Chocolate Banana Bread

As much as I'd like for this to be justified as breakfast, a giant slice with a huge cup of coffee, Tyler Florence plants this firmly in the dessert category in his book, Tyler's Ultimate. It's true. The ingredients are mixed together like a cake, it comes together like a cake, it's scrumptious like a cake.

Breakfast? Dessert?

I'm not one to care too much about labels. Unless that label is totally delicious.

Chocolate Banana Bread

from Tyler's Ultimate

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted (I use chocolate chips, and I don't melt them all the way, leaving some chips whole.)
2 eggs at room temperature
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9×5-inch loaf pan. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed until lightened. Beat in chocolate, eggs, bananas and vanilla at low speed. Stir in flour mixture, just until combined. Pour into pan.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. 

Pizza (or anything!) Rolls

Remember those delicious little Garlic Knots I came up with? I've become a bit obsessed with them, but my kids aren't complaining. I love to make them for a quick bread to go with dinner, but lately I've been stuffing them with various ingredients and giving them to the kids for lunch.
Again, no complaints. Except that time I used spinach. (I ended up eating those, of course.)

Pizza (or anything!) Rolls

1 pizza crust (homemade or store bought)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

ham, pepperoni, chopped fresh spinach, etc.
1/2 stick butter, melted
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a standard sized muffin tin with cooking spray. Tear the pizza dough into 12 pieces and flatten each piece into a circle. Stuff with cheese, pepperoni, ham, spinach, etc. Pinch the dough together to completely cover the ingredients. Place roll, seam side down, in the muffin tin. Top generously with melted butter. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. 

Best Drop Biscuits

If you're a biscuit lover, like every single member of my family, please step away from the can right now. I promise you, these are the easiest and most delicious biscuits, and you can have them whipped together in less time than it takes your oven to heat up. (I promise. That's what happened to me this morning.)
These biscuits are unusual in that you use melted butter instead of cold butter that you have to "cut into" the flour. This trick makes them pretty much fool-proof as well as super light and flaky.

Best Drop Biscuits
From Best of America's Test Kitchen- 2009

Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup cold buttermilk (you can make buttermilk by combining whole milk with a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar, which is what I almost always do.)
1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes)

Preheat oven to 475. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the dry ingredients- the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine completely, being careful not to over-mix.
Using a 1/4 cup measure (or large ice cream scoop), scoop out the batter onto a greased or lined cookie sheet. Bake biscuits 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden. If desired, brush with melted butter when you remove them from the oven.

Bacon (or Sausage), Egg, and Cheese Muffins

Early last Sunday morning, I was serving breakfast to the 14 people who make up our church Leadership Team. So Saturday evening, I was preparing said breakfast, so that I didn't have to wake up any earlier than necessary. I was bringing yogurt, granola, and fruit to make parfaits, muffins, and mini-donuts for any kids who might be there, but I knew that if it were me, I would want something savory and something substantial. I'm not a huge breakfast casserole fan, plus they take forever to cook, so I ruled that out. I finally landed upon the best solution: a riff on the Sausage Biscuit Things that my boys always loved.
On Saturday, I fried bacon, browned sausage, and scrambled eggs. I had stumbled upon the most awesome creation ever, crescent roll sheets. Have you seen these? A thing of beauty, I tell you. They made this breakfast almost too easy.

Bacon (or Sausage), Egg, and Cheese Muffins

2 packages crescent dough sheets

4-5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces, fried to crispy perfection

1/2 pound breakfast sausage, fully cooked

6 eggs, scrambled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 2 standard sized muffin tins with non-stick spray. Onto a lightly floured surface, or a plastic cutting board, unroll one package of crescent dough. Distribute half of the scrambled eggs evenly across the dough, then the bacon, then 1/2 cup cheese. Roll up the dough "jelly-roll" style. Cut the log in half, then half again, and into 12 equal pieces. Place 1 piece in each section of the muffin tin. 

Repeat the process with the remaining dough, using the breakfast sausage, remaining eggs, and remaining cheese. (If making these ahead, simply cover the pans with plastic wrap or foil, park them in the fridge overnight, and bake them the next morning!)

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. 

Garlic Knots

We had some delightful friends over for pizza last week. I used Pioneer Woman's crust this time around, as opposed to my old standby. PW's was delicious, and probably my new go-to. I doubled the recipe, and got 4 crusts out of the dough. However, I guess I was a bit too generous (if there is such a thing) with the cheese, because I ran out after topping 3 pizzas. So I stuck the last of the dough in the freezer to use another day. Well, "another day" became the next day, when I thawed the dough out and made these garlic knots (so called because they are similar to the garlic knots we've had from a pizza place in my in-laws town) to serve with spaghetti.
They got rave reviews. They might just be an excuse for making extra pizza dough next time.

Garlic Knots

1 pizza crust (homemade or store bought)

1/2 stick butter, melted

garlic salt, to taste

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a standard sized muffin tin with cooking spray. Tear the pizza dough into pieces and place in the muffin tin, using 2-3 pieces in each cup. Top generously with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic salt to taste. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Top with additional melted butter when they come out of the oven. 

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

I've been disappointed in my "famous" scones as of late. People ask me to make them for an event and I am almost ashamed to bring them! I haven't heard any complaints, but I know that they should and could be better. So when a friend asked me to make some last week, I decided to try a new recipe. Actually, I had made these once before and remembered loving them.
The great thing about these scones is their texture. Where as the others are more like a biscuit, these scones are cakey, like those scones that we all love from Starbucks. It's Ina's addition of eggs to the scone dough. I plan to experiment with my go-to scones and see if I can improve upon them. Until then, these are a delicious change.

Maple-Oatmeal Scones
from Ina GartenI usually make a half recipe and get 8 triangle scones out of the dough.


For the Scones:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

For the Glaze:
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1 inch thick. (I roll the dough into a round and cut it into triangles.) You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of the glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

Easiest French Bread Ever

A sweet friend makes the world's best French bread. She brought it to me after my third child was born and I immediately hit her up for the recipe. It is so easy, so delicious, and (almost) completely fool proof. I say almost because I made it for dinner a few weeks ago when we had friends over and the bread didn't rise very well. Fickle yeast.
Just this week, I decided very late in the day that I wanted to make this bread to go with dinner. I started the process at 4:50 PM and we ate it with dinner at 6:30 PM. Seriously. Homemade bread in that amount of time? Sign me up.

Janna's French Bread

makes 1 large loaf or 2 smaller loaves

3 1/2 cups flour- I consistently have the best results with bread flour, but you can use all-purpose flour or a combo of AP and whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs olive oil

1 1/4 cups warm water (as hot as the tap will go)

1 package of active-dry yeast

1 tbs sugar

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and oil. In a large measuring cup, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Set it aside to get foamy and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. (You can also do this in your stand mixer.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes, until smooth.  Return the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 375. Punch down the dough and shape into loaves (however many you're making. We prefer 1 big one). Place on a baking sheet and bake 25-30 minutes, until beautifully browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Let rest about 5-10 minutes before slicing and devouring. 

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I get pretty excited when I discover something that I can make from scratch instead of buying premade. However, so often the excitement is short-lived because the time required is too great to justify it. Case(s) in point- homemade noodles, homemade sandwich bread.  Maybe some day. Not right now. 

However, these flour tortillas are super simple and super delicious. So much so that I find it very hard to justify buying a package of them- complete with 12 or 15 ingredients.  The secret is to roll them out as thinly as you possibly can. And I have the best results when I use a large nonstick skillet. 

Homemade Flour Tortillas
from Joy of Cooking

2 cups bread flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening or lard
3/4 cup hot (115-130 degrees) water- I just let the tap get as hot as it can.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Mix by hand or on low speed until the dough comes together. Knead by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until smooth, 4-6 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into balls. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Roll out each ball of dough into a 6-8 inch round about 1/8 inch thick. If the dough is resistant, move to the next piece and return later to finish rolling.
Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Slide the tortillas into the skillet one by one, cooking until brown spots appear, about 30 seconds on the first side, 15 seconds once flipped. Cover the cooked tortillas to keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve warm.

Picky-Eater Approved

My "Super Secret" Scones

I'm becoming known for my scone.  I made scones for the first time about a year and a half ago, for a friend's baby shower. They were a huge hit (hint, they included chocolate) and I've perfected them since then.  One family in my church, in particular, spreads the word about my scones whenever they can. If you've only had dry scones in your lifetime, try my "super secret" secrets and let me know if they convert you.

"Super Secret" Buttermilk Scones

adapted from M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tsp orange or lemon zest (optional)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon heavy cream, for brushing

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Optional Glaze:
1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup fresh orange or lemon juice

Combine powdered sugar and juice in a small bowl. Whisk well to blend. Add more powdered sugar if consistency is too runny- you want the glaze to be somewhat runny but not watery.  Drizzle over, spread on, or dunk slightly cooled scones in the glaze.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and zest (if using) in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal. Add 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (and chocolate chips, if using) and mix just until combined. If the dough looks dry, add more buttermilk, up to 1/4 cup more. (This is the secret, friends! Add more liquid!)

Transfer dough to a floured board and divide into 2 parts. Wrap each dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  Roll or pat each gently to 3/4 inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges (I like slicing it like a pizza, but you could do squares, circles, whatever!) and place slightly separated on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with the cream, and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm, split in half with butter and marmalade. 

My absolute favorite combination is an orange scone with raspberry jelly.  YUM.

Creamy Chicken with Biscuits

In an effort to keep the house cooler than 81 degrees, I've been trying to use the oven a bit less these days.  So when I rediscovered this crock-pot recipe, I jumped at the chance to make it (though I admit, it does require the oven for the biscuits).  While my picky boys will not eat chicken pot pie, they both gobbled up their chicken and biscuits.  As did I, friends.  As did I.  

Creamy Chicken with Biscuits

adapted from Real Simple Magazine, March 2011

4 carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds  boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8) I used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 (store-bought or Easy Drop Biscuits; see recipe), split
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, toss together the carrots, celery, onion, and flour. Place the chicken on top and season with 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the broth.
Cover and cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender, on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2 1⁄2 to 3 hours.
Thirty minutes before serving, prepare the Easy Drop Biscuits (if using).

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk

Heat oven to 400° F. In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, baking powder, and salt; pulse until pea-size clumps form. Add the milk and pulse just until moistened. (I do this all by hand.  I don't have a food processor.)
Drop 6 large mounds of the dough (about ½ cup each) onto a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.

Ten minutes before serving, add the peas, cream, and ½ teaspoon salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes more.
When it was time to serve, I thought the sauce was too thin and soup-like, so I took a good portion of it, put it in a saucepan, boiled it down and reduced it significantly.  Then I added it back to the chicken and vegetables.  
To serve, place the bottom halves of the biscuits in shallow bowls, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining biscuit halves.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

I'm an Okie, so I eat a lot of cornbread.  I grew up eating my Grannie's cornbread, made in a cast-iron skillet.  I still love it to this day, but these beauties are the favorites in my house.  My husband loves the crunchy exterior that the muffin pan lends, I love the sweetness of the honey.  I make them a lot in the winter to eat with stew, but they're also perfect with my favorite budget-saving meal (and another childhood favorite), beans and cornbread.  

Honey Cornbread Muffins
from Real Simple Magazine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted, plus more for the pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup honey

Heat oven to 375° F. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, honey, and melted butter. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.
Divide the batter among muffin cups and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes (mine take about 20-23).

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

My friend Sarah makes the best chocolate zucchini bread ever.  She shared it with my sister a few years ago and I've been making it ever since.  My sister is allergic to dairy, so if I'm making it for her, I use oil instead of butter.  However you make it, it's delicious!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

½ cup canola oil or butter (1 stick), room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar (or 1 cup honey)
2 eggs
1 cups shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Cream sugar (or honey) and butter (or oil) – add eggs, then zucchini and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. Makes 1 loaf.
If using honey, cook at a lower temperature.

Homemade Dried Breadcrumbs

I've finally stopped eating the heels of the loaves of our bread.  I realized that "sacrificing" in this way was really pointless and I could partake of the regular bread for my morning toast.  But I always hesitated to throw them away.   Surely I'll make breadcrumbs...someday?  That hesitation became utter motivation one day when my "ingenious" boys tried to use the entire loaf of bread as a step stool in order to reach the peanut butter.  They succeeded in ruining an entire loaf of bread.  That loaf went into the freezer and, today, became dried breadcrumbs.  (And eventually, our chicken nuggets.)

Homemade Dried Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 275.  

Start by tearing your bread (heels, inside pieces, whatever you have- crust and all!) into pieces and placing them into a food processor.  I only have a mini-chopper, so I have to do this in batches.  Pulse until you have fine crumbs.  Spread your breadcrumbs into a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  

Bake breadcrumbs for 30-45 minutes, turning the crumbs every 10 minutes, until they are dried out and lightly golden.  Your time will vary depending on how much bread you use.  My 3/4 of a loaf of bread took a full 45 minutes, at which point I turned off the oven but left the pan of crumbs in there to finish drying out while I put kiddos down for naps.  

Place your breadcrumbs in a ziploc and bag and freeze it!  Pull them out whenever you need breadcrumbs for your favorite chicken nuggets or weeknight chicken dish.  

Homemade Croutons

Whenever my homemade bread sits on the counter long enough that it only appeals to me, I make croutons.  Whenever I buy a baguette or french bread and we don't eat it all in one sitting, I make croutons.  Whenever I have bread that is going south, I make croutons.  I can freeze the bread until I'm ready to make croutons as well.  They're perfect for salads (of course) and, as I showed you yesterday, my boys love them for snacks.
Stop throwing away your bread!  Make croutons!

Homemade Croutons

bread, cut into cubes
about 2 tbs olive oil, depending on how much bread you have
salt to taste
any other seasoning you want (use garlic powder, italian seasoning, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350.  On a cookie sheet, toss bread cubes with oil, season with salt.  Toss to evenly coat.  Bake for 15-20 mins, turning cubes/shaking the pan occasionally, until golden brown all over.  Let cool and enjoy!  Can be stored in a baggie at room temperature.
Play around with these- you could top them with grated parmesan cheese when they come out of the oven, you could make them sweet by coating them with cinnamon and sugar before you bake them.  Yum!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I bought Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook sometime last year. I had checked it out from the library and knew upon first glance that it would be a valuable resource. It has proven to be just that.

This morning, as I saw two bananas on the counter heading to the point of no return, I grabbed them, ready to make our favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Then I reminded myself that I have no self-control when those muffins are in the house, and decided to look for something healthier to try. I looked in the index of Bittman's book and found my answer.

While this bread is more time-intensive than muffins, I can feel much better about having a slice or two with my morning coffee. Enjoy this bread that is unlike any other banana bread you've ever tried- sugar-free and much more like bread than cake (and with a very subtle banana flavor)!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

from The Food Matters Cookbook

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use white-whole wheat)

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast (or 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast-this is what I used)

2 tsp salt

pinch of cinnamon

1 cup mashed bananas

2 tbs vegetable oil

*If you're using instant yeast--Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the bananas and about 1/2 cup water and stir until blended; the dough should be quite wet, almost like a batter (add more water if it seems dry).

*If you're using active dry yeast, combine the yeast with 1/2 cup of very warm water. Let the yeast soften for about 5 minutes, then combine with rest of the ingredients and proceed with the recipe. (I did have to add a bit of extra water, so don't be scared to!)

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for about 2 hrs. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

Use some of the oil to grease a 9 by 5 inch pan. Scoop the dough into the loaf pan and use a rubber spatula to gently settle it in evenly. Brush or drizzle the top with the remaining oil. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, an hour or 2 depending on the warmth of your kitchen. (It won't reach the top of the pan.) When it's almost ready, preheat the oven to 350.

Bake the bread until deeply golden and hollow-sounding when tapped, about 45 minutes. If the loaf releases easily from the pan, turn it out immediately and let cool on a wire rack before slicing; if it sticks a little, let cool in the pan before turning it out.

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

You can stop buying bread right now. No, really! This is it! THIS is the homemade bread recipe that can replace store-bought bread forever! It's not just a delicious bread you can enjoy with dinner. You can slice it and make a sandwich with it.

I'm not alone here, right? You've been wanting this, right?

Ok. Here it is.

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

(It's not my recipe at all, just something I pinned, so I thought I'd just share the link with you.)

Notes from my kitchen:

*The recipe calls for unsulphured molasses. More than likely, the molasses you find in your grocery store or Target will be unsulphured. Like this one or this one. I didn't have any so I used honey. Easy swap.

*I used white whole wheat flour. Still whole wheat, but so amazingly light and therefore easier to use in place of all-purpose flour in other recipes. I use this one.

*The bread flour I use is apparently higher in protein that other bread flours. I've been having issues with breads coming out too dry, so I used 1/4 cup more water than the recipe calls for.

*I used cheap, Target brand old-fashioned oats.

*As I do with most things I bake, I added about 2 tbs (maybe more) of ground flaxseeds.

White Milk Bread or Rolls

Recipe #5 was from Apples for Jam, one of the most gorgeous cookbooks ever. It's a cookbook categorized by color! How amazing is that? So there's a section with all red foods, all yellow foods, all green foods, etc. So fun to look through. These white milk rolls were pretty easy to make and delivered good flavor. I still have a texture issue with homemade bread. It seems most of them turn out heavy and dense. I think the issue is bread flour. Something about higher protein levels in bread flour? I don't know. I'm no bread making expert, that's for sure. That being said, there's nothing better than homemade bread, fresh from the oven, slathered with butter. Except for enjoying said bread without your children knowing about it.

White Milk Bread

from Apples for Jam

1 1/4 cups warm milk

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

1 tsp honey

3 2/3 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tbs butter, melted

Put the milk, yeast, and honey in a small bowl, and stir until honey melts. Leave it for about 10 minutes, or until it begins to froth a bit. Put the flour and 1/2 tsp in a larger bowl. Add the yeast mixture, the egg, and butter, and mix well. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it has puffed up well.

Lightly grease a 12 by 4 in loaf pan (if making a loaf) or a cookie sheet (if making rolls). Punch down the dough to flatten it and shape it into a loaf to fit the pan (or cut into equal sized portions for rolls). Cover with a cloth and leave in warm place to rise another 45-60 minutes, until puffed up again.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the top is firm and crusty and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Grannie's Beer Bread

I'd been craving homemade bread last week but couldn't find yeast at the store. I remembered my Grannie's hilarious story about having to buy beer to make her beer bread, and finding it necessary to explain to the cashier and everyone else she came across that it was for making bread, not for drinking. I hit her up for the recipe.

The bread was quick, tasty, and pretty fool-proof. The same can not be said for most bread recipes, right?

Grannie's Beer Bread

3 cups flour (I used 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat)

(I also added about 1 tbs of ground flax seed)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

12 oz beer, at room temperature

1/4 - 1/2 cup butter, melted

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for butter. Mix well, then pour into a greased 9 * 5 loaf pan. Pour melted butter over the top of the bread. (Grannie said she uses less butter because she made it once with 1/2 cup and it ran out of the pan all over the oven floor.) Bake at 375 for 50 minutes- 1 hour. Let cool 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan.

Basic Pizza Dough

We love making homemade pizzas, and probably have them a couple of times a month. The boys almost always want just cheese, but I like to get a bit more creative. My personal favorite is my Spinach Alfredo, but I also enjoy barbecue chicken or a simple tomato, basil and mozzarella (that's the husband's favorite as well). I'll share my favorite sauce recipe later this week, but here's my go-to crust. After experimenting with a few different recipes, I've determined that I truly like this one the best. It helps that it's super quick and easy to make, but it's delicious, too.

Basic Pizza Dough

from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

makes 1 large or 2 small pizzas

1 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp coarse salt

1 to 1 1/4 cups water

2 tbs plus 1 tsp olive oil

To make by hand:

Combine half the flour with the salt and yeast and stir to blend. Add 1 cup flour and 2 tbs olive oil; stir with wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour a bit at a time; when mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, begin kneading, adding as little flour as possible- just enough to keep the dough from being a sticky mess. Knead until smooth but still quite moist, about 10 minutes. Proceed with next step (below).

To make with stand mixer:

Combine half the flour with salt, yeast, 2 tbs olive oil, and 1 cup water; blend with machine's paddle attachment. With machine on low speed, add flour a little at a time, until the mixture has become a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (switch to dough hook if necessary). Knead for a minute by hand, adding as little flour as necessary. Proceed with next step (below).

Next step:

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Grease a bowl with remaining tsp olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. (You can let the dough rise slowly in fridge up to 6-8 hours.)

At this point, you're ready to roll out your dough and top it, or you can wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. Defrost in a covered bowl in the fridge or at room temperature.

Multi-Grain Dinner Rolls

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The second dish I'm in charge of for Thanksgiving this year is the bread. This is the second year in a row that my sister has bravely volunteered to host both sides of the family at her home. This works well for many reasons, one being that my brother-in-law's Grandma makes the most delicious homemade rolls imaginable. Well, she won't be there this year, so my sister asked if I wouldn't mind picking up a bag of frozen rolls. Yes, I mind. So I attempted not one, but two kinds of rolls this year. Here is the first.

Multi-Grain Dinner Rolls
adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine

3 cups (or more) whole wheat flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup wheat bran- I couldn't find wheat bran, so I used almost another 1/3 cup of wheat flour, topped with ground flax seed to make the full 1/3 cup
2 1/2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons quick-rising dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large egg, beaten to blend with 2 tablespoons water (for glaze)
Poppy seeds

Combine 3 cups flour and next 6 ingredients in bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
Warm 1 cup water and buttermilk in small saucepan over low heat (or in microwave, just keep your eye on the temperature) just until instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 95°F. Add buttermilk mixture, oil, and honey to flour mixture; mix on low speed until dough forms coarse ball, about 2 minutes.
Let dough rest in bowl 5 minutes (dough will be sticky). Replace paddle attachment on mixer with dough hook. Mix on medium speed until dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls as needed, about 4 minutes.
Lightly oil large bowl. Shape dough into ball; place in bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic; chill overnight (dough will rise slowly; do not punch down).
Let dough rise, covered, in draft-free area at room temperature 1 1/2 to 2 hours before shaping (dough may not double).
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer dough to floured surface; divide into 18 equal pieces. Roll each piece into smooth ball. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing apart. Spray dough balls with nonstick spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm draft-free area until puffed (rolls may not double in volume), about 1 hour.
Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Brush rolls with egg glaze. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake 10 minutes. Reverse sheets and continue to bake until rolls are lightly browned and firm to touch, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Cool rolls completely on rack.

DO AHEAD Wrap in foil, then enclose in resealable plastic bags and freeze up to 2 weeks. Thaw at room temperature. If desired, rewarm rolls wrapped in foil in 350°F oven about 10 minutes.