Crusty Overnight Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

The night before:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until all the flour is mixed in. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside (not in the fridge) for 12-18 hours. 

The next day:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees, place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven* and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape (roughly) into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while the pot is heating. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. (I spray my hands with cooking spray first.) Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, depending on how dark you like your crust. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

*You don't have to have a cast iron pot for this. Anything that can take the heat, will hold at least 2.5 quarts, and has a tight-fitting lid will work. I use my Calphalon dutch oven or a round Corningware casserole dish. I've also heard of people successfully using clay pots with lids, a pizza stone with a bowl to cover the bread, the insert of a crock pot (as long as the lid's handle isn't plastic), or an old cast iron dutch oven. You could probably also use a baking dish covered with aluminum foil.

Clone of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2-1/2 cups Bisquick
4 tablespoons cold butter
1 heaping cup grated Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup cold whole milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Brush on Top
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add Cheddar cheese, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

Drop approximately 1/4-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops  of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of the biscuits. Use up all the butter.

Makes a dozen biscuits.

Perfect Honey Wheat Bread

This recipe was shared with me by a woman at church. I think she found it in a RS cookbook. I love that it only has one rise. Choose the size recipe that fits your family.

10-12 cups whole wheat flour (or 8 cups whole wheat flour + 2 to 4 cups white flour)
2 rounded tablespoons dry yeast
500 mg vitamin C, optional
4 cups very warm water (125°)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup honey or sugar
1 tablespoon salt

In mixer bowl equipped with kneading arm, combine 6 cups flour, dry yeast, and vitamin C (crush tablet or empty a capsule). Add water, oil, and honey or sugar; mix well. Cover and let batter sponge for 15 minutes; this produces a lighter bread. Add salt and remaining flour, 1 cup at a time (½ cup at a time for smaller batches), until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl; the amount of the flour needed may vary. Knead 5 to 7 minutes by machine or about 10 minutes by hand, until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide dough into equal portions. Shape into loaves. Place in greased 4" x 8½" loaf pans*. Cover with light cloth and let ruse until almost double. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on wire racks. Rub a stick of butter on the tops, if desired, for a softer crust.

Yield: 4 to 5 loaves.

6 Loaves: Follow directions above.
12-16 cups whole wheat flour (or 12 cups whole wheat flour + 2 to 4 cups white flour)
3 tablespoons dry yeast
500 mg vitamin C, optional
6 cups very warm water (125°)
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup honey or sugar
1½ tablespoon salt

2 Loaves: Follow directions above.
6-7 cups whole wheat flour (or 5 cups whole wheat flour + 1 to 2 cups white flour)
1 rounded tablespoons dry yeast
500 mg vitamin C, optional
2 cups very warm water (125°)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons honey or sugar
2 scant teaspoons salt

*The recipe also includes the following note about pan size: "Using the right size pan is very important. Too much or too little dough results in a poor loaf of bread, particularly when using whole wheat. Whole wheat dough is heavier than white dough and cannot support itself in a wide pan. For best results, bake whole-grain bread in a 4 x 8½-inch or small bread pan."

Multigrain Bread

from The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

The original recipe makes 2 9-inch loaves. I have three loaf pans, so I 1½ the recipe. Those amounts are included between slashes.

1¼ cup (6¼ ounces) / 9.5 ounces / seven-grain hot cereal mix

2½ cups / 3¾ cups / boiling water

3 cups (15 ounces) / 22.5 ounces / all-purpose flour (not bread flour)

1½ cups (8¼ ounces) / 12.5 ounces / whole wheat flour

¼ cup / 3 ounces /honey

4 tablespoons / 6 tablespoons / unsalted butter, melted and cooled*

2½ teaspoons / 3¾ teaspoons / instant or rapid-rise yeast (active-dry yeast has worked just fine for me)

1 tablespoon / 1½ tablespoons / salt

Optional (I omit): ¾ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

Optional (I omit): ½ cup (1½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats

*If you’re using salted butter, just decrease the additional salt by just a bit.

Place cereal mix in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour.  Whisk flours together in separate bowl.

Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, butter, and yeast and mix on low speed until combined. Add flour mixture,  ½ cup at a time, and knead until cohesive mass starts to form (note: I don't need all of the flour. I suspect it's the high altitude. Go by look and feel and stop adding flour if you need to!) 1½-2 minutes; cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes. (If it does not clear sides, add 2-3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and knead until it does. Don’t add more, unless the dough is still really sticky and you didn't use all your flour already.) Continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds (if using) and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, round ball. Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

Grease two /or three / 9×5 inch loaf pans. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide in half / or thirds. Press 1 piece of dough into 9×6 inch rectangle, with short side facing you. Roll dough toward you into firm cylinder, keeping roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go. Turn loaf seam side up and pinch it closed. Repeat with second piece of dough. Spray loaves lightly with water or vegetable oil spray. Roll each loaf in oats to coat evenly and place seam side down in prepared pans, pressing gently into corners. Cover loaves loosely with greased plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size 30-40 minutes. Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.

When rising bread nears the top of the pan, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until loaves register 200 degrees on a quick-read thermometer, 35-40 minutes. Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pans, return to rack, and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before slicing and serving, or storing.

Storage: Bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Wrapped with additional layer of foil, bread can be frozen for up to a month.

Candy Cane Bread

Dough:
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoon SAF yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
Approx. 6 cups flour

Toppings:
2 cans cherry pie filling
maraschino cherries
slices of green gumdrops

Thin Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Heat sour cream over low heat until luke warm.  Mix together the sour cream, water, butter, sugar, salt and eggs in mixer.  In a separate bowl, mix yeast with 2 cups of the flour and slowly add flour/yeast mixture, beating until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.  Knead about 10 minutes.  Place into a greased bowl and turn dough over so greased side is up.  Cover tight with lid (spray lid if needed).  Let rise about an hour, or until doubled in size.  Heat oven to 375.  Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal parts.  Roll each part into a 15- x 6-inch rectangle and place on greased baking sheet.  Cut dough with kitchen shears, about 1 1/2 inches on each side, leaving 3 inches in the middle.  Cut them at 1 1/2-inch intervals.  Spread filling in middle and criss-cross strips over the filling.  Stretch the dough to 22 inches and curve to form cane.  Pinch the ends together to prevent filling from coming out.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  While it's warm, brush with butter and drizzle icing on top.  Add maraschino cherries and gumdrop slices to look like holly leaves.  Makes 3 candy canes.

Marie Callender's Cornbread

Recipe from TopSecretRecipes.com.

1 1/4 cups AP flour
3/4 cups cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg

Honey Butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the milk, shortening and egg and mix only until the ingredients are well combined.

Pour the batter into a greased 8x8-inch pan.

Bake for 25 to 20 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. Let the cornbread cool slightly before slicing it with a sharp knife into 9 pieces.

For the honey butter, use a mixer on high speed to whip the butter and honey together until smooth and fluffy.

Honey Yeast Rolls

2¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115˚ F)
¼ cup honey
3 tbsp. canola oil
1¼ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups bread flour
Vegetable cooking spray
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. honey

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast and warm water. Add the honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Switch to the dough hook and, with the mixer on low speed, incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Continue kneading on low speed for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch the dough down and divide into 10-12 equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place into a round, lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round baking dish (I use a glass pie pan), spacing evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the rolls are baked through. Let cool slightly before serving.

Speedy Rolls

2 tablespoons dry yeast

2 cups warm water, divided

1 cup instant powdered milk

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

½ cup butter, softened

6 cups flour

Combine 1 cup of the warm water with the yeast; set aside. In mixing bowl, mix together the other cup of water with the powdered milk, sugar, eggs, salt, butter and 1 cup of the flour. Add the softened yeast and blend. Pour in remaining flour slowly while mixing and knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise until double in size (about an hour). Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll out each half into a large circle on a floured surface and cut with a pizza cutter or knife in to 12 segments. Roll up ‘croissant-style’ and place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise for 15 minutes, then bake @ 350 for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden.

Strawberry Bread

2 cups fresh strawberries

3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar + some for sweetening the strawberries

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

turbinado sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

Slice & chop the strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl; mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Divide batter between the two pans. Sprinkle desired amount of turbinado sugar on top.

Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Coconut Bread

Bread:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons coconut flavoring
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded coconut

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour (or use the baking Pam spray with flour in it) one regular (9"x5.25") loaf pan or two mini (about 8"x4") loaf pans

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, oil, and coconut flavoring and blend well. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet mixture. Fold in shredded coconut.

Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake larger pan for 1 1/4 hours. I haven't timed the smaller pans yet, but I'd start checking at about 50 minutes. I'll update this next time I make it. Or if you do, let me know.

Make syrup when the bread is about 10 minutes from being finished. In a small saucepan bring sugar, water, and butter to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut flavoring.

When bread is finished baking, move pan(s) immediately to a cooling rack. Pour syrup over the top of bread. Let stand at least an hour or two.

Grandma Andrus' Orange Rolls

Note: Grandma's verbal instructions are in italics.
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot water
5-6 cups flour
1 tablespoon yeast

Glaze:
1/2 cube butter + 2 tablespoons margarine (Keeps butter from separating.)
1/2 cup sugar
Grated rind from 2 oranges

In a glass or metal bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, and salt. Add the bubbly yeast mixture, then mix in 3 cups flour. If using SAF yeast, mix it with 1 cup of the flour before adding to the liquid mixture.

Add remainder of flour (2-3 cups). Dough should be sticky and not as stiff as bread dough.

Put in covered greased bowl and let rise 1 hour. Punch down and refrigerate overnight, covered.

When ready to roll out (about 2 hours before serving) roll into one large rectangle. Brush with glaze and cut in half the length of the dough. roll as you would cinnamon rolls and cut each half into 18 slices. Put in greased muffin pans. Cover with light towel and rise until double in bulk (about an hour).

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

French Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 packages dry yeast (a package is 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
6 cups flour

This is the Waye family french bread recipe. The great thing is that you can simply make the dough and barely let it rise and it will turn out a denser bread, but still great. So you can have homemade bread on your table in an hour!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, pour warm water; stir in sugar and yeast until dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup flour. Beat. Stir in remaining flour, salt, oil and stir until all ingredients are completely mixed in, leaving spoon in heavy batter. Allow the dough to rest 10 minutes with spoon, and then stir down. Repeat 5 times (or however much time you have...) Turn dough onto floured surface. Divide into 2 parts. Roll into 9x12 rectangles and then roll like a jellyroll (or just make it into a long loaf shape.) Let rise until double (or, again, however much time you have.) Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Brush with butter after baking.