Category Archives: Breads and Pastries

Italian Herb Bread from the Bread Machine

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I’ve been using my bread machine more and more lately. I’ve had it for years, and probably like a lot of people’s bread makers, mine spends a lot of time in the back of the pantry sitting quietly. That’s kind of sad, because it makes great loaves of bread. Now, they’re not quite the perfect loaves I can get at the locally-owned bakery shop, but they’re mighty darned good and they leave the house smelling delicious.

This Italian herb bread has a tremendous aroma and taste. It made for the perfect sandwich bread. A nice light crust and soft insides, but not so soft that it can’t hold up to a mound of sandwich meat and cheese.
Any leftover ends or less-than-perfect pieces of this Italian herb bread get turned into fantastic croutons. Great croutons. So good in fact that I wouldn’t hesitate to make a loaf just for croutons.

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Italian Herb Bread from the Bread Machine
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1 loaf
 
Ingredients
  • 10-12 ounces lukewarm water
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried onion flake
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeat
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed (check with your bread machine maker if it requires a different order for the dry and wet ingredients).
  2. Select the French bread setting and start the bread cycle.
  3. Let cool slightly after baking before slicing.

Bread Machine Brioche

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I woke up one morning and said “That’s it. I am not ignoring my bread machine any longer”. Like a lot of folks, I keep my bread machine at the back of the pantry. Way in the back. Well, no more. I’ve been using it to make fantastic po boy bread dough and since Anita requested French toast, I also made a great loaf of brioche bread. My first time. And yeah, though it’s not like I worked the dough by hand, it still feels homemade and boy, was the French toast out of this world!This bread machine brioche is so soft and eggy inside. The crust is thin but a little crunchy. It holds up well for making French toast.

The key to this bread is determining when to add the butter. You’ll be adding 8 tablespoons (a stick), one tablespoon at a time at 1 minute intervals, during the last kneading cycle. For our bread maker the second (last) kneed cycle ends 35 minutes after starting the machine. That means I add the first tablespoon of butter after 27 minutes. You’ll want to consult your bread machine manual to know when the kneading cycle ends.

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Bread Machine Brioche
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1 loaf
 
Follow the measurement amounts exactly to get the proper texture.
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
  • 2 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pats, softened
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients except for the softened butter to the bread machine in the order specified by your bread machine maker. I have listed the ingredients in the order for my older model Regal bread maker.
  2. Set your bread machine to 'sweet' or 'regular' if yours doesn't have a 'sweet' setting and begin processing.
  3. minutes before the second kneed cycle is completed start adding the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, 1 minute between adding each one. NOTE: My bread machine book has a chart showing the various cycle times. For mine, making sweet bread, the 2nd kneed begins after 15 minutes and last 20 minuets. So, I began adding the butter 27 minutes (15 minutes + 20 minutes - 8 minutes) after starting the bread.
  4. Let machine finish and then open the top. Let the bread cool 20 minutes before removing to slice.

Easy Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

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It’s pumpkin time! And that means quick, easy pumpkin pull-apart bread. Moist, pumpkiny, cinnamony, and guaranteed to disappear very, very quickly. I made a ‘loaf’ for Anita to take to work (you don’t have to reheat it and it doesn’t require refrigeration if you devour it within two days, which you will) and share. It was gone in no time at all!
easy-pumpkin-pull-apart-breadThe only tricky part when making this pumpkin pull-apart bread is if your bread pan is bigger than the bread. Like mine was. Your bread will fall and you’ll end up with a loaf of sadness if you let it. The solution for me was to grab a piece of foil, wad it up into a ball, and place it in the space between the end of the ‘loaf’ and the end of the bread pan. No bread sadness here, just great fall-flavor yumminess!

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Easy Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread
Author: 
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 16 servings
 
Ingredients
For the pull-apart bread
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup white sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 can (8 count) Pillsbury Grands Homestyle Biscuits (do not use the flaky style)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Aluminum foil (depending on the size of your bread pan)
For the glaze
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
For the pull-apart bread
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
  2. Spray a bread pan with non-stick spray. Note: I used a non-stick bread pan and did not have to spray it.
  3. In a bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup of the sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and egg.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon.
  5. Open the can of biscuits and separate them. Cut each one in half, horizontally.
  6. Sprinkle each side of each biscuit half with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
  7. Take a biscuit and liberally brush one side with the pumpkin mixture. Place into the bread pan on edge, with the non-pumpkin side towards the end.
  8. Keep adding brushed biscuits into the pan, packing them in on end. They'll look like a row of hockey pucks when you are done. When you are done, if there is extra space in your pan wad up a piece of foil and add it to keep the 'loaf' from falling.
  9. Place into the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until the outside is done. The internal temperature should be 190 F or more, but the insides will be gooey and soft, thanks to the pumpkin puree.
  10. Let the bread cool completely before drizzling with the glaze.
For the glaze
  1. Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.

 

 

Jalapeno Popper Cheesy Garlic Bread

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I love jalapeno poppers. Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese are a great thing. The peppers mellow a bit. The creamy cheese cools the heat. So, why not put those same great tastes together and make a jalapeno popper cheesy garlic bread? Yes, why not!

I made two ‘versions’ of this bread. The top one was a little lighter on the jalapenos in case they would scare people off. The bottom one was loaded and loaded good. They were both fantastic and disappeared in no time at all.
Jalapeno Popper Cheesy Garlic BreadSubstitute Asiago or Swiss cheese for the mozzarella for a totally different taste. No matter what you use, you’re going to end up enjoying some great cheesy hot (and I mean hot) bread.

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Jalapeno Popper Cheesy Garlic Bread
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 1 loaf Italian bread
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices, whole
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
  2. Cut bread in half lengthwise.
  3. Brush the insides with the melted butter and sprinkle with the garlic powder.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes to get the bread a little crispy.
  5. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, chopped jalapenos, salt and pepper.
  6. When the bread has cooked spread both sides with the cream cheese mixture.
  7. Sprinkle with cheese and add the jalapeno slices.
  8. Bake for another 4-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
  9. Slice and serve.

 

Fat Johnny’s Cheesy Cornbread

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Chez John (aka Fat Johnny) turns out some mighty darned good grub (check out his awesome blog at Fat Johnny’s Front Porch). Like this cheesy cornbread. We absolutely love the addition of sweet corn to cornbread. The cornbread cooks up perfectly. Soft and moist with an incredible cheesy flavor.
Fat Johnny's Cheesy CornbreadJust about anything can be added to this (or any cornbread) recipe. Try finely chopped cooked Mexican chorizo. Or ham or bacon. Or broccoli. Really, anything.

We cooked the cornbread in round pans, but of course you can use muffin tins instead. Note that it’ll probably be done sooner in tins, so keep an eye on it after about 15 minutes of cooking.

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Fat Johnny's Cheesy Cornbread
Author: 
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or canned, drained)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup fine diced sweet onion
  • 1 cup, plus more, buttermilk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
  2. Set out two medium bowls.
  3. In one bowl, gently stir together all of the wet ingredients.
  4. In the other bowl stir together the dry ingredients.
  5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, forming a batter. If it's too clumpy add more buttermilk, a little at a time, and stir.
  6. Pour batter into a muffin tin or pie pan.
  7. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

 

Buttery Garlic Herb Knots

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Yummy, buttery, garlicky, herby bread. All good things. And very easy to make since I used pre-made pizza dough. I’m not that great at tying knots into raw dough strips, it would seem. But that didn’t matter a bit. They came out tasting perfect.
Buttery Garlic Herb KnotsFor the marinara I used my absolutely go-to homemade pizza sauce. It has the perfect pizza sauce flavor. I make it by the gallon (well, it seems that way at least) and freeze it in small portions so I always have it on hand.

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Buttery Garlic Herb Knots
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 16 knots
 
Ingredients
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried, crushed)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried, crushed)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • All-purpose flour
  • 2 tubes refrigerated Pillsbury thin pizza crust
  • Marinara or pizza sauce, warmed, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter.
  3. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan, and the garlic powder.
  4. Lightly dust a work surface with flour.
  5. Remove pizza crusts from tubes and unroll onto the surface. Roll out into rectangles.
  6. Brush tops of dough with butter mixture. Fold dough over on top of itself.
  7. Using a pizza cutter, cut each dough in half, then repeat until you have 8 strips about an inch wide. You don't have to get too particular in how wide they are on how straight they are cut.
  8. Grab ends of each strip and 'tie' them into a knot. Gently, don't pull on the ends real hard or the dough will break.
  9. Lay knots onto a baking sheet (you'll need two pans) sprayed with non-stick spray. Fold the tips of the dough under the knots so they don't cook too fast.
  10. Bake 18-20 minutes or longer depending on how golden brown you want your knots.
  11. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve hot with warmed marinara sauce for dipping if desired.

 

Easy Cheesy Breadsticks

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Well, it doesn’t get much easier than these easy cheesy breadsticks. In about 15 minutes you’ll have a nice batch of crunchy, tasty breadsticks. This recipe makes enough breadsticks for a small crowd, perfect for a large family meal.Easy Cheesy BreadsticksI served these breadsticks with our homemade pizza sauce, but you can use jarred if you want. They’d also be great served with marinara sauce, warmed.

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Easy Cheesy Breadsticks
Author: 
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 (10 ounce) tube Pillsbury thin pizza crust
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • Marinara or pizza sauce (I used our homemade pizza sauce)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. Unroll pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet and press out until thin.
  3. Combine garlic salt and butter and brush over top of the dough.
  4. Sprinkle cheeses and basil over the top of the dough.
  5. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 strips, and then cut them in half. Do not pull the strips apart.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
  7. Re-cut the strips and pull them apart.
  8. Serve sticks warm with warmed pizza or marinara sauce.

 

Bread Machine Burger Buns

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These bread machine burger buns are about as easy as you can possibly get. That’s why I have a bread machine. I can’t bake anything from scratch. Believe me, I’ve tried and tried. So without shame, I use my bread machine any chance I get, for anything from pizza dough (absolutely incredible) to these fantastic buns.

These buns have a nice little crunch with a soft interior. They’re a little sweet and moist. Perfect for burgers. Or sliders.

Bread Machine Burger BunsShown above are my awesome Louisiana burgers, served on homemade buns.

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Bread Machine Burger Buns
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 buns
 
Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed slightly
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 3/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients EXCEPT for the butter to bread machine in the order listed.
  2. Select the dough cycle.
  3. When completed, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 1" thick large circle.
  4. Using a 3 1/2" round cookie cutter (or a similarly-sized glass), cut the dough into 6 rounds. (For slider buns, use a 1 1/2" cutter)
  5. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with the butter.
  6. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  7. Transfer to an oven preheated to 350 F and bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
  8. Let cool before slicing.