Garlic Breadsticks

One day, I brought over an experimental loaf of bread over to my family to taste test. The loaf was still steaming hot, fresh from my breadmaker. Nobody could resist, and I got some good feedback for future loaves. My brother then promptly asked if I can make garlic bread. I said ok, but never said when I would actually make it.

When I made the pizza for the baby shower, I wanted to use some dough to make garlic breadsticks as well, but I wasn't sure how many pizzas the batch of dough would make. Since I used up all the dough for pizza, I didn't get a chance to make it. Since my brother was the one who requested the garlic bread in the first place, I decided to make it for his birthday.

For the garlic lovers out there, there's an abundant amount of garlic. My family loves it, so beware our wrath after we eat this! For those who don't like too much garlic, I was told that the garlic wasn't to prominent. I'm not sure how it works, but there was just enough garlic to satisfy everyone! The garlic haters even came back for more!

Although the dough didn't brown as much as I want, I wanted to keep it chewy. If I baked it any longer, it would have been crispy breadsticks. I may turn up the heat next time to see how it turns out.

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Garlic Breadsticks

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day




ingredients:

for the dough (use a half batch):

• 3 cups + 3 tablespoons (25 1/2 ounces) lukewarm water
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 TBSP instant yeast
• 1 1/2 TBSP kosher salt
• 9 cups (38 ounces) all purpose flour

for the glaze:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 5-6 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced

directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until thoroughly moistened (use a spatula if necessary).
2. Loosely cover and set aside in a warm area. Let rise for 2 hours.
3. After 2 hours, transfer the covered bowl to the fridge for at least 3 hours, or up to 7 days.

to make breadsticks:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine the 1/3  cup olive oil and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. To make breadsticks, portion out 1/3 of the batch of dough.
3. Roll between parchment or wax paper to a 9x6 in rectangle. Cut into 9 1" wide pieces. Transfer to a baking pan, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Stretching out the dough to lengthen as desired. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the breadsticks with the olive oil and garlic mixture.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges (mine didn't darken too much).
6. Remove from oven and brush on more of the olive oil and garlic. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
7. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

Yield: ~27 breadsticks

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No Knead Pizza Dough

This past weekend, my girlfriends got together to throw one of my high school girlfriend a baby shower. She is the first one of our group to have a baby and we wanted to do something special for her.

Since the mom-to-be has a dairy allergy, we set out to make everything dairy free. I made these vegan chocolate cupcakes that were a huge hit! I started out using the 2D tip, but the frosting ended up stringy since I used half shortening. It looked fine for the pink vanilla frosting since it looked like flowers but I just used a piping bag without a tip for the chocolate. I topped them with cupcake toppers from here.

We really had a mish-mosh of a menu that included Chinese and Italian cuisines. Since my friend loves pizza, I decided to make pizza for her using vegan cheese.

I've made pizza before, but I really hate kneading dough, even if it's with the Kitchenaid mixer. I've tried it in the bread maker with the dough cycle as well, but it wasn't quite right. This dough was perfect for me, since it required no kneading! All I had to do was dump all the ingredients in a bowl, mix, then leave it alone! Since I had so many other things to for the party, I decided to give this a go.

I halved the recipe and it made 3 good sized pies (about 12" each). I was going to try making garlic bread with this as well, but I ended up using it all for pizza.

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No Knead Pizza Dough

made by cathy's kitchen journey
as seen on King Arthur Flour, originally from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day




ingredients:

• 3 cups + 3 tablespoons (25 1/2 ounces) lukewarm water
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 TBSP instant yeast
• 1 1/2 TBSP kosher salt
• 9 cups (38 ounces) all purpose flour

directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until thoroughly moistened (use a spatula if necessary).
2. Loosely cover and set aside in a warm area. Let rise for 2 hours.
3. After 2 hours, transfer the covered bowl to the fridge for at least 3 hours, or up to 7 days.

to make pizza:

1. Preheat oven and stone (if using) to 450° F.
2. To make pizza, portion out a softball sized piece of dough (about 8 oz).
3. Dust a piece of parchment with cornmeal and place the dough on top. Add another piece of parchment over the dough and roll the dough out between the 2 pieces of parchment. Leave the dough to sit for 30 minutes to reduce shrinkage.
4. Remove the top piece of parchment, top with pizza sauce, cheese and choice of toppings. Transfer to baking stone or pan with the parchment. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pizza.

Yield: I halved the dough recipe, which yielded 3 pies

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Vegan Orange Cinnamon Rolls

When I saw this recipe in the Vegan Diner book, I knew I had to try it. I was always intimidated from making cinnamon rolls, because it had ingredients and steps I hate the most...yeast, and rolling out dough. When I read the instructions for this recipe, I thought it was pretty simple, so I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did, because this came out beautifully! The dough rose as instructed, and it rolled out nicely as well!

I've only seen recipes for cinnamon rolls that included milk, so I would end up having to adapt it. This recipe called for soy milk powder, which I always have on hand anyway. I use it when I make bread recipes in the bread machine, so this recipe was right up my alley. I usually purchase it at Whole Foods, but if you can't find it, you can omit it and sub the 1/2 cup of water with soy milk.

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Vegan Orange Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Vegan Diner

ingredients:
dough:
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water, room temperature
zest of one orange
1/4 cup hot water (110°-115°F)
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 3/4 - 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (start off with 3 3/4 cup and add as needed after kneading)
2 TBSP soy milk powder
1 tsp fine salt
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

filling:
3 TBSP vegan butter (rec: Earth Balance)
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 TBSP orange juice (fresh from the orange you zested)

directions:
Spray or liberally coat a 9x13 baking dish with oil or shortening. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup, measure and whisk together agave, orange juice, 1/2 cup lukewarm water, and orange zest. Set aside.

Place in the bowl of a stand mixer, add hot water and sugar. Then add flour, soy milk powder, salt then yeast last. Turn on mixer on low to stir and combine.

Add liquid ingredients slowly while the mixer is on to form a ball. Replace with the dough hook of the mixer and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth. If it's still sticky, add more flour 1 TBSP at a time.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. (I turn my oven to warm for 5 minutes, shut it off, then put the bowl in the oven to rise.)

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 16x12 rectangle. Brush on softened butter/margarine while leaving a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and spread evenly. Then sprinkle cinnamon on top of the sugar. (I sprinkled out of my spice jar and didn't measure.)

Rolling along the long edge, form a spiral, jelly-roll style. Pinch the edges to close up the seams. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 12 even pieces. Place the pieces into the prepared baking pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise again for 30 minutes until almost double.

Remove plastic wrap and bake in preheated oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes until firm to the touch and lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice in a medium bowl. Drizzle over warm cinnamon buns and serve.

Makes 12 cinnamon buns.

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Banana Bread with Crunchy Streusel Topping

Over the weekend, a gal named Irene came to NYC. You've heard of her right? She was supposed to come in and swoop us off our feet, but for us she was all bark and no bite. Don't get me wrong, there was massive flooding throughout the city and some houses were wrecked, but our apartment was fine. I did manage to find a leak in the kitchen window we need to get fixed. I'm actually not sure if the crack was a result of the earthquake or not, since I've never noticed a leak before.

Well, since we weren't able to go out, I decided to bake. I had 6 ripe bananas, and no room in the freezer, so banana bread it was! I've made banana bread before, but it was a while ago. It only called for 3 bananas, so I found this one in the BHG Cookbook. I love this cookbook, and I should use it more often. It's a great all around cookbook.

I omitted the walnuts in this recipe, since I didn't have it on hand, but if you have them, I would put it in. I probably won't next time either, because after I finished baking, Gary told me that he doesn't like nuts in his bread. Who knew! You would think that after 10 years together, I would have known something like that! I also replaced some white sugar with brown sugar, and reduced the overall amount by 1/4 cup. It was perfect for me, but Gary thought it could be sweeter.

I love that I was able to whip this up without bring out the stand mixer. Overall, this stayed moist and delicious even after a few days. I stored it in a plastic ziptop bag, but the streusel ended up soggy. If you know how to keep it and keep the crunchy top, let me know!

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Banana Bread with Crunchy Streusel Topping
adapted from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook 14th Edition

ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP cold butter (I used Earth Balance coconut spread)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9x5 pan.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg). Make a well in the middle of the bowl for the wet ingredients and set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk 2 eggs, then add wet ingredients (banana through oil) and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir well until just incorporated. Batter will be lumpy. Pour batter into prepared pan.

To make the streusel, combine the brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

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Rosemary Bread (bread machine)

A little while back, I bought a bread machine on clearance. It was $20 and too good of a deal to pass up. Now, I know some people think it's just a uni-tasker and not worth it since it takes up too much space. I think it is worth it because we want homemade bread, but I'm not one of those who likes to knead bread or wait for hours for dough to rise then punching it and then doing some other stuff to it...you get my point right? This is so much easier since I just measure out all the ingredients and I let it do the work for me.

I've made a few loaves now, and Gary really likes the basic white bread that I've made with coconut oil. He actually ate half the loaf in almost one sitting, and the whole loaf was done within a day.

While I've been testing it out, I stumbled upon a few hiccups (like forgetting to put the dough hook in before starting it!). I hope to use this some more in the next few months and get a few recipes on the blog.



One of the recipes I tried out was this rosemary bread. When I saw this post, I knew I wanted to try it out, but I wasn't sure if Gary would go for it. To my surprise, he thought it looked good too! All I was missing was the rosemary, so once I got that, I was good to go. I'm glad I decided to make this. This would go great with some olive oil or paired with an Italian dinner. It will probably work well as rolls as well.

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Rosemary Bread (bread machine)
adapted from: So Tasty, So Yummy, originally from allrecipes.com

ingredients:
1 cup warm water
3 TBSP olive oil
1 ½ tsp white sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 TBSP fresh rosemary, minced (about 2-3 sprigs)
pinch of each: basil, oregano and marjoram
2 ½ cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast

directions:
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Select white bread (basic) cycle and one pound loaf. Press start.

Allow to cool for 1 hour before slicing.

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Monkey Bread

Gary and I went window shopping this past Saturday. We were at one of our local malls, and while walking by one of the stores, I smelled some awesomely cinnamony sugary goodness. We’ve all experienced this before, the way Cinnabon pulls you in with their scent. It’s practically irresistible…until you see the calorie count. 1000+ calories for one!! Lucky for me, that’s an incentive for me to not order whatever I’m craving.

The craving went away after a while. It wasn’t until the next day. We were watching TV and a commercial for something cinnamon sugar came on. It was the final straw! I needed to make something cinnamon, stat! I had had this King Arthur recipe bookmarked for a while, so this was a good opportunity to make it.

I followed the directions exactly with the exception of using an 8” pan. I used my 9” pan and it fit perfectly. I also measured the water by weight instead of volume as indicated below.

Monkey Bread
adapted from: King Arthur Flour with a tutorial from their blog

printable recipe

ingredients:
Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Dough:
1/2 cup lukewarm water (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 cups All-Purpose Flour (8.5 ounces)

directions:
1) Make the topping: Blend the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, or shake them together in a small lidded container. Set aside.

2) Place water, vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar, and yeast in a medium bowl and stir well.

3) Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring to blend.

4) Add the second cup of flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead.

5) Knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — till it's soft and smooth.

6) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes, till it's doubled in size.

7) Gently deflate the dough, and place it on a clean, lightly greased work surface; a silicone mat works well here (I used wax paper sprayed with oil). Divide it into pieces about 1 1/2" in diameter; you'll make 16 to 18 pieces.

8) Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan (I used a 9” pan). Dip each piece in water, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat.

9) Place the pieces in a single layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar over the top.

10) Cover the pan, and let the bread rise for 30 to 60 minutes, till it's visibly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

11) Uncover the pan, and bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, till it's golden brown and feels set.

12) Remove from the oven, and immediately turn the pan over onto a plate. Lift the pan off the bread, and scrape any leftover topping in the pan onto the bread.

13) Pull the bread apart to serve. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Makes 5-7 servings

Gary thought this bread was great. Next time, I think I’ll make some sugar frosting and use it as a dipping sauce.

Sweet Potato Rolls

I have a problem. Well, I don’t really have a problem. I have a problem with warehouse stores. You know…Costco, BJ’s, those sorts of stores. I had a cream cheese dilemma, and now I had a sweet potato dilemma. Although I didn’t do any of the bulk purchasing, I was given a great amount of sweet potatoes, although I only need a few for sweet potato casserole.

Other than eating them as is, I wanted to make something with them. I ended up making pie, and these rolls. These were pretty simple to make. The only time consuming part was waiting for the rising time. Although some came out great, a few didn’t double in size during the second rise. Not sure why, but I think it’s more of an error on my part since I don’t have much experience making yeast bread.

A few changes I made: instead of using canned sweet potatoes, I used a fresh sweet potato. I also used instant yeast instead of active dry yeast. Before baking, I brushed the top with an egg wash to get a nice and sheen golden color.

These are best served warm. I didn’t try them when they were cooled down, but my sister mentioned they were better warm.

Sweet Potato Rolls
adapted from: allrecipes.com
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 TBSP instant yeast
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 egg (for egg wash), optional

directions:
In a large bowl, add yeast, sugar, water, sweet potato, margarine, salt, and eggs. Stir to mix well. Stir in 3 cups of flour.

Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 to 3 minutes, adding just enough of remaining flour to prevent sticking. Do not knead too heavily; when smooth, shape into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let raise about 1 hour or longer.

Punch down, and allow dough to rest for 2 minutes. Divide into 16 to 20 balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet or in a 9x13 inch pan. Allow to rise until doubled. Brush tops with egg wash.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Homemade Bagels

Can I just start off by saying that there is just no excuse for putting off making bagels for this long. I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for almost 2 years. Sometime last year in May, I printed it out with hopes to make them. Well, a year and a half later here they are!

Store bought bagels are pretty much a staple in my house. Gary has to have his daily fix of Thomas’s bagels every day. His favorite are the cinnamon raisin ones. I’ve mentioned making bagels before, but never actually did them.

Since I had a few hours before Gary was home from work one day, I decided to make these to surprise him. I started off making plain ones to see what I need to adapt to future recipes. At first taste, they were really good. Nice and crunchy outside with a chewy center. He did notice that there was a bit too much salt in it, so I took note. I thought it was a bit much when I was adding it in the first place.

I slightly adapted the recipe to use instant yeast and made larger bagels instead of the mini snack sized ones the original recipe made.

Next up, cinnamon raisin!

Homemade Bagels
adapted from: Baking Bites
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 tbsp sugar
4 cups bread flour (not all purpose)
1 tbsp salt (I would use less next time)
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 egg, for egg wash

directions:
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar, flour and salt. Start mixer and slowly add water. Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.

If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and preheat the oven to 400° F.

When dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball, pinching the corners together at the bottom of the piece of dough. When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.

Once dough balls have rested, the bagel shape can be formed. Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers and be sure to make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. Let bagels rest for about 10 minutes. (I didn’t do this…I missed this step…I guess that’s why mine were a little wrinkly.)

Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes on the first side, then flip and boil for an additional minute. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to a clean towel to drain for a moment, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining bagels.

Brush boiled bagels with lightly beaten egg (a pastry or bbq brush is a good tool for this) and bake for 22-26 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Slice and toast to serve.

Store in a tightly closed plastic bag, up to a week, or slice and freeze.

Makes 8 sandwich sized bagels.

Cranberry Nut Loaf

When I found out that Wendy from Simply Me was looking for guest bloggers, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me. Wendy is cooking her way through Simply in Season. In one year, she would be cooking her way through the first cookbook which focuses on local and produce in season. I thought this was a fantastic idea.

However with the upcoming fall season, she hit a roadblock. There were several recipes that used cranberries, but the poor girl is allergic! Well, we (fellow bloggers and I) came to the rescue!

I chose to make this cranberry nut loaf because it sounded pretty simple, and something I would eat as well. I looked at the ingredients, and it was definitely something I would normally make!

At first, the recipe didn’t mention what kind of cranberries to use (dried or fresh). I ended up using fresh because I guess that’s the point of the book…use fresh! I didn’t have any trouble making this except for some runaway cranberries while trying to chop them. Have you ever tried to coarsely chop cranberries? I ended up pulsing it a few times in my food processor. I also wasn’t too clear when the directions called for 2 TBSP grated orange peel. I assumed the zest of an orange…so that’s what I did.

Cranberry Nut Loaf
adapted from: Simply in Season
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup ground flax seed meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 egg
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup oil
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (divided) (I used pecans)

directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients: flour through salt. Set aside

In another bowl, mix together wet ingredients: egg through vanilla, until combined. Add dry ingredients to wet.

Fold in cranberries and half the nuts. Pour batter in the prepared pan. Top with remaining nuts. Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and remove from pan, allow to cool completely before slicing.

Gary was upset when I mentioned I was going to bring this to work…so we ended up eating this ourselves. We ended up eating almost half the loaf ourselves. The flax meal made this very filling, and we ended up spoiling our dinners that way. Needless to say, this was a hit!

I think next time for portion control, I will try making this in muffin form.

Healthy Blueberry Orange Muffins

I really need to learn to check my ingredients before I even think about baking anything! I originally found a recipe for zucchini blueberry bread that I was going to turn into muffins. However, I failed to realize my zucchini was no longer any good.

That recipe called for 3 eggs…which of course, I already cracked into my bowl. I had to find a recipe that used up the eggs, stat! Allrecipes.com to the rescue! I ended up finding this recipe for orange blueberry bread that used ingredients I had on hand. However, it called for 2 eggs. I used their handy serving calculator to change it to 18 servings rather than 12.

That however, wasn’t the only change I made. I used half whole wheat flour, subbed applesauce for the margarine, used soy milk, and added flax seed to the mix. I also didn’t use nearly as much orange zest (I gave up after one orange) as the recipe called for, so the orange taste wasn’t as prominent. The result? A low cal healthy(ish) muffin that’s not too sweet, and perfect for breakfast!

Healthy Blueberry Orange Muffins
loosely adapted from: allrecipes.com
makes 18-24 muffins

Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup ground flaxseed
1 cup packed brown sugar
1½ tablespoon baking powder
1½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup plus 2 TBSP apple sauce
3 eggs
2 tablespoons orange zest
¾ cup milk (I used soy)
¾ cup orange juice
1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray the muffin tin (or line with muffin liners).

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Beat at low speed just until moistened. Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into muffin tins about ¾ full. I used a cookie scoop for this. It’s about a ¼ cup full.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

I think this tastes best warm. Heat in a microwave for a few seconds before eating. (Or eat it all after it comes out of the oven!) :)

Chicken and Spinach Pizza

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com
Made by: Cathy

I've been meaning to make pizza for a while now. I was a little intimidated at first because I haven’t had much experience making yeast bread. This was one of the easier recipes I've tried though. There was minimal hands on time, more waiting time than anything. The crust was nice and crispy with a chewy center. The original recipe probably made a really large pizza, or 2 smaller ones. It was just the 2 of us, so I halved the recipe.

This was a great way to use up my leftover chicken from the night before.

What’s funny is that first thing that Gary said after he took a bite was “Mmm, this taste like real pizza!” Um…I think that was the point!

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
cornmeal for dusting

For the topping:
1 cup pizza sauce (I used jarred pasta sauce)
1 cup low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese (or more if desired)
1 cup cooked chopped chicken
1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the salt and 1 tablespoon of oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 1 cup of the flour.

3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If using the dough hook of a mixer, gradually pour in the rest of the flour as the mixer is running on low speed. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. (I used saran wrap and a paper towel. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.

4. While the dough is rising, preheat oven with the pizza stone inside to 425° F (220° C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

5. Dust parchment paper with cornmeal. Roll out your dough to about 12" in diameter. Mix together the remaining oil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Brush the oil onto the crust. Pour the pizza sauce in the middle and spread in a circle with the ladle. Layer half the spinach on the crust. Layer half the chicken, then remaining spinach and chicken.

6. Transfer the pizza to the baking stone along with the parchment paper. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

The pizza was great for my first time making pizza. Next time, I will probably add some Italian seasoning to the crust. I meant to do that too, but I forgot. I can’t wait to try different toppings.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Adapted from: Kitchen Confit
Made by: Cathy

After my disaster with the pumpkin banana bread last weekend, I wasn't ready to give up. I still wanted bread, whether it were banana or pumpkin, I didn't care.

I had 2 ripe bananas, so I made banana bread.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (original reciped used 3 bananas, I only had 2 on hand)
2 eggs beaten
1 t. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup milk
pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (I used chocolate chips)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter and flour a loaf pan.

2.Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in one bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Add in the mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla. Add in the flour mixture. Add in the milk as well as the nutmeg, cinnamon and nuts it needed.

3.Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then remove from pan and let fully cool on a rack.

To freeze - double wrap the loaf in aluminum foil and place in a zip lock plastic bag.


I baked for about 1 hr 20 min. and it was a bit overdone on the edges. It was probably done at 1 hr 10 min. It tasted good, but next time I will add the third banana for a better banana flavor.

No Fuss Foccocia

Recipe from: Amber's Delectable Delights

I love foccocia bread. I've been looking for an easy recipe and I found it at Amber's Kitchen. It was so simple and delicious. I made it on a Tuesday night when I was free, just like her. Rosemary and pizza seasoning make for a delicious bread.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I used Gold Medal AP Flour)
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional
1/4 cup (1 ounce) Vermont cheese powder, optional
Pizza Seasoning, optional

Directions:
1) Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.
2) Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.
3) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it's become puffy.
4) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
5) Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.
6) Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with pizza seasoning, and/or the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.
7) Bake the bread till it's golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
8) Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.