Bread to Go With Your Soup

When I am serving soup for dinner I have to make sure that we have good stuff to go with it. My husband doesn't really consider soup a "meal," it's just a starter. I have had to work hard to convince him otherwise. I try to make sure that my soups are hearty and I always have good sides to go with it. Especially some yummy bread.

Homemade yeast bread is the best accompaniment to soup, especially my pan rolls. These big giant part-wheat rolls are perfect along side a big bowl of soup.

Slices of either white bread or honey whole-wheat bread are also great along side. And the leftovers can be used for toast or sandwiches later in the week. I just love planned leftovers.

Sometimes I just don't have time (or the energy) to make yeast bread. Yeast bread isn't hard, it just takes a long time to rise. Sometimes I don't think about it far enough in advance. In those instances I love my quickie biscuit recipe or the soft breadsticks.

Some days I can't even think that far in advance (or I just can't bring myself to turn on the oven). On those days, we have Parmesan cheese toast. Just take whatever bread you have around and spread it with butter or margarine. Top it with a good shake of Parmesan cheese (I usually use the canned stuff but if you have food-snob issues, you can use the real stuff and just grate it finely) and then toast it. That is it. I know it's not rocket science and probably lots of people do this.

If my life settles down a little bit tomorrow, I'll post my recipe for Papa Murphy's Style Bread Sticks. This is one of my families favorite recipes. It is really easy and really does taste a lot like those cheesy bread sticks you can get at Papa Murphy's.

Jill

Bread Recipes I've Done Before

I have posted a LOT of bread recipes in my blogging life. I decided to gather all the links together in one post. It will make it so much easier for all of you to find the bread recipe you are looking for. Aren't I nice?

Actually, I have a really sick little girl and re-posting is faster than making up new stuff so I'm going to take the easy way out today.

Monkey Bread is one of my families favorite treats. And man, is it good! And no, I still don't know why it is called Monkey Bread.

Whole Wheat Pan Rolls is one of my favorite bread recipes. It makes a lot so we always have left-0vers. They are so good toasted with butter and honey on them!

Quickie Biscuits really saved my bacon during my Month of Nothing. This is such a quick, no-brainer, addition to any meal. And so cheap, too!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread is my new favorite bread recipe. So healthy!

We love our recipe for Over-Night Waffles! I almost never make them any other way.

If you have never made bread before, check out my post Bread Making 101. I walk you through bread step by step.

There are also a lot of cookie recipes on this site! I'm posting a new cookie recipe tomorrow so I'll add all the links to the cookie recipes then. I'm off to administer Motrin to the little sick one. This is day four of a fever over 100 degrees. But the coughing, aching, sore-throat are the worst. The other kids had a similar thing and it takes four or five days to really get over it. Man, I hope I don't get it!

Jill

Soft Breadsticks

Sometimes while I'm fixing dinner I suddenly realize that this meal would really benefit from having some bread on the side. Only, it's 15 minutes until the food is done and I haven't started any bread!! Arrgh!

Then I take a deep breath and start making Soft Breadsticks. And 15 minutes later, we have bread with dinner. All is right with the world.

I got this recipe from Taste of Home magazine years and years ago. I have used it many, many, many times since. It is just that easy and that good. Try it and you'll see why we make it so often.

Soft Breadsticks

In a small bowl combine:

1 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Stir to combine well. Add

2/3 c. milk

Stir until a soft dough forms. This is kind of like biscuit dough, you don't want to be too tough with it or the breadsticks will be tough. Roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 10" x 5" and about 1/2 " thick. Cut it into 12 breadsticks.

In a 9x13 pan melt 3 Tbs. of butter or margarine. Place the breadsticks in the pan, flipping to coat both sides. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and place in a 450 degree oven for 14 -18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Notes:

• I almost always need less milk. Don't add it all at once, you can always add more, but it is really hard to take it out if you used too much!!
• Sometimes I sprinkle them with garlic powder and sesame seeds. You could do poppy seeds or a combo also.
• We always double this recipe. I have a half-sheet cake pan that fits the doubled recipe perfectly. You could use two 9x13's if you don't have a big pan.

I don't have a picture of this recipe because we always eat them too fast. Yeah, it's not because I forgot, it's because they were gone so fast.

If you want more recipe ideas, hop on over to The Grocery Cart Challenge and check 'em out!

Artisan Bread at Home

Have you every gone to a really, really good bakery and come out with a loaf of just plain, incredibly delicious bread? Or been out to eat and they bring the bread out first and you forget all about the main course you ordered because the bread is what you really want to eat all night? I have figured out how to make it at home.

I adore bread. My oldest daughter asked me the other night, "Mom, if you made a new best friend, would they have to love bread to stay your friend?" It was an odd question (she is the queen of odd, off the wall questions), but I finally said, "yes, I think they would!"

I love to eat bread, and I love to make bread. However, I have had trouble getting my bread to taste like those artisan breads at the bakery. I discovered that the secret is a long, slow rise - and very little (or no) sugar. The trick to a really crisp crust is to add steam to the oven as the bread bakes.

This recipe comes from Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, one of my favorite cookbooks. I have reviewed it before, but this is one of my favorite recipes. I don't make this near often enough, mostly because I don't think far enough ahead. This recipe isn't hard at all, it just takes forethought. It literally takes days to make, but 99% of that is just waiting time. Don't let this throw you. Just toss the stuff together and set in in the corner. Add a few things now and then and then bake when ready. Seriously, it is SO worth it! It is named after the authors' son Dom. It does make a really big batch (four huge loaves) feel free to half it, it works fine.

Here is how it goes, this is my very condensed version, the book has much more detailed instructions:

Dom's Large Batch Italian Boules and Focaccia

Put in a bowl:

3 c. water
1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Stir to dissolve, then add:

3 c. all purpose flour

Stir until a smooth batter forms. Cover and let sit 8 to 24 hours, whatever is most convenient.

Add to the batter:

6 c. lukewarm water

Stir then add:

2 c. whole wheat flour
4 c. all purpose flour

Stir until smooth then cover and set aside for 4 to 12 hours as convenient. Then add:

7 to 8 c. all purpose flour

Stir in bowl until you can't stir anymore then turn out to floured surface and knead in the rest of the flour. The dough should be smooth, soft and almost sticky. You really don't want to add too much flour. Put back in the bowl, cover with plastic and let rise 3 1/2 to 4 hours (or over night in a cool place).

To shape the loaves, cut the dough into four equal parts. SEt aisde loosely covered with plastic. Line three 8 to 10 inch round shallow wooden bowls or baskets with cotton clothes (such as tea towels) and flour the cloths well.

On a lightly floured surface, tuck the sides of 1 piece of dough under all around to make a large round boule. Pinch together underneath. Transfer the boule to a bowl or basket seam side up. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let rise for 1 1/2 hrs, covered loosely with plastic wrap.

Forty-five minutes before you plan to start baking place a baking sotne in the oven. Preheat to 500 degrees.

When it is risen and the oven is preheated, transfer the bread to the baking stone. Transfer it to a peel that has been dusted liberally with corn meal first if that helps. With a really sharp knife, slash three cuts in the top. Spritz the loaf liberally with water and then throw some ice cubes in the bottom of the oven. Shut the door! The ice and the water will add steam to the oven and you don't want it to escape! You can spritz it with water a few more times in the first 5 to 10 minutes.

Bake until darkly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. It should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool on a wire rack.

While it is cooling, you get to hear the bread "sing." This is my favorite part (other than eating it!). As the crust cools, it crackles quietly. It means it is going to have one of those fabulous crusty crusts. Yum!

If you can't fit all the loaves in at once, don't sweat it! Just bake them in batches, the longer rising time won't hurt them.

You can also make focaccia out of this dough. Before baking, press it out flat and let rise 45 minutes or so. Dimple the surface with your fingers and brush liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and herbs (basil and/or rosemary are good). We always do garlic too!

Seriously, if you are a bread fan, you have got to try this!

Jill

Oatmeal Pancakes - Yum!

I'm not sure if pancakes count as "baking" but they are a bread-type item. Plus, we had this recipe for dinner tonight and they were so good! And really healthy and surprisingly easy.

This recipe comes from the book The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon. If you are at all interested in vegetarian cooking (even if you are only looking to do it once a week or so) I highly recommend this book. It is a big one - 1110 pages!! But it is cram-packed with recipes, tips, recipe variations, and suggestions. There are some really, well, left-wing recipes. But there are lots and lots of "normal" food that just doesn't happen to have meat in it. This recipe is one of those examples.

Ethereal Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes

In a medium bowl combine:

3/4 c. old fashioned rolled oats
2 c. buttermilk (I used regular skim milk and added buttermilk powder to the dry ingredients)

Let the oats and milk sit for 1/2 hr.

Add to the oat/milk mixture:

1/4 c. buckwheat flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour (I couldn't find buckwheat flour so I used 1/2 c. whole wheat flour)
1/2 c. unbleached white all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 egg yolks

Mix together, if the batter seems excessively thick, add a little more buttermilk (or in my case, milk).

In a separate bowl beat until stiff peaks form:

2 egg whites

(I used my KitchenAid stand mixer and it was really fast and easy) Fold the beaten egg white into the oat/milk/flour mixture. Cook on a non-stick pan until bubbles appear then flip. When they are done, serve with butter and syrup!

Next time I think I'm going to add some blueberries. I think they would go well with this recipe. We all ate them up and they were great.

Jill

PS If anyone has a miracle cure for the flu - you know, the high-fever-aching-headache-chills-coughing-feeling-miserable flu, please send it to me asap! The whole family has come down with it one by one. Darling Daughter number 3 came down with it this morning. Thus far, I'm the only one that hasn't gotten it. (knock on wood!) I really, really don't want to get it (however, Darling Daughter number 2 lost 6 lbs in 4 days, I wouldn't mind that!). The whole school has got it - one class last week had 10 kids absent in a class of 22! Going to wash my hands now, for the 145th time today!

Monkey Bread

Every year for the family Christmas brunch I am asked to bring two loaves of monkey bread. What is monkey bread, you ask? It is like bite-sized cinnamon rolls that are wonderful! My friend Kari heard that I was making monkey bread and said, "Will you please post the recipe on your blog?" Here at Jill's Crazy Life, we aim to please, so here, without further ado, is the recipe for Monkey Bread!

Monkey Bread
Dissolve in a bowl:

1 c. warm water
1/3 c. sugar
1 Tbs. yeast

Let sit until it becomes bubbly and foamy. (If you have never made bread before, you can get step by step instructions from my Bread Making 101 post. Just substitute these ingredients for the ones in that post.)

Add:

1/3 c. instant powdered milk (I mix mine with the flour so it doesn't get lumpy. I don't think mine is "instant" powdered milk!)
2 eggs at room temperature (I put mine in a bowl of hot water while I'm waiting for the first mixture to get foamy.)
1 tsp salt
1/3 c. melted margarine
5 1/2 c. to 6 c. of flour

Mix and/or knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until double in bulk. This should take about an hour or so. Unless you put it in the refrigerator overnight - in that case you will need forever to get it to double in bulk. I made that mistake last night and was late for my party this morning because the stupid stuff wouldn't rise!!!

After you have let it rise, the hard part starts. Ok, it's not really hard, it is just time consuming and fussy. It's worth it though, trust me.

This recipe will make one really, really large loaf or two slightly smaller than normal loaves. I like to bake the smaller loaves because this bread typically gets done on the outside before it does on the inside. I'd rather have smaller loaves and no gooey insides than larger loaves and either undone insides or burned outsides.

So, divide your dough into two equal portions and set one aside. I take one half and cut it into small little chunks. I don't worry about equal sizes I just try to make them more or less the same size. You want to roll these little chunks into balls. Then you are going to roll them in melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar. This is my assembly -line all ready to go:

I haven't cut all the little chunks at this point, but you get the idea. After you have rolled them in the butter and cinnamon-sugar, place them in your greased loaf pan.
Look at those two lonely little dough balls. Don't worry, soon they will have lots more friends and a lot less space. In fact, look at them now:
I'm just starting the second layer in this picture, eventually they whole thing will have two layers. After you have all the balls in two layers, you set it aside and let it rise til it is puffy and fat. Then bake at 350 degrees until done. I use an instant-read thermometer, when it is 180 degrees or more on the inside it is done. I wish I could say "cook until golden brown" but it doesn't work that way. When it is golden brown outside it is sometimes still gooey inside. Instant-read thermometers are fairly cheap and useful for all kinds of things, you might want to consider one.


Here is one of the finished loaves all bundled up waiting to go to the party:
I try to get them to the party still warm. Doesn't always work but I try!

Try some monkey bread, your family will be glad you did!

Jill

Book Review - Cheap Eating

Many years ago I took a trip to the beach with friends. It was all girls (we called ourselves the "Beach Babes") and we had a fabulous time going out to lunch, poking around in the shops, walking on the beach, curling up with good books and, of course, talking - a lot! On one of our trips into town, we peeked into a small bookstore. I, of course, went straight for the cooking section. This little book caught my eye - Cheap Eating - How to Feed Your Family Well and Spend Less, by Pat Edwards. At the time, my husband was just starting out in his career and we had two small children. I was working at the time but wanted desperately to quit my job and stay home with my girls. I was looking for anyway possible to cut expenses to allow that to happen. A book that could teach me to cook and eat cheap? For only $9.95? I'll take it!

Not long after that trip I was finally able to quit my job and stay home. I wish I could say this book was responsible, but it was not. However, it did give me some great ideas.

The first 130 pages of this book aren't recipes, but rather strategies and ideas to help you shop smarter and cook cheaper. If you are a hard-core frugal shopper, most of this information is nothing new. There are some tips and tricks you might not have thought of, but nothing earth-shattering. If you are the "don't make a list, throw whatever in the cart, convenience is the name of the game" type of shopper, you will learn a lot from this book. In fact, if you are that kind of shopper, some of these ideas may seem extreme and unrealistic. Let me assure you, lots of people shop and cook in exactly this way and it doesn't feel extreme to us!

The last 150 pages or so are recipes. Let me just say this, these are bare-bones, no frills recipes. An example is the recipe for lentil rice casserole on page 140. The ingredients are: lentils, rice, water, onions, salt and pepper. That is it, you don't saute the onion in oil or butter, there is not flavoring in the water, you put it all in a casserole pan and bake for 1 hour at 350. She lists "optional" ingredients as curry and grated cheese. I'm not sure if she's talking about curry powder or not, and she doesn't say how to add it. She recommends serving the cheese at the table to sprinkle on top. I'm not sure my family would go for this one. Her version is listed as only costing 73 cents for the whole casserole (not including the "optional" cheese).

However, these recipes can be the basis for some really cheap meals if you make modifications that don't send the cost skyrocketing. For instance, we do a variation on the lentil-rice casserole with chicken boullion added to the water, sauted carrots and onions and cheese melted on top. Mine is still really cheap but has enough flavor that my family gobbles it up.

One such "changeable" recipe is "Breakfast Muffin Cake" Here is the original recipe:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix in a bowl:

2 eggs
4 Tbls oil
1/2 c. molasses
2 cups water

Mix in a separate bowl:

1 c. dry milk
2 c. dry oatmeal
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
(optional ingredients are raisins or a couple Tbs of marmalade; 1/2 c. applesauce, cooked squash, or carrots)

Blend dry ingredients with wet, stir just until moistened. Bake in 9 x 12 pan for 15 minutes. Should last for two breakfasts. Cost: $1.65. (The book was printed in 1993, I'm sure prices have changed).

I made some modifications: I added 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/2 c. dried cranberries. I used part whole wheat for some of the flour. I drizzled a powdered sugar glaze on the cake when it came out of the oven. It took almost 25 minutes to bake and I used a 9 x 13 pan (who has a 9 x 12???). My family liked it and I would definately make it again. Next time I would add the 1/2 c. applesauce (my family's one complaint was that it was a little dry), I would do raisins instead of cranberries, and I would blend the oatmeal (I used whole oats and they were a little crunchy).

So, it was a really cheap recipe, I made modifications that didn't break the bank, and I came up with a healthy, cheap recipe that my family likes. That's a winning combo!

If you don't like playing with your recipes, but want flavorful food, this is probably not the cookbook for you. If you have fun being frugal and don't mind tweaking a recipe to make it fit your family, you would probably enjoy it. In addition, I did a search on Half.com and on Amazon.com and found copies of this book for as low as 75 cents! Hey, for 75 cents you can't go wrong, right?

Jill

Whole Wheat Pan Rolls

We have a few recipes in our house that are family favorites. Recipes that we turn to again and again. Recipes that people request on special occasions and when we just need comfort or familiarity. One-eyed Egyptians and ham fried rice are two of those such recipes. Whole wheat pan rolls is another.

These rolls are really easy and make a whole bunch so there are always leftovers. Fortunately, they are fabulous toasted the next day with butter and honey on them. These rolls are the perfect partner with a big bowl of soup. Here we go.

First, a caveat. These pictures are not very good. In fact, they are really bad. I need serious help in the photo department. I also need more natural light in my kitchen. In the interest of better blog pictures I really think I need new skylights in my kitchen. I could write the expense off as a business expense, right?

Whole Wheat Pan Rolls
makes 2 dozen

Dissolve together in a big bowl:

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbs. yeast
1/4 c. honey

Let the yeast dissolve and get foamy then add:

1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. melted butter
3 eggs
2-3 c. whole wheat flour
2-3 c. all-purpose flour

Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Or, do what I do, put it in your stand mixer and let the mixer do the work! The amount of flour is something I struggle with. The original recipe says 4-5 c. whole wheat flour. We prefer it half and half and it definitely needs more than 5 cups. I just keep adding a 1/3 of a cup at a time until the dough comes together and isn't sticky.

Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch it down and turn it on to a floured surface.

Divide the dough in half. Then divide each half in half. Now you have four equal pieces. Take each piece and divide in in half again (I promise, we are done with the "divide it in half" stuff!). Each of these new little pieces will be divided into three equal parts. What we are trying to do here is make two dozen rolls that are all the same size! If you can come up with a better way, be my guest, but this works for me.

Take each of those little pieces and mush it in your hands (kind of a mini kneading session) then form it into a ball. Place the balls in a big pan. I use a half sheet cake size pan. You could also use two 9 x 13 pans. Here is what they will look like when you get to this point:
(At this point I want to remind you of my earlier confession. These pictures are really bad. But the food depicted in them is really good. Trust me.)

Cover the pan and set it someplace not too cold. Let it rise until the rolls are twice as big. They should be touching each other and starting to push against each other. Like this:
Put it in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They should be nicely browned and have an internal temperature of over 180 degrees. They will look like this:

When you pull them apart they look like this:

This picture is better. Maybe I'm learning?

You split these babies open and spread butter on them and Wow! You can really go crazy and drizzle honey on it. Help me, I'm addicted. I have some of these on the counter from dinner tonight. I think I need a midnight snack.

Yum!

Jill

Quickie Biscuits

(It turns out that writing about what I learned from my Month of Nothing is harder than I thought it would be. Just so much, and hard to articulate it all. In addition, it is election night and I'm addicted to politics and can't pull myself away from the TV. I'll try to get it up tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this recipe which saved me many times during the Month of Nothing.)

I love biscuits. They are my go to when I need something quick to add to meal that really seems to be missing some kind of bread. I pretty much always keep a box of Bisquick in my pantry (actually I pour a box of Bisquick into a Tupperware container in my pantry, but whatever).

When I started my Month of Nothing I figured that I would be making a lot of bread and biscuits to round out my meal. Then I ran out of Bisquick on day number one. How great of planning was that on my part? So I had to come up with an alternative. I turned to my trusty Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. I love this book and it has some of my favorite bread recipes. I found a recipe for "Mother's Biscuits" and thought I would try it. Man, I'm glad I did. This recipe is really quick, easy and cheap. I added a few ingredients to make it like the Red Lobster biscuits - cheese and garlic butter.

Here we go:


First, grind your own wheat.

Ok, you don't have to grind your own flour. I do, but only because I'm really trying to add more whole grains to our diet and because I have wheat in my food storage. But not everyone does that and that is fine. This recipe is written for all white flour so I'm sure it's great. Just know that it works with some whole wheat in it also. So let's start over:
First, combine:

2 c. all purpose flour (you can use part whole wheat)
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix them all together and then cut in:

2 Tbs. butter (yes, only 2 Tbs., although I usually use a "generous" 2 Tbs.)

You want to cut it in with a pastry cutter (pictured in the photo above) or two knives, or the mixer attachment on your stand mixer. It should look like course cornmeal when you are done. I took a picture of this but you really can't tell what it looks like so I'm not posting it. Email me if you really need to see it!

At this point the original recipe has you add some milk, I'll get to that in a minute, I add 1/2 c to 3/4c. of shredded cheeseDoesn't that look good? Ok, then you mix that all in, so the cheese is coated in the flour mixture.

Then you add: 1 scant cup of milk. That is what the recipe says. I usually use about a cup minus 2 tbs. or so. You just have to kind of see how much you need. It needs to be a soft dough and not terribly stiff. But it needs to not be batter. It should look something like this:Then you drop it on to the cookie sheets. I use a Silpat (silicon baking sheet). This recipe makes about 17 biscuits. We have 6 people in our family and I try really, really hard to get 18 biscuits so that we can all have equal amounts. You can do it, but they all end up really small, so I just do 17 and one of us gets less. I know it sounds ridiculous, but just try it for yourself.

I use this recipe and make drop biscuits, but the recipe calls for rolling it out and cutting it into biscuits. I don't like to fuss with it and besides, when I roll biscuits I always end up with tough biscuits. Unless I want to serve them with jam, which requires them to be rolled so that you can cut them open, I always do drop biscuits.

Put them in the oven and bake them at 425 for 12 to 14 minutes. When they come out, brush them with melted butter that you have mixed with some garlic powder:

Doesn't that look good? Believe me when I tell you, it tastes even better than it looks!

Put them on a plate and step out of the way. I even made these for snacks the other night, and they were gone in seconds.

Try them. Really. They are good. Trust me.

Jill