Ginger Pumpkin Bread

Halloween has come and gone which means that I have a bunch of pumpkin meat from the pumpkins that we carved. I already whipped up Pumpkin Cheesecake and will be making Sydney some treats and perhaps some pumpkin cookie treats for me and Kris and will still have a ton of pumpkin leftover so I decided to try out this bread recipe by Martha Stewart. It's delicious and something else that I can look forward to eating every fall.














Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus room-temperature butter for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups)
3 large eggs
Sugar Glaze

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch (6-cup) loaf pans (see note, below); set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs; add flour mixture, and stir until just combined.
# Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; invert pans and transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool completely. Add glaze.

Sugar Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 to 3 tbsp water

In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons water until mixture is smooth but thick. Place waxed paper under rack for a quick cleanup. For easy pouring, transfer glaze to a liquid-measuring cup, and drizzle over loaves. Let dry 15 minutes before serving. Makes enough for 2 loaves.

Focaccia Bread

Finally I am back to blogging! The first trimester did wonders for my taste buds and the blog suffered as a consequence. Now I'm feeling better which means I'm back to cooking and blogging!

I love making bread and wanted to switch it up a bit from my typical loaf. I am amazed at how delicious this bread is AND easy! The aroma filled the house and the bread tasted just as good. It's perfect as a side to an Italian meal!

All Recipes

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white sugar

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp basil

Pinch black pepper

1 tsbp vegetable oil

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsbp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add in flour, garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, pepper, and vegetable oil. When dough has pulled together, knead until smooth and elastic. Oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl, and cover once to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for thirty minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Punch dough down. Place on a greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch rectangle. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cut into rectangles and serve warm.

Honey Wheat Bread

I'm constantly trying out new bread recipes since I make about two loaves every two weeks or so. This honey wheat bread is simple to make and tastes like bakery bread. I usually prefer a bread with more grains, but this is still great.

Ingredients

2 cups warm water

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup vegetable oil

5 cups all purpose flour

Directions

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and stir well. Mix in whole wheat flour, salt and vegetable oil. Work in all purpose flour slowly. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. When dough is smooth and elastic, place into a greased bowl, turning to coat dough. Cover with a cloth and let rise for one hour until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough. Shape into two loaves and place in two greased loaf pans. Cover with cloth and let rise for an hour. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Flaxseed Bread

My KitchenAid stand mixer sure gets a lot of love in my house! After the wedding was over I started really putting it to work with various bread recipes. I try to eat flax on a daily basis for the health benefits--it's high in omega 3 fatty acids, provides antioxidents that may play a role in decreasing the risk of cancer, and lowers blood pressure to name a few--so I decided to make flax bread for this same reason. The bread is great toasted with a bit of butter! The recipe is from http://www.alaska.net/.















Ingredients
1 tbs. active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water
3 tbs. honey or 1/8 cup sugar
1 tbs. oil (safflower or olive)
1/2 tsp. salt (may be omitted)
1 cup flaxseed meal * See notes below
3 cups of fresh ground whole wheat flour

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warmed water. Set aside until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Mix in the honey or sugar, oil, salt, flaxseed meal, and half of the flour. Mix well. Stir in the rest of the flour. Adding it a 1/2 cup at a time until it makes a soft, kneadable dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Coat a 9 x 5 inch pan with oil or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in the pan. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. For about one hour. Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the loaf is browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool for 10 minutes and tap pan to remove. Top may be brushed with butter or olive oil. Best sliced with a serrated knife and then wrapped in plastic. May be frozen, if not used in a few days. Since it has no
preservatives it will mold quickly.

* Notes: To make flaxseed meal, use a blender or coffee mil to grind the seeds to the consistency of cornmeal. * As a general rule, 2/3 cup of flaxseed yields 1 cup of meal.