Category: Bread (Page 6 of 7)

Spiced Pear Bread

January 16, 2015 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 14 Comments

It is an ongoing goal and challenge to use food wisely. When I see a piece of fruit in the fruit bowl getting a little too ripe, I feel like I need to do something with it. Of course, this is a good problem to have–too much food–much better than the opposite problem–but I want to continually learn to use the food I have in ways that taste delicious and give us good energy. Sometimes it is hard to plan or predict how much food to buy at a time–who knew my kids would go through a big bag of pretzels in two days, yet ignore the pears? I guess I should have known! Anyway, this spiced pear bread is a tasty way to use a very ripe pear–the juicier the pear, the moister the bread. And it is a more nourishing snack than a plate full of pretzels! (Pretzels have their place too, but variety is a good thing). The cinnamon, cloves, and orange rind add to this bread’s subtle, sweet flavor, and it tastes great just sliced on its own or with a little butter or cream cheese on it. Add a steaming cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, and it’s even better. I based this recipe on one I found in my Dr. Cookie Cookbook by Marvin Wayne and Stephen Yarnall, though I made some changes. Isn’t that the beauty of recipes, that they are always evolving with the years and with the people who use them. I am taking this bread over to Angie’s blog at The Novice Gardener for the Fiesta Friday link party. I always find inspiring ideas there! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Spiced Pear Bread

Servings: 1 loaf, or 12 slices
Time: 15 minutes preparation, plus 40-50 minutes baking time
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Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce–if your pear is very juicy, lean towards 2 tablespoons, if not so juicy, use 3
1 teaspoon orange rind (you may also you lemon rind)
1 cup finely chopped unpeeled pear (about one pear)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, and set aside. In another mixing bowl, vigorously stir the eggs, brown sugar, and oil until smooth. (You can use an electric mixer if you want, but I did not find it necessary as long as I stirred it really well). Add the honey, applesauce, orange or lemon rind, and stir well again. Then, gently stir the flour mixture and the pear into the batter until just combined. Scrape the combined batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in your oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. It’s okay if the crust cracks a little. Cool the bread in the loaf pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan onto the wire rack and cool completely. Enjoy!

Settling into Winter with Fresh Cinnamon Rolls

January 5, 2015 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 10 Comments

Well, the holidays have come and gone with the blink of an eye. We took our Christmas decorations down yesterday, and it felt so sad to officially acknowledge that the festivities and celebrations are over for awhile. But when we were done taking the tree down and putting the sparkling ornaments away, the open spaces and clean surfaces made the house feel fresh and new, ready to be filled with new experiences in the coming year. I have always liked the beginning of the New Year, and always start January with the best of intentions. (Whether or not I stick to all my New Year’s resolutions is another story, perhaps for a different blog post!). This morning it is extremely cold and bright here, with a fresh coat of snow blanketing the trees and ground. Fitting weather for a new year, a fresh start. According to the weather forecast, winter is settling in this week. More snow and continued cold temperatures are on the way. My whole family loves to go out in the snow, so that is exciting. But we also need something to take the edge off of the difficulties of winter, something sweet and comforting. What better way to take comfort from the cold than making a batch of soft, sweet cinnamon rolls. The recipe I am posting is adapted from a recipe I found long ago in a cookbook I return to again and again for basic recipes, my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I just love the taste of the dough rolled up and baked with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. Delicious! Personally, I like these cinnamon rolls on their own without any icing, but I am including a really easy icing recipe for those who like a little extra sweetness. I also find that the icing helps on cinnamon rolls that are a day old and not as soft as they were the day before. So sometimes I don’t make the icing till the next day. If you are going to be home for a few hours and want to make something special, warming, and cheerful, I would highly recommend these cinnamon rolls!

Sweet Cinnamon Rolls and Powdered Sugar Icing

Servings: 24 rolls
Time: about three hours total, including rising and baking time
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Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls:

4 to 4/13 cups all purpose flour
1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Ingredients for Powdered Sugar Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk

Directions for Cinnamon Rolls:

Combine 2 cups of the all purpose flour and 1 package of active dry yeast in a large mixing bowl. Meanwhile, heat and stir 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt till warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees) and butter almost melts. (Don’t let it get it too hot, or it will kill your yeast–make sure it is only warm and not hot when you pour it into the flour/yeast mixture). Add the butter mixture to the bowl with the flour and yeast, along with two eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds and then on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. Then using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining 2 to 2 and 1/3 cups of all purpose flour as you can.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic and not sticky. (About 5-10 minutes of kneading). Shape dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl. Turn once and cover with a dish towel. Let rise in a warm place till double (about one hour). When dough has about doubled in size, punch the dough down. Turn out onto the lightly floured surface again and divide in half. Cover and let the two halves rest for 10 minutes. Then roll one of the halves of dough into a 12 inch x 8 inch rectangle. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and brush half of the butter over the rectangle of dough. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the rectangle of dough. Roll up from one of the long sides of the rectangle. Seal the seams by pressing the edges of dough together. Carefully slice the dough into 12 pieces (I use a serrated knife for this, so I don’t squish the dough out of shape). Repeat process with the remaining dough. Place the rolls in two lightly greased 9 x 1 and 1/2 inch round baking pans. Cover and let rise until almost double in size (about 30 minutes this time). Bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden. Let the rolls cool slightly, and then remove from the pans. Drizzle with powdered sugar icing (see directions below) or serve on their own. Enjoy this special treat!

Directions for Powdered Sugar Icing:

In a medium bowl, with a spoon mix the cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and one tablespoon of the milk. Stir in more milk very gradually–1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches the desired consistency. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls if desired. This makes about 1/2 cup of icing.

Recipe adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Tenth Ring Bound Edition

Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread

November 8, 2014 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 6 Comments

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” –Henry David Thoreau

There is something so beautiful, yet so humble about pumpkins. They are all unique in size and shape, and their deep orange color is energizing and appealing. They are inexpensive and at least around here, they are overflowingly plentiful. I drive by a big field full of ripe pumpkins almost every day. As the grass and trees fade to shades of browns and grays, the pumpkins glow bright orange in comparison. I know there are a lot of pumpkin recipes floating around right now, but it’s pumpkin season. So I am going to add this pumpkin bread recipe to the pumpkin conversation. What makes this recipe stand out to me is there is no oil or butter in it. The bread is incredibly moist, but the moistness comes from the applesauce and pumpkin puree. I am always on the lookout for appealing cookbooks to explore and new recipes to try. I checked out a really great book from our tiny but wonderful local library, called Beyond the Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets of the Super-Healthy by Layne Lieberman. This book was published in 2013 and is full of inspiring advice on living a high-quality lifestyle, and it has recipes to try as well (and pretty photos–I really like a book about food to have appealing photos). The recipe for pumpkin bread below comes from this book. I found this bread to be truly both enjoyable and healthy, with the pumpkin seeds on top being a fun addition. My sweet son and his good friend came home ravenous from school yesterday, and they pounced on this pumpkin bread immediately. They both gave it a thumbs-up, and decided it tasted like pumpkin pie without the crust. A pretty sweet way to sneak in a vegetable and a fruit.

Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread

Servings: 12
Time: about 20 minutes preparation, plus about 40 minutes baking time
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Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh–I used a 14 ounce can)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and spices. In a separate large bowl, whisk together applesauce, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Slowly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones; combine, but don’t over mix.

Lightly grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan (or a shallow 8-inch baking pan) with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the baking dish and sprinkle with optional pumpkin seeds if desired. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, checking for doneness. (Bread is done when the top begins to crack and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.) Let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen. Enjoy!