Raised Apple Cider Doughnuts

½ cup warm water
2¼  tsp yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg, room temp
1  tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp cloves
3 cups apple cider (reduced to 1 cup)
4 Tbsp butter, softened
vegetable oil

1. Combine water and yeast and ½ cup flour in a bowl of mixer, mix until combined. Let proof for 10-15 minutes.

2. Add egg and spices to the proofed sponge and mix until incorporated. Add reduced apple cider, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Once incorporated, add one cup flour and mix until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl (add more flour if needed). Knead (mix) for 4-5 minutes. Set aside and let rise until doubled.

3. Put dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to ½-inch thickness. Cut out doughnuts. Set on a baking sheet and let rise for 20-30 minutes.

4. Pour 2-3 inches of oil in a cast iron skillet, deep fryer, or electric fryer. Heat to 350º. Carefully drop doughnuts into your fryer. Let them cook for about 30 seconds on each side, or until they are golden brown. 

5. Dust doughnuts in cinnamon sugar and enjoy!  

Cinnamon pull aparts

Using homemade dough makes these pull-aparts a special treat. So easy. Time involved: about 1.5 hours. 

3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 packet yeast (or about a Tablespoon)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter OR margarine
1 large egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed, light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter 
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, dry yeast and salt in a large mixer bowl and stir until blended.

Combine milk, water and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH in 15 second increments until very warm but not hot to the touch (120° to 130°F. Butter won’t melt completely).

Add to flour mixture with egg. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.

Add 1.5 cups flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.

Stir in just enough remaining flour so that the dough will form into a ball.

Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Cover with a towel; let rest for 10 minutes. For filling, combine sugars and cinnamon in a shallow bowl

Cut dough into 36 pieces.

Dip each piece into the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place in fluted tube pan that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray.

Sprinkle pecans in between each layer of dough balls.

Combine any remaining butter and sugar and drizzle over rolls.

Cover with towel; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375ºF oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert on serving plate.

Prepare the Frosting: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk, beating until well combined. Gradually add more milk, one teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle icing over warm pull-apart bread. Serve immediately.

Recipe taken from mybakingaddiction.com with minor adjustments made. Perfect recipe!

Black Sesame Pear Sweet Loaf

This dense sweet bread is the perfect companion to a cup of tea on Sunday afternoon. I made this recipe using a mix of black sesame seeds and nigella seeds which are like black sesame seeds but perhaps less sweet. TR and I picked up a packet of them in Ireland and found ourselves wondering what to do with them. This loaf was the delicious answer.

1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup almond meal or almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 medium firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 325℉. Butter one large or two smaller loaf pans. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, the almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Grind the remaining 1/2 cup of sesame seeds in a spice grinder or a food processor to form a thick paste.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until well combined. Add sesame paste and beat until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until pale and fluffy. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in three installments, alternating with the buttermilk in two installments. Toss the pear with 2 tablespoons flour and fold into the batter.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean: approx 1 hour, 40 minutes for a larger loaf pan, or 50 minutes for smaller pans.

Adapted from www.bonappetit.com

Naan

I learned how to make this recipe from an Indian friend of mine and it is amazingly easy and very delicious.

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tb vegetable oil in a bowl to moisten fingers when forming bread

1. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar together.
2. Whisk milk and egg together.
3. Slowly add milk/egg mixture to dry ingredients to form a dough.  It should not be too sticky.  If so, add more flour.
4. From dough into golf size pieces.
5. Roll out dough balls thinly and cook over skillet on the stove.  Flipping after about 2 minutes.
6. Brush butter over the top, if desired, and serve.

Quick Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This quick bread is perfect when you don't have time (or simply can't wait) for cinnamon rolls. Tom said it best when he told me, "Mom, you should make this more often."

2 cups flour (I like half whole wheat and half white)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk*
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, room temp
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tsp milk

*You can fake the buttermilk by mixing 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar and allowing the milk to "sour" for 5 minutes.

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Whisk butter and egg then buttermilk together; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. (Over mixing will result in a rubbery bread.) In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and 1/2 cup brown sugar.

2. Grease the bottom only of a 8"x4" loaf pan. Pour 1/3 of the batter into pan; sprinkle with almost half the cinnamon-sugar. Spoon another 1/3 of the batter and sprinkle with almost all the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Spoon last 1/3 of the batter, sprinkle with the last couple teaspoons of cinnamon-sugar; cut through batter with a knife to swirl.

3. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Combine powdered sugar and enough milk to reach desired consistency; drizzle over loaf and enjoy!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

"Nothing is more certain than bread." - Dostoevsky

Use a heavy-duty mixer like a Bosch or Kitchen Aid to make this 4-loaf batch. See the Whole Wheat Bread By Hand recipe if you don't have a serious mixer (it's still worth it).

Four Loaf Batch
sponge
7 cups warm water (about 110º)
2 Tbsp instant yeast (SAF or RedStar)
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
- - - - - - - - - -
12 cups whole wheat flour (or a mix of whole wheat and white)

1. In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, combine the water, yeast, honey, salt, and 1 cup of the flour. Stir until incorporated then let the sponge proof 5-7 minutes or until frothy-bubbly.

2. Add 6 cups flour and and mix until almost incorporated. NOTE: To keep the flour from flying out of the mixing bowl, use the lid OR turn your mixer on and off quickly at first to get quick, short rotations.

3. With the mixer on slow speed, slowly add another 6 cups of flour (and possibly more), one at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Mix/knead for 5-7 minutes to make a moist, thick, soft, elastic, and rather sticky dough. NOTE: mix/knead for an additional minute or two if using part white flour.

4. Remove the dough hook, scraping off the clinging dough, and cover bowl with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until the dough has doubled in volume, about 20 - 40 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 375º. Liberally grease four 8.5" x 4" loaf pans. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut into four equal pieces with a bench knife or large knife. Gently knead about ten times and shape dough into loaf shapes and place in pans. NOTE: For a more rustic look, gently rub the tops of the loaves with flour before putting them in the pans. Let loaves rise until almost doubled in volume, about 15-30 minutes, or until the sides of the loaf are 1/4" from the rim of the pan.

6. Score the tops on an angle with a sharp serrated knife. NOTE: To avoid deflating the risen loaves, use a fairly quick motion when doing this. Bake for 38-40 minutes. Transfer the bread immediately from the baking pans to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely (about 3 hours) before wrapping in plastic bags.


You can add sunflower, flax, millet and a variety of other seeds, raisins, cinnamon, cinnamon chips, dried fruit, nuts, cheese, etc. to make different kinds of bread. For an entire batch, add these ingredients at the end of step three. Or for one or two loaves, add these ingredients during the second kneading (by hand). You can also do a mix of whole wheat and white flours to make a light wheat or white batch.

Easy Focaccia Bread

Deliciously soft and flavorful.  
We use it to make paninis. Try it with a little aioli, roasted red peppers, avocado, and whatever else you love.  You won't be disappointed.  

1 1/2 cups bread flour

 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

 2 teaspoons salt

 1 tablespoon white sugar

 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast

 1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

In a large stoneware bowl, stir together the flours and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Sprinkle the sugar and yeast into that well. Carefully pour the water into the well. Let stand until the yeast begins to act, about 5 minutes. Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into the well. With a wooden spoon stir the mixture in the center of the bowl. Gradually widen the circle of stirring to take in all of the flour at the sides of the well.

Turn out on a floured surface, and knead just until smooth. Keep the dough soft. Pour 1/2 teaspoon of the oil into a clean bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, turning once to oil the top. Cover. Let rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

Punch the dough down. Use 1 teaspoon of the oil to coat a baking sheet, and place the dough on the baking sheet. Gently press the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over the top of the dough. Use the handle end of a wooden spoon to dimple the dough at 1 1/2 inch intervals. Place in a cold oven on the center shelf. Place a flat pan of hot water on the shelf below the bread. Let rise until doubled, 20 to 25 minutes.

Turn on the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the focaccia for 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned on top. Remove from the pan, and cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm.

Original recipe found here.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

As we know too well, all pumpkin chocolate chip breads are not created equal. The first key in this recipe is part whole wheat flour Great Harvest style. The second key, while not Great Harvest style, is applesauce, which keeps it from being too greasy.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
2 cups white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned pumpkin (or cooked and pureed)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup water
1 1 /2 cups chocolate chips (the darker the better in my opinion)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees and grease three 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl whisk flours, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt together then stir in chocolate chips; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together pumpkin, oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla and water.
4. Using a big wooden spoon, stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined. Do not overmix.
5. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool for 25 minutes in pans before turning out onto wire racks.

Apple cranberry bread

Fall bread great for rainy days.

1 cup flour

3/4 cup flax flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

3/4 tsp cloves

1/4 cup heavy cream (or softened butter)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Grease one bread loaf pan.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Combine flours, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves.

3. Whip heavy cream to whipped cream consistency, then add brown sugar til fluffy.  Mix in egg, then applesauce.

4. Add dry ingredients to applesauce mixture.  Mix in cranberries.

5. Place in bread pan and bake for 70 minutes.

6. Let cool for five minutes, then take out of pan and cool on rack.  Enjoy.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Warm, light, flaky, biscuits = pure satisfaction. And they are so simple to make.

5 cups all purpose flour, plus more for working, as needed
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup very cold butter, cut into cubes
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3 Tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in upper third. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add cold butter cubes to the flour mixture and coat well. Working quickly, rub the butter between your fingertips until roughly half is coarsely blended and half remains in larger flat pieces (3/4 inch size)

3. make a well in the center of flour-butter mixture and add buttermilk all at once. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon, just until mixture begins to come together into a sticky dough. (the dough will not form a ball at this stage and will, in fact, look unpromising).

4. Immediately turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead briskly 8 to 10 times, just until a cohesive ball of dough forms. With your palms, gently flatten dough into an even thickness and rounded rectangle; then roll out to a 3/4-inch thickness, working from the center of the dough outward with a floured rolling pin. (Flour rolling pin as needed, but avoid flouring top of dough).

5. Using a dinner fork, pierce dough completely through at 1/2-inch intervals (flour fork if needed).
Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter*, stamp out rounds as close together as possible, taking care not to twist the cutter. Place rounds end to end on a parchment-lined backing sheet. Place dough pieced that remain after cutting on sheet too. Bake biscuits until crusty and rich golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove biscuits from over and bush with melted butter. Serve hot. Store in airtight contain for 3 to 5 days.

*In absence of a biscuit cutter I use a wide-mouth canning jar ring.

TIPS
• To help the biscuits rise to their fullest potential, take care not to twist the cutter (thus pinching the edged together) when cutting out the rounds of dough. When you look at them, you can see the layers that will result in flakiness.
• Don't be afraid of brown biscuits. That crusty exterior provided contrast to the tender, light interior.
• To reheat biscuits, toast in a toaster over or on a cooling rack on a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes.

Very slightly adapted from Martha Stewart Living.

Bagels

This recipe is adapted from the King Arthur recipe. Making bagels is more involved than making a loaf of bread but pretty fun if you have the time and the bagels are awesome.

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar + more for the water bath
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour


1. Combine the ingredients and knead vigorously, by hand for 10 to 15 minutes, or by serious electric mixer on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes. High-protein bread flour takes a bit more effort and time to develop the gluten. The dough will be quite stiff; if you're using an electric mixer it will thwap the sides of the bowl, and hold its shape (without spreading at all) when you stop the mixer. Cover bowl with a towel and let dough rise till noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

2. Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into ~10 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, shape it into a smooth, round ball. Use your thumb and index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then slowly stretch the hole, rotating the bagel while stretching, until it's a good 2 inches in diameter.  Place each bagel on a parchment-lined baking sheet (cornmeal works too but is more of a mess), and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Cover the bagels with plastic wrap, and let them rise for 30 minutes or more until they puff to the size of a nice bagel.

3. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating 2 - 3 quarts of water, and 3 Tbps brown sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Preheat oven to 425°F.

4. Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 1 minute, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. If you'd like to dip the bagels in sesame seeds, etc. do that here. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

5. Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like. Remove the bagels from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Makes ~10 bagels.

Artisan Bread

I had wanted to make a crunchy-crust-chewy-crumb artisan bread for so long but it always seemed to be beyond me and my kitchen. Then I heard about the no knead recipe that was getting rave reviews. However, I'll be honest, I can't wait 24 hours for a loaf of bread. So when an alternative recipe that took a fraction of the time came out I gave it a try. Here is is with a few tweaks that make it easier, not to mention even better. The crust may not be as crispity-crunchy as the no knead recipe but I have bread by lunch time the same day.

3 cups warm water (about 100º)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp salt
5 - 5 1/2 cups flour

cornmeal or parchment paper for lining the pan

1. In a large bowl (I use a Bosch mixer but you can also do it by hand), mix water, yeast, honey and salt. Let proof for about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and mix/knead for 10 minutes. Cover with a towel. Let dough rise at a warm room temperature until double in size (1 - 3 hours).
2. Turn the dough - scraping out the bowl - onto a work surface that has been sprinkled with flour. Form two long french loaves or three short loaves by kneading slightly and rolling into a snake (they can be a bit lumpy and asymmetric). Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper OR greased and generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Dust the loaves with flour and (optional) slash the top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Let the loaves rise 40 - 60 minutes in a warm area. In the meantime, fill an oven-safe pan or dish half way with water. Place on the bottom oven rack. Heat oven to 450º degrees (you want the water to get hot enough to make steam and your hot oven will make a nice warm room for the loaves to rise).
3. Place loaves on the middle rack. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the bread immediately from the cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool.

Dough can be refrigerated in an airtight container for as long as two weeks.

To heat up a loaf (toasty warm for dinner) later on, place loaf directly on oven rack. Start oven heating to 350º, leaving the loaf in for 10 minutes total, including oven-heating time.

Four Loaf Batch
4 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp salt
7 1/2 - 8cups flour

Country French Bread

Nothing like the smell of fresh bread to make an evening (or a morning or an afternoon for that matter).

2.5 cups warm water
2 Tbs yeast
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
6 cups flour
1/2 oil (I like to use olive oil, but any oil works)

Place yeast and sugar in a bowl and mix with warm water. Add the salt and oil, then add the flour 2 cups at a time, stirring to incorporate it well. Knead the bread together and let rise. Stir the bread down every 10 minutes for an hour. Form into 2 loaves and place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. Bake at 400 degrees for about 37 minutes. This dough can also be used to make regular rolls or cinnamon rolls.

Recipe from Christine T

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Another great recipe for those abundant summer zukes. And perfect for the visiting teachee. ha ha!

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup bakers cocoa
1 cup oil
2 cups grated zucchini (one large or three small)*
3 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)

*you don't need to squeeze any of the water out of the zucchini like some recipes call for.


1. Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. 

2. Whisk flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugars, cocoa, oil, and vanilla and mix well. Stir in grated zucchini with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into pans.

4. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Better Banana Bread

three ingredients make this banana bread better than any other i've tasted: brown sugar, butter, and yogurt.

2 cups flour (whole wheat is best but all-purpose is fine)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 very ripe, soft, brown-speckled large bananas (or 4 medium)
6 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips (optional)

1. preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. whisk flour, sugar, soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. if you're making the bread with nuts or chocolate chips whisk them into the dry mixture as well. set aside.
2. cut the butter into several pieces and melt, then let slightly cool.
3. in a medium bowl, mash the bananas very well. add the butter, yogurt, eggs and vanilla mixing with the whisk after each added ingredient.
4. gently fold wet mixture into dry mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula just until incorporated. scrape batter into greased loaf pan. bake for 50-55 minutes or until an instered toothpick comes out clean.
5. remove bread from pan and allow it to cool on a rack or cloth. enjoy!

Whole Wheat Bread By Hand

Nothing smells or tastes better than a loaf of fresh baked homemade bread! And despite what you may think, you can make it by hand. If you have a heavy-duty mixer (like a Bosch or Kitchen Aid), and would like to make a 4-loaf batch, see the Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe.

sponge
3 1/2 cups warm water (about 110º)
1 Tbsp instant yeast
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
----------
5-6 cups whole wheat flour

1. Mix the water, yeast, honey, salt, 1/2 cup of the flour with a wooden spoon in a large bowl until incorporated. Let sponge proof 5-7 minutes or until frothy-bubbly.

2. Add 3 cups flour and stir with a wooden spoon until almost incorporated. Add another 2 cups flour and beat until incorporated to make a moist, thick, sticky dough.

3. Turn the dough - scraping out the bowl - onto a work surface that has been sprinkled with some flour. Knead, adding only as much flour as necessary (up to one cup)* to form a soft elastic and still quite sticky dough, about 5 minutes... your hands should be tired.
*less flour is better, otherwise the bread will be dry.

4. Form the dough into a rough ball and place back in the large bowl; cover with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until the dough has doubled in volume, about 20 - 40 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 375º. Liberally grease four 8.5" x 4" loaf pans. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut into four equal pieces with a bench knife or large knife. Gently knead about ten times and shape dough into loaf shapes and place in pans. NOTE: For a more rustic look, gently rub the tops of the loaves with flour before putting them in the pans. Let loaves rise until almost doubled in volume, about 15-30 minutes, or until the sides of the loaf are 1/4" from the rim of the pan.

6. Score the tops on an angle with a sharp serrated knife. NOTE: To avoid deflating the risen loaves, use a fairly quick motion when doing this. Bake for 38-40 minutes. Transfer the bread immediately from the baking pans to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely (about 3 hours) before wrapping in plastic bags.

You can add sunflower, flax, millet and a variety of other seeds, raisins, cinnamon, cinnamon chips, dried fruit, nuts, cheese, etc. to make different kinds of bread. For an entire batch, add these ingredients at the end of step three. Or for one or two loaves, add these ingredients during the second kneading (by hand). You can also do a mix of whole wheat and white flours to make a light wheat or white batch.

Cornbread

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup yellow corn meal (fine stone ground)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter melted and slightly cooled
3/4 cup sour cream or whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup milk

1. preheat oven to 400° and grease 9" x 5" loaf pan or 12-cup muffin tin.
2. whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.
3. in a smaller bowl whisk the eggs until well combined. add sugar to eggs and whisk until smooth and homogeneous. add butter in three additions mixing after each addition. mix in milk, then sour cream or yogurt until well combined.
4. add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix gently with a rubber spatula just until batter is combined - do not over mix.
5. drop batter into loaf pan or muffin tin (don't level or flatten the batter) and bake for 50-55 minutes for loaf or 15-20 for muffins.