were always busy.  He always made fresh bread, and rolls. 

When I got my first Kitchen Aid mixer, making bread was one of the first things I did!  This is a great recipe and so easy!

The ingredients are:  2 1/4 cups water, 3 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Tablespoon yeast, 1 Tablespoon salt, 2 Tablespoons oil, 6 cups flour.

The first thing you do is combine the water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and let it proof.  This means that you are activating the yeast.  When it is ready it will make little bubbles or foam.....like this:

As you can see from the picture, I just put the ingredients straight into my mixing bowl.  Don't forget to have your dough hook handy!  If you don't have a mixer with a dough hook, that's OK.  Just plan on getting your hands dirty!

When you see the foam/bubbles, then you add the salt, oil and flour.  Start the mixer and add the flour one cup at a time.

When you have added 5 cups of flour, you should start to see the dough forming on the hook.  Continue adding flour, a little at a time, until the dough has separated from the sides of the bowl and is on the dough hook.

At this point you can remove the dough and put it in a bowl.  I spray the bowl with PAM and flour it a little so the dough doesn't stick.  Cover the bowl and put it on top of the oven, with the oven on 200 degrees or so.  This is a great way to have the dough rest and rise.

Let the dough rise 30 minutes or so and then go and punch it down.

Cover it back up and let it rise again.  When the dough comes to the top of the bowl, remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a floured surface.

You can either make  2 large loaves of bread, or break it into smaller pieces and make sandwich rolls.  I choose to make 5 smaller loaves............

Roll the dough out into an oval shape, about 1/4 inch thick.  Then take the dough and roll it up, making a loaf.  Put it on a baking sheet lined with corn meal.

When you have rolled all of your dough, take a knife and make a few slits on top of each loaf.  Cover and let rise again.

After 20 minutes or so, crack one egg into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water.  Whisk that together and brush on the top of each loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so, or until golden brown.

Look at how they turn out!

Baking bread is very easy!  If you've never tried it, do it!  You won't be disappointed!

This recipe is featured on Totally Tasty Tuesdays!