Category Archives: bread

Pin 203, Nutella Pockets

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, bread, breakfast, chocolate, kid friendly and tagged with ,

This was a really simple and satisfying dessert to prepare with only 4 ingredients. If you like Nutella (and really who doesn’t?) then you’ll love biting into a warm pocket of bread that oozes with warm hazelnut chocolate spread.

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Here are my generic versions of the ingredients needed: crescent rolls in a tube and FoTella. Both bought at Aldi, my new favorite generic brand store. I’m sure my pockets cost half the price with these ingredients.

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Here’s the procedure: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pop open your crescent rolls and lay out 4 of them pinching the seems together. Then put 6 tablespoons spaced apart along one edge. You don’t have to measure but use at least a tablespoon, maybe more if you like.

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Fold over the dough and using a pizza cutter, cut in between each square. Crimp the edges with a fork. Dip the pockets in cinnamon sugar, place on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 – 12 minutes.

IMG_123120 minutes to make start to finish + Nutella and warm bread = instant gratification. Here’s the original pin.

202 to go………

It’s snowing and I’m freezing my nana’s off

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, breakfast, gluten free, ice cream, kid friendly, low-fat and tagged with

It is snowing out. And my bananas are already well frozen. Here’s how I do it.

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First I go to the store and buy bruised bananas from the discount rack. They are usually $0.50 to $0.75 for 10 t0 12. I peel them all, cut them in half and place them in one layer on a parchment covered baking sheet.

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Pop them in the freezer overnight at least and you have frozen bananas. Bag them in freezer bags for up to 6 months. Use them for shakes, smoothies, banana bread, banana ice cream, banana bites and whatever else you like.

Pin 220 & 219, Homemade Buttery Bisquick and 7UP Biscuits

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, bread, breakfast, kid friendly and tagged with , ,

I went into the city with my friend to celebrate her birthday and for brunch the next morning we hit up this place in the Bronx, the Clock Bar. The service was interesting, a bit condescending, they could not accommodate any substitutions, and I mean any, and they did not have ketchup. The ketchup thing was really weird considering they served home fries. Bizarre. But a menu item that everyone at the table ordered was the biscuits served with butter and honey. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture to post but let me tell you, they were delicious.

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With those buttery biscuits on my mind since then, I found this four ingredient recipe for biscuits that sounded good. I should have known they would not come close since one of ingredients is 7UP but, I figured I’d try them anyway.

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I found that I was out of Bisquick so I made my own using a recipe I found on Pinterest. Very simple to make with just a few ingredients.

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Recipe courtesy of campwander.blogspot.com

DIY Bisquick

Ingredients
2  C flour
1  t. baking powder
1  t. sugar
1/2  t. salt
1  stick of butter

Combine all ingredients, cut in the butter with a food processor or a pastry cutter and store in the refrigerator up to 4 months.  A single recipe fit a quart jar very nicely.

So the Bisquick was made and now for the biscuits. I realized I was missing one other key ingredient to the recipe, 7UP. I used the only substitution I had, and it was Fresca. You read me right. Fresca. Closest thing to 7UP in my house. So maybe that’s why my biscuits were less than amazing.

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I was hoping for a buttery, sweet, light and cakey biscuit but I got a dense, flat somewhat tasteless roll whose texture was almost undercooked. The kids and my husband liked them nonetheless but they hadn’t had those  buttery sweet restaurant biscuits to compare them to. So they weren’t a total loss. I will probably attempt them again but with the 7UP and maybe additional sugar sprinkled on top.

Recipe courtesy of monstermama.com

Ingredients

2 c Bisquick mix
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c 7up
1/4 c melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 450º. Cut sour cream into your Bisquick mix, then add 7up – it will make a soft dough. Now sprinkle your counter with a little Bisquick mix then add dough and pat it out. Melt butter and pour it into a 9″ square baking pan. Cut your biscuits up and arrange them in pan on top of melted butter. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

218 to go…………

Aunt Linda’s Zucchini Bread

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, breakfast, cake, chocolate, kid friendly

Recipe two from the Zep shore weekend is my Aunt Linda’s delicious zucchini bread. Since there were two zucchini breads waiting at the house, I decided to use chocolate chips in mine. I think it was quite successful since there was just a small slice left by the end of the weekend. The kids really seemed to like it and I’m sure it was due to the chocolate chips. No, I know it was because of the chocolate chips. One kid even called it a cookie. This cake is very moist and chock full of zucchini so it’s kinda good for you too. And now is the time to get your zucchini at the farmer’s market. I know no one wants to bake in this heat but this cake is very fast to make so you won’t be in the kitchen for hours. And it’s a great snack or quick breakfast. For some extra decadence, spread some cold cream cheese over top.

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Grandma Zep’s Blueberry Pecan French Toast

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, breakfast, kid friendly

Just the name of this recipe should make your mouth water. This is one of the first meals we ate down at the Zep’s shore house this past weekend and it was, in a word, decadent. And there was no chocolate involved I promise. It was rich and buttery, and the bread was drenched in that mix of egg and milk custard that makes french toast, well, french toast. And on top, soft warm blueberries and toasted pecans. This is a serious breakfast. You do need to soak the bread overnight so that it really soaks up that custard. If you want to make this for a special weekend guest, my advice to you: don’t get too drunk the night before lest you forget to soak your bread and instead be serving cereal for breakfast. Not impressive.

Ingredients

  • 12 slices of french bread
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen? are you kidding)
  • 1/4 c butter, melted
  • 1/2 c brown sugar

Butter a large roasting pan. Lay bread in the pan.

In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 1 cup brown sugar. Pour over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and sprinkle blueberries over the soaked bread. Set aside. On a baking sheet, sprinkle pecans and pour 1/4 cup melted butter over top. Roast in oven for 8 minutes, remove pan and pour over bread mixture. Then mix 1/4 cup melted butter and brown sugar and pour over entire french toast. Increase oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until custard is set. Let it cool for 5 – 10 minutes, cut and serve. No need for maple syrup here.

Wtf do I do with all this Basil?……..Pesto.

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, sandwich, savory, veggies

I know that is a total cop out, making a ton of pesto. But you really need a good amount of basil to make a good amount of pesto so why not make it easy on yourself and use if for one thing. I found this recipe in a great cookbook, Italian Country Cooking by Loukie Werle and it doesn’t require any pine nuts. That helps the wallet a little. I found it very tasty and you can always add some pine nuts or walnuts to give it that buttery nut flavor. I made this on Father’s Day and made an appetizer using the fresh pesto and a nice Chiabatta loaf. Pesto can also be a nice addition to pasta, steak, tomato salad, or grilled chicken. I often freeze my pesto and it will last for months. Just freeze it in small batches and defrost in the fridge. You can enjoy your home grown basil pesto all year long.

Pesto Ingredients

  • approx 1-1/2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or use extra Parmesan)

Directions

To make the pesto, rinse the basic leaves and dry thoroughly in a salad spinner. Combine the basil and garlic in a processor with 1-1/2 tablespoons of the oil. Pulse until you have slightly chunky sauce, but not smooth, adding the remaining oil while processing. Stop once  or twice to scape the bail off the sides. Spoon into a bowl, stir in the cheeses and season with salt. Float a slick of oil on top, until ready to use.

Easy appetizer or late night snack

Heat broiler. Slice a french baguette or Italian loaf in half lengthwise. Brush with olive oil, place on baking sheet, and toast under broiler for approx. 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on the bread so it doesn’t burn. Remove from oven and spread a thin layer (or a lot if you like)of Ricotta cheese over the surface of the bread. Then spread a thin layer of pesto over that. Slice and serve.

Mary Vitti’s Belated Easter Egg Bread

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, Holiday recipe, kid friendly

This is a recipe I made for Easter at the Bakery. I made it for this Easter too but never got a chance to post it. Sorry. It’s a recipe from my friend Sal’s mother and it’s really good. I can only imagine growing up in Sal’s house when he was a kid. The house probably smelled so great at every holiday. And the sweet smell of this bread probably wafted through the house announcing that the Easter bunny was on his way. I heard through the grapevine that she sent five loaves out to each family member this year. Five loaves, four brothers and who knows how many grandkids. That’s a lot of bread making. It’s across between a Brioche and Challah bread and it is really delish. It’s dense, sweet and lemony. It’s perfectly tasty alone or with butter or jam spread all over it. It makes one large loaf or four smaller loaves. I opt to make the smaller loaves and give them out to friends. They also freeze very well. Just remove the egg cause you probably won’t want to eat a defrosted egg. One warning: this bread takes all day to make so think ahead, like a day ahead.

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Irish Soda Bread on St. Patty’s Day? Very original.

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, breakfast, Holiday recipe

Al right, it’s almost too predictable. But when you have two kids sometimes its hard to be creative. I guess I could have made an Irish Cream cheesecake or some delicious rye bread for our dinner leftovers…..but sorry kids, Irish Soda Bread is all I got. I made it last night and it didn’t take too long. I’ve sliced it up this morning and it’s quite yummy. Especially considering it’s not my favorite thing to eat. I find it very dry and hard to chew usually and the raisins, well, sometimes they make me quiver to eat them. But this recipe is pretty good. It’s not too dry, has a nice soft texture with a hard crust and the flavor of the orange zest really helps. Sometimes soda bread is so damn tasteless. Spread a little butter or jam on top and its a nice breakfast treat. Ooooh, that’s a good idea, homemade breakfast treats. Maybe next week. Happy St. Patty’s. PS: I can’t believe your drinking that Irish coffee this early in the morning. You lush!

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Peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time!

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, kid friendly, sandwich

All kids love it right? I saw this on the cover of a book at the library and thought it was a great idea. I made it for Riley and she ate several of the peanut butter jelly rolls. She’s real picky so if she ate just one or two I’d be happy. Try it at home. Get creative, maybe add some smooshed bananas, marshmallow fluff or chopped nuts.

Ingredients

2 slices of bread, white or wheat with the crusts cut off

peanut butter and jelly

Directions

  1. flatten bread with a rolling pin.
  2. spread peanut butter, then jelly onto bread
  3. roll lengthwise, cut into 1 inch rolls

Banana Bread….two ways

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, cake, kid friendly

I love the way the house smells when you’re baking banana bread. I always seem to have bananas on hand too so it makes for a quick treat. I’ve made this recipe a few times but decided to mix it up a bit and make a chocolate peanut butter version. They were both very good and totally different. Instead of a regular loaf pan, I used a small 4 loaf pan. This recipe will work for both types and they freeze well. PS: what a good way to get your kid to eat fruit.

Version One: Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch metal baking pan. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk next 5 ingredients in large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients; stir to blend. Transfer batter to pan. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and brown sugar; sprinkle over batter.
  • Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool bread in pan 30 minutes. Turn pan on its side; slide out bread, being careful not to dislodge topping. Turn bread right side up and cool completely.

Version two: Chocolate Peanut Banana Bread

Follow above recipe but eliminate the crumb topping. Mix in 8 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate (your preference) after dry ingredients are  incorporated. Instead of crumb topping, add 1/4 cup peanut butter to top of batter and swirl with butter knife. Bake as directed.