Basic Homemade Bread

1. Whisk together in large KitchenAid bowl:

• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup canola oil (or melted butter)
• 1/3 cup sugar (white or brown or honey)
• 1 TBSP salt

2. Add 1 cup bread flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 TBSP yeast and whisk for 30 seconds again.

3. Gradually add an additional 5-6 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup oat bran, 1/4 cup rolled oatmeal, and 1/4 cup ground flaxseed (You can adjust this however you want to use whole wheat flour, wheat bran, etc--whatever you want). Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 to 8 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

4. Let rise in a clean, greased, covered bowl for about 30 minutes in a warm place (like the oven).

5. When dough has risen, punch it down and heat your oven to 175 degrees (or "warm"). Grease your bread pans (generously) and the counter with olive oil spray. Divide the dough. I divide it in half, and then one of those halves into half again, so I have 3 sets of dough, 2 smaller and one larger. The larger one I use to make a normal sized loaf, and the smaller ones to make 2 mini loaves. Roll the dough into a long oblong shape. You want to hear all the bubbles pop out. Roll a tight cylinder, tuck the ends under or squish them and place it in a greased bread pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Sometimes I top with wheat germ and/or sunflower seeds to look all fancy.

6. Place loaves in warm oven for about 30 minutes or until the dough has risen to fill the pan. Turn the oven up to 350 degrees with the pans still in and cook for about 30 minutes. The bread is done when you hit the top and it sounds hollow. Turn out on a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting if you want it to cut into nice slices for sandwiches. (Or, be like us and gobble a bunch up hot, smothered in butter and freezer jam, because that is how bread should be eaten, right?)

Source

Baked Donut Holes

A few notes about these babies:

These are quick bread donut holes. They have a more cake-like texture and taste than yeast donuts. In fact, I'm not sure if calling them "donut holes" is entirely appropriate. They're more like little muffin bites with a yummy crunch in the texture (for the rice krispy cereal) and a cinnamon-sugar coating.  

In a large mixing bowl combine:

• 1-1/3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup rice krispy cereal, coarsely crushed
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

With a pastry blender or a fork, cut in:

• 2 TBSP butter, cold
• 2 TBSP shortening (butter flavored recommended)

Mix until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. 

Add:

• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup 2% milk

Stir until just barely moistened. 

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (about 30 balls).

In a small bowl, mix:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a separate small bowl, melt:

• 1/4 cup butter

Dip balls in butter and then roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place into a greased 8 or 9 inch round pan. 

Bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes. The donut holes are done when you can stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean. After baking, allow them to cool for a couple minutes before removing and taking apart. Enjoy!

Modified from this Original Source

Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

We celebrated my sweet Grandma's birthday this week, and in honor of her, I wanted to post one of her recipes. These cookies are a delicious classic. We love them, and we sure love Grandma! 

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 bag chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts 

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add baking soda and then add flour. Stir to combine and fold in chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 oven for 8-10 minutes. 

(Or, spread the dough into a well-greased 15x10 inch baking pan and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.)

Classic Bran Muffins

When we were staying at Primary Children's with the Bean in her first few weeks on earth, we were kind of in survival mode. We ate whatever was around, if we even had time and remembered to, and usually what we ate was not remotely nutritious. But the wonderful people at Primary Children's seemed to know that this was pretty typical, and every morning, a breakfast cart came to the NICU, offering quick, easy breakfast options, including bran muffins. I had never been a fan of bran-anything, but my nutrient-starved body began craving these bran muffins every day. They were moist and hearty, kept me full for hours, and tasted pretty good but still had a healthy, lower fat and low sugar taste that I realized I was really missing. Since then, I've been trying to replicate their recipe, and in the process, have stumbled across terrible bran muffin recipes and mediocre ones. These, while not the same as the hospital ones, are delicious, and are so easy to make. And Iris and Shaun both love them! 

• 1 1/2 cups wheat bran
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Original Source

Gooey Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer: 

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder  
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 2-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1-1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 

Generously grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (for about 1 minute-ish). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan (layer will be thin). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about an hour). 

Middle Layer: 

• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature 
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons vanilla pudding powder 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar 

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes). 

Top Layer: 

• 8 ounces high quality dark chocolate (at least 65% cacao)
• 2 tablespoon butter 
• White and Milk Chocolate Chips

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Then, in a heatproof bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the filling. Melt milk and white chips to decorate with drizzles and swirls of different colors.  Refrigerate for about 10 minutes or just until the chocolate has set. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares. Keep refrigerated (or frozen!). 

Modified from JoyofBaking.com

Fried Rice

Ingredients: 
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
2 cups water
1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken stock
Thick slices of ham, cubed
1 cup frozen peas and/or green beans
3 eggs
3 - 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp salt and a dash of pepper is what I used)
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

Directions: 

1. Cook rice. It should be a tad on the crunchy side. (Bring rice and water to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low, cook for about 20 minutes, until the water is all absorbed. Or, just use a rice cooker.) Let your rice cool completely. 
2. Heat a wok over high heat with 1 tbs. of oil. In a small bowl, beat eggs with 1 tbs. of soy sauce. Add egg mixture to wok and scramble until cooked. Add ham and veggies and fry (for about 1 or 2 minutes)
3. Remove omelet from wok. Clean the wok out a bit so the leftover egg doesn't burn while you're heating up your wok and oil again. Add remaining oil to the wok and heat over high heat until it is very hot. Add cold rice to the wok and stir to coat every grain. 
4. Slowly add the chicken stock to the rice a little bit at a time to give the rice a chance to soak up the liquid. Don't add too much (it will make the rice sticky). 
5. Stir fry for a while, stirring constantly until there is no liquid left, then chop up your omelet and add it, along with the remaining soy sauce and salt and pepper. Stir. Turn off heat and enjoy! 

Modified from this source

Caramel Applesauce Cookies

• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup butter, softened  
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup applesauce 
• 2-3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 1 tsp. baking powder 
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/3 tsp. cloves 

Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla and applesauce and mix well. Add soda, powder, cinnamon and cloves, and then flour, and mix until well incorporated.

Drop small spoonfuls of batter onto a very well greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Frost with Penuche Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Between 2 and 4 cups powdered sugar

In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and stir to combine well. Once the mixture begins to bubble, turn off heat. Pour into a bowl. Add milk and vanilla, and then whisk in powdered sugar. Whisk until well combined, adding more powdered sugar or milk to achieve desired consistency. Frost cookies immediately, as frosting will harden quickly!

Adapted from here