Mom's Scones

Ingredients:

1 c. warm water

1 c. warm milk

1 T. dry active yeast

3 T. granulated sugar

1/4 c. melted butter, cooled

1 T. salt

5-6 c. bread flour

vegetable oil for deep frying

Recipe:

1. Combine warm water and warm milk. Stir in the sugar. Add yeast and stir lightly.

2. Allow yeast to activate, about 10 minutes. 

3. In a stand mixer, fitted with a bread hook, add milk mixture and melted cooled butter. Add the salt.

4. Start the mixer and add the flour one cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough should be slightly sticky but workable.

5. Cover the dough in the bowl with a towel. Set in a warm place allow to rise until double.

6. Pour your oil in a large pan (with sides deep enough to fully immerse the scones) or a deep fryer and heat slowly over medium-high heat. 

7. While the oil is heating, roll the dough out onto the counter, without flour, into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

8. You may choose to butter the counter lightly. Using a pizza cutter, cut into squares or triangles. 

9. Heat oil to between 350-400 degrees and cook scones until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Rating: 3 of 5

These weren't great, but they were still good. I think the thing I didn't like about them is that it's just SO much fried food at once. We ate these with honey-butter which was really, really good. I didn't like the scones so much after they were cooled. They were best hot. I'd have to tweak this recipe a little bit before I would make it again.

Source: Make It Do, Mom's Scones

Cheesy Garlic Bread Swirls

Ingredients:

Bread Dough:

1 T. yeast

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 1/2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

4-5 1/2 c. flour

3 T. vegetable oil

1 egg yolk

Garlic Butter:

1/2 c. of real butter

1 1/2 T. garlic bread seasoning

shredded mozzarella cheese

Recipe:

1. Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly.

2. Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger.

3. Knead, either by hand or in mixer for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.

4. While dough is rising, combine butter and garlic bread seasoning. Set aside.

5. Roll dough into a rectangle that's about 18-20 inches by 6 inches. Smear garlic butter over the entire surface of the dough and then sprinkle with cheese.

6. Roll up jelly-roll style and then use dental floss to cut into 12 equal slices. Place each slice in a muffin tin. Cover with a clean cloth. Preheat oven to 350 and allow rolls to rise while the oven is heating.

7. When the oven is ready, bake for 18-22 minutes. When you notice the cheese getting brown, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the rolls. This will keep the cheese from burning although it will get pretty brown on top.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I really liked these, but because I made them so long ago and can't remember exactly what it was that I did and did not like, I'm afraid to give them a higher rating. Guess I'll have to make them again! With that being said, I really did like the cheesy mess between each layer of bread and I did like the seasoning. I made these for the missionaries one night and our newest Elder declared that "[they were] the best rolls [he's] ever had!" So, they must be good, right?

Source: Our Best Bites, Cheesy Garlic Bread Swirls

40-Minute Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:

2 T. active dry yeast

1 c. + 2 T. warm water

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/4c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. salt

3-3.5 c. all-purpose flour

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.

2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

3. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. 

Rating: 4 of 5

I really liked this recipe. I was a little skeptical at first and wondered if I'd be able to get the soft, fluffy bun texture, but this recipe did not disappoint! You could easily make these whole wheat as well. Besides being super easy and quick, they were soft, fluffy, and the perfect hamburger bun! I don't think I'll ever buy buns again!

Source: Taste of Home, 40-Minutes Hamburger Buns

Quick French Bread

Ingredients:

1/4 c. warm water

2 1/2 t. dry active yeast

1 t. sugar

1 T sugar

1 t. salt

1 c. + 2 T. warm water

3 1/2- 4 c. all-purpose flour

1 egg white and 1 T water*

* in an effort to save my lone egg for something else, I brushed my bread with a little bit of milk(which makes the top of the loaf turn a darker brown). I'd imagine that you could also use warm water and baking soda which would leave the loaf closer to it's natural baking color.

Recipe:

1. Combine 1/4 c. water, yeast and 1 t. sugar in a bowl. Allow to stand until bubbly.

2. Add in 1 T. sugar, salt and remaining water.

3. Gradually add in flour, mix well and knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 15-20 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 300 while dough rises.

4. Place several cups of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil while you form the loaf. If you want to make 2 smaller loaves, divide dough in half. 

5. Flour a surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Roll up the dough and turn ends under and place seam side down onto a greased cookie sheet. *

6. Cut 3 diagonal cute into the loaf about 1/4 inch deep. Combine water and egg white and brush onto loaf.

7. Pour boiled water into an oven-safe dish and place on the lower rack of the preheated oven. 

8. TURN OFF THE OVEN! Place sheet with bread on the rack above the water. Let rise until double and then take out the pan of water, about 10-15 minutes.

9. Turn oven on to 425 degrees and bake 10 minutes.

10. Turn heat down to 375 and bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

*I actually thought the rolling out process produced rather puny loaves, even when I didn't divide it and tried to make a single (I divided my dough into 4 parts in order to use for some delicious French Dip Sandwiches!). I recommend forming the dough into a ball and then rolling it out into a fatty snake (think play dough snakes as a kid) and making the French bread shape that way. Much easier, quicker, and no seam or folding under!

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a pretty easy recipe, but it's definitely a very involved one. It's not like other bread recipes where you can go off and leave the dough alone for an hour or two. So, if you're going to make this one, make sure your mentally there. It could be super easy to get distracted and ruin the bread. I definitely think I'll stick to brushing the bread with milk. So much easier. As far as taste goes, I thought this recipe was a pretty close match to store bough French bread. The outside is slightly crispy while the inside is nice and fluffy. I'll definitely be making this over buying every time! In fact, I kind of want to make another batch today and just eat garlic bread because I can!

Source: Thirty Handmade Days, Quick French Bread

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 t. yeast

1 T. honey *

1 1/4 c. warm water

1 1/2 c. bread flour, divided

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, divided

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1 t. salt

cornmeal, for spinkling

* I used sugar. My honey was caramelized.

Recipe:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, honey, and 1/2 c. water. Stir gently to blend.

2. Whisk 1/4 c. bread flour and 1/4 c. whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture until smooth.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

4. Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the mixer stand, fitted with the dough hook. Add in the remaining 3/4 c. warm water, 1 1/4 c. bread flour, 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour, olive oil, and salt.

5. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise about 1 hour, or until doubled.

6. Place an oven rack in the middle position. Place a baking stone (or pizza stone, if using one) in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.

7. Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten one ball at a time into a disk, then stretch out into a 6 1/2 to 7-inch circle.

8.  Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet or other work surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Once all the rounds have been shaped, loosely cover with clean kitchen towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.

9. Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, onto the baking surface (can be baked on a baking stone or directly on oven racks). Bake 2 minutes, until puffed and pale golden. Gently flip the pitas over using tongs and bake 1 minute more.

10. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining pitas. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

These ain't no store bought pitas! To me, store bought pita and tortillas have the same problem: they taste a little plastic-y. No bueno. These pitas take pita bread to a whole new level! Soft and fluffy and full of flavor! Well, as full of flavor as you can get with wheat. We had them with Hummus and Cucumber Tomato Salad, but they would be divine with just about anything inside. Maybe a scrambled eggs for breakfast even? I don't know that I will buy pita bread again in the future.

Source: Annie's Eats, Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Beignets

Ingredients:

1 (1/4-oz) envelope active dry yeast *

3/4 c. warm water

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. evaporated milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 T. vanilla

1 t. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 t. salt

2 T. shortening or softened butter

4 c. all-purpose or bread flour

vegetable oil, for frying

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, for dusting

*I used 2 1/4 t.

Recipe:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, water, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. Add 1/4 c. sugar, evaporated milk, egg, vanilla, nutmeg and salt.

3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add half the flour, mixing just until combined.

4. Add the shortening and the remaining flour, mixing until the dough forms into a mass.

5. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, and knead a few times.

6. Place the dough into a large greased bowl. Turn the dough to grease it all over. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 2-4 hours, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

7. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

8. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top, and gently shape the dough into a rectangle. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 2 1/2-inch squares.

9. Pour oil into an electric skillet or Dutch oven until it is 3 inches deep, and heat to 360 degrees F. Fry dough, in batches, 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack sitting on top of paper towels. To keep beignets warm after frying, place in preheated oven.

10. Dust the beignets liberally with powdered sugar, or pour sugar into a bad and shake to coat. Serve warm.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

I've never had a true New Orleans beignet before, so I'm not sure what they're supposed to taste like. But, we liked these just fine. What's not to like about something completely covered in powdered sugar? They're easy, that's for sure. They definitely have a flavor that I feel like is a little bit of an acquired taste, at first, and then after the first one or two it just starts to taste like a fresh doughnut. Ally absolutely loved, especially since Tiana makes them in The Princess and the Frog.

Source: Ezra Pound Cake, Beignets

Auntie Anne's Pretzels: Copycat

Ingredients:

2 c. milk

1 1/2 T. active dry yeast

6 T. brown sugar

4 T. butter, melted

4 1/2 c. flour *

2 t. fine salt

1/3 c. baking soda

3 c. warm water

coarse salt 8 T. butter, melted in a shallow dish **

*I used bread flour and it was AMAZING!

** I actually only used 4 T. butter and had just enough

Recipe:

1. Warm up the milk in the microwave or on the stove for just about 1 1/2 minutes. It should be about 110 degrees.

2. Stir in the yeast and let it sit for about 3 minutes.

3. Add the butter and sugar. Combine.

4. Add the flour about 1 cup at a time and then add the fine salt. *

5. Knead for about 10 minutes with a stand mixer, or by hand. Put in greased bowl and cover with greased cling wrap. Let rise for 1 hour in warm place until doubled in size.

6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

7. Divide dough into 12 lumps. Roll them all out as thin as you can. **

8. Combine the warm water and baking soda in a wide bowl.***

9. Form the dough into pretzel shapes, then dip in the baking soda water. Place on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt. ****

10. Bake for about 7-11 minutes or until browned. Serve with cheese sauce.

11. Melt the butter. Roll pretzels in butter and then dip in cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated.

*I actually added about 1 1/2 c. of flour, mixed, added the 2 t. salt, mixed, and then continued on with the rest of the flour.

** Since we have little mouths, I decided to go for a more portion friendly size and divided the dough into 24 pieces.

*** I used a pie plate.

****For the pretzels that we wanted to cover with cinnamon and sugar I didn't sprinkle salt on them.

Rating: 5 of 5

Soft, fluffy, tasty, easy, and so close to Auntie Anne's. I couldn't help but shouting out every few minutes, "These are SO GOOD!" While Ally would throw in, "Oh my goodness! They are perfect!" And Daniel just took his cinnamon-sugar covered pretzel and dipped it in more cinnamon and sugar. Seriously, so good! I just don't know that I've ever had a more delicious soft pretzel!

Source: Yammie's Noshery, Auntie Anne's Pretzels

Fail-Proof Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 12-inch pizzas

1 c. warm water

2 1/4 t. active dry yeast

1 T. honey OR sugar

2 t. salt

2 T. olive oil OR canola oil

3 c. bread flour (give or take 1/2 c.) *

*I only needed 2 1/2 c.

Recipe:

1. In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam.

2. Pour in salt, oil, half of the flour and mix. Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn't stick to your hands.

3. Once you reach this stage, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on a walk away! The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean.

4. Lightly grease the bowl and the dough so it doesn't dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours.*

5. Shape dough into whatever you would like.

6. Bake at 500 degrees F for 9-10 minutes.

*My bread was double at the 1 hour mark.

Rating: 3 of 5

This is a really simple recipe. For sure. It's not my favorite pizza dough recipe, but it's a good thin crust recipe. It's perfect for little mouths, like D and A's. Not so puffy that they can't get it into their mouths.

Source: Lauren's Latest, Fail-Proof Pizza Dough

Pre-Baked Pizza Crusts

These are the 1 of 5.

Her little pizza is the 4 of 5

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast OR 2 1/4 t.

1 1/4 c. warm water

3 c. bread flour

1 1/2 t. sea salt *

2 T. olive oil

* I didn't have any sea salt so I just used Kosher salt

Recipe:

1. Add yeast to warm water. Mix and set aside for 5-10 minutes.

2. If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook. Mix flour, salt, and olive oil. Add yeast mixture and on medium speed, mix dough. Continue letting dough hook kneed until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

3. Line two baking sheets with parchment and dust with flour.

4. Divide dough into 16 even pieces. Tuck edges under to make 16 small balls of dough. Place each ball onto prepared baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and place in lukewarm oven for 45 minutes to rise.

5. After rising, roll dough out into 3-4 inch circles. Dough should not be too thin.

6. Place baking sheet in oven and preheat everything to 475 degrees F.

7. When oven and sheets have preheated, bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

8. Use immediately, store in air tight container for 3 days or freeze.

9. To use dough to make fresh pizza straight from the oven rather than pre-baked crusts, increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and after rolling out the dough, top raw dough with sauce, cheese and toppings and bake on pizza stone for 10-15 minutes or until browned and bubbling.

Rating: 1 of 5 (adjusted 4 of 5)

First things, first. I loved working with this dough. It was so smooth and fluffy and felt like it was going to make a delicious pizza crust. I love bread flour! However, I think the temperature and cook time were way too high/long. Instead of soft little pizza crusts, they came out as hard burnt crackers (as seen in the picture). I, thankfully, saved a few just in case it didn't turn out and cooked them at 450 for 6 minutes. They turned out perfectly! So, I don't really like the recipe as is, but with the adjustments it turns out well.

Source: Out of the Box Food, Pre-baked Pizza Crusts

Margherita Pizza

A few weeks ago the kids and I went to the library and I stumbled upon a children's book, Pizza for the Queen. It was a cute little story about a pizza man who had been asked to make pizza for the queen. He wanted to make her pizzas that were true to the taste of the town and in the process invented a new pizza: Pizza Margherita. Named after the the queen, Queen Margherita. It was a really cute story and the best part of it all....it's true! So, at the end of the book, the author included a recipe for Pizza Margherita and I just had to try it.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 pkg. yeast or 2 1/4 t.

1 t. sugar

3/4 c. warm water

2 c. + more flour

1/2 t. salt

1/8 c. OR 2 T. olive oil

Pizza:

1 t. extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, halved

4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 c. fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 t. balsamic vinegar

1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped

1/8 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

Recipe:

Dough:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water.

2. Mix the flour, salt, and olive oil together in a mixing bowl.

3. Put the flour mixture on a pastry board. Create a well in the center of the flour mixtures. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and begin forming the dough with your hands. *

4. Knead the dough until it is smooth and can be stretched. Add more warm water if necessary. If the dough seems sticky, add a little more flour.

5. Roll the dough into a ball and cover it with a towel. Let is rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

6. When done rising, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and stretch the dough into a pizza shell and place on a pizza pan or stone.

Pizza:

1. Brush the pizza shell with about 1/2-1 t. of olive oil and run your crust with the cut sides of the garlic.

2. Arrange tomato slices over crust, leaving a 1/2 inch border and sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly throughout.

3. Bake at 500 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

4. Sprinkle hot pizza with chopped basil, salt and pepper and, if desired, drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top.

*I actually did all of the dough mixing in my mixer and it turned out really well.

Rating: 4 of 5

Admittedly, this is not the BEST Margherita pizza I've ever had, but it is delicious. I actually liked it better the second day rather than fresh out of the oven. I'm assuming it has to do with the fact that the basil flavor melded over during the night. I loved the crust. Nice and thin, but still so soft. One thing I love about pizzas is that the tomatoes get hot and soft which completely changes their taste to me. Love it. Really, you can taste every element in this pizza. I am a Margherita pizza lover though.

Sources:

Crust: Pizza for the Queen by Nancy Castaldo

Topping: Eat Yourself Skinny!, Margherita Pizza

Homemade Sandwich Bread

(pre-cooked loaves. Imagine a shade or two darker.)

Ingredients:

2 c. lukewarm water

2 T. sugar

1 T. dry active yeast

2 T. butter, softened

5 1/2 c. all-purpose flour + more for kneading the dough *

1 T. kosher salt

* I made this again and used bread flour instead. It made the bread at least 5x better! Fluffier, tastier, holds together even better. Bread flour is the way to go. Also, the 5 1/2 c. makes the perfect texture. I didn't need to add any more flour when kneading. It was perfect!

Recipe: (Yields 2 standard or 1 lb. loaves)

1. Put the water and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously to dissolve the sugar.

2. When sugar is dissolved toss in the yeast. Whisk again to dissolve. Walk away for the bowl for 5-10 minutes to give the yeast time to work. After 5-10 minutes, there should be a thick, creamy layer on the surface of the water.

3. Add the flour and salt into the bowl with the yeast.

4. Cut the soft butter up into a few pieces and add to the bowl. Mix well to combine the ingredients. (If using a stand mixer, use your dough hook.)

5. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. The dough is ready when it's formed a smooth ball that feels elastic-y when you touch it, very little of the dough sticks to the dough hook when you pull it out of the bowl, and there will be very little dough actually sticking to the sides of the bowl.

6. Round the dough up into a ball. Put it in a large, lightly greased bowl. Coat a piece of plastic wrap with a little oil. Loosely cover the bowl with it, oil side down.

7. Let it sit in a warm place for about an hour, or until it's doubled in size. If you check it after 15 minutes, you should notice that it's started to grow.

8. After about an hour, your dough should be doubled in size. Punch the dough down. Knead it a couple of times and form it into a neat ball. It should be smooth and tacky, but not sticky.

9. Sprinkle a little flour on a board. Set the dough ball on the flour. Divide the dough in half. Each half becomes one loaf.

10. Knead each half, separately, a few times. Lightly grease two one-pound loaf pans. Set each formed loaf in the pans. *

11. Set the pans in a warm place, uncovered. Let the loaves rise like this for about an hour, or until they've doubled in size.

12. About 15 minutes before your house is up, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

13. When they're done, the tops should be a nice light brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes in the pans. Then, with potholders, tip the loaves out of the pans and let them finished cooling on a rack.

14. Let the loaves cool to room temperature before slicing.

*When I form my loaves I like to flatten it out into an oval-ish shape and then roll it up. It makes a nice smooth top and transfers to the pan neatly. (Trick from Emily - who is the master of homemade bread.)

Rating: 4 of 5

To be honest, I like this recipe than my bread machine recipe for white bread. Oh no! That poor machine is going to get dumped by a laborious recipe! Crispy on the outside, incredibly moist and chewy on the inside. My kind of bread. One thing that I really like about this recipe versus my bread machine recipe is that it maintains it's shape when sliced and smeared. My other recipe practically crumbles if anything touches it. I can almost taste the salt, which I liked. I'll definitely be making this one again....in the morning probably. We REALLY like cinnamon-sugar toast in this house.

Source: The Hungry Mouse, Homemade Sandwich Bread

Cinnamon Sugar Breadsticks with Cream Cheese Drizzle

Ingredients:

For the breadsticks:

2 1/4 t. yeast

1/4 c. sugar, divided

1 c. warm water, divided

1 1/2 T oil

1 egg

1/2 t. salt

2 1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. butter, melted

Cinnamon sugar mixture: 6 T. sugar and 1 t. cinnamon

For the cream cheese drizzle:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

1-2 T. whipping cream

1 t. vanilla

Recipe:

1. In a mixer dissolve yeast, 1/2 T. sugar, and 1/2 c. warm water. Allow yeast to proof (about 10 minutes).

2. Add in oil, egg, salt, and 1 1/2 c. flour and remaining sugar(1/4 c - 1/2 T) and water (1/2 c.). Mix until smooth.

3. Stir in remaining flour (3/4 c.) to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic.

4. Place into a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes or until doubled.

5. Punch down the dough and put onto floured counter. Roll into 8x14 rectangle.

6. Using your pizza cutter, cut into about 10 pieces.

7. Roll each strip like a snake. Then hang the dough over your finger in the middle and twist the two ends together.

8. Place on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise for another 40 minutes or until doubled.

9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

10. While breadsticks are baking, mix together the cream cheese drizzle ingredients. Beat until you reach a good consistency for drizzling. Place in a Ziploc bag and snip off the corner.

11. When breadsticks are done cooking, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Drizzle with cream cheese mixture.

Rating: 3 of 5

These are good, but they aren't quite as good as I was expecting. First off, I think there are some serious typos in the bread measurements, because the dough I ended up with was as if I hadn't added the remaining flour even though I had. I probably ended up adding about 2 more cups of flour until I felt like the dough reached the proper texture and consistency. So, that was a little bit of an issue, but a fixable one.

I feel like the puffiness of the bread is too much for the cinnamon sugar taste. The sweetness gets a little drowned out. But, with that being said, the bread is really fluffy and soft, which is always a plus. The cream cheese drizzle was not as good as I was hoping. I guess I just got my hopes up. I thought that this recipe would get pretty close to pretzels you get at the mall. Oh well. They're still good. I just might have too high of a bar for them right now. (P.S. Just because they're a 3 doesn't mean I didn't have at least 5 of them when they came out of the oven......)

Source: Thirty Handmade Days, Cinnamon Sugar Breadsticks with Cream Cheese Drizzle

Baked Doughnuts

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. warm milk, 95-105 degrees

2 t. instant yeast ** If you only have active dry yeast on hand, proof it with 1/3 c. warm milk and sugar. Once foamy, add remaining milk and continue on with the recipe.**

2 T. butter *

2/3 c. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

5 c. all-purpose flour

a pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated**

1 t. salt

(For the cinnamon-sugar topping listed in the original recipe: 1/2 c. butter, 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar, 1 T cinnamon.)

* I melted the butter in the microwave with the remaining cup of milk.

** I just used nutmeg from a jar

Recipe:

1. Place the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar.

2. Add the butter. Mix the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt.

3. Beat the dough with the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon and eventually your hands) for 2-3 minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk.

4. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be very soft and smooth but still slightly sticky -- don't overflour! Knead the dough for a few minutes (again, by mixer or by hand) and then transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl.

5. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen).

6. Punch down the dough and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured counter.

7. Using a doughnut cutter or a 2-3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circles in the dough. Carefully transfer the circles to a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. Be sure to make the holes large enough that, as the doughnuts rise again and bake, they don't fill in the doughnut hole with the puffiness of the dough.

8. Here's where you can do two different things: bake the same day, or put in the refrigerator overnight for the next morning. If cooking the same day, let the doughnuts rise for about another 45 minutes, until they are puffed and nearly doubled. If saving for the next morning, then cover the tray with lightly greased plastic wrap and place in the fridge. The doughnuts will rise throughout the night. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and put them on the counter about an hour before baking.

9. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8-10 minutes. Start checking the doughnuts around minute 8. They should still be place on top, not golden and browned, and just barely cooked through.

10. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. (For the cinnamon-sugar topping: Dip each one in the melted butter and toss or sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.)

11. Serve immediately.

Rating: 2 of 5

This recipe makes a great sweet roll recipe. Doughnuts, though......not my favorite. Won't be making this one for doughnuts again. But, add some orange extract and zest to the dough and then cover with orange glaze when they're done cooking and they would be awesome!

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, Baked Doughnuts

Homemade Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Ingredients:

For bread dough:

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 t. yeast

4 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 T. butter, melted

2 T. sugar

1 T. salt

For topping:

1/2 c. butter

2 t. garlic powder

2 t. salt

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Mixture should be frothy.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

3. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer of wooden spoon until fully combined.

4. Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do no overknead.

5. Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips. (You should have somewhere near a dozen or so.)

6. Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.

7. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the ingredients for the topping (butter, garlic powder, salt).

8. After bread sticks have cooked for about 6-7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture.

9. Continue to bake the bread for another 6-7 minutes, or until golden.

10. When done cooking immediately brush the other half of the butter on the sticks. Serve and enjoy!

Rating: 4 of 5

So, these bread sticks are not an exact copy of Olive Garden's bread sticks. But, when served with the right kind of Alfredo sauce they get pretty darn close. One thing that I am going to change is the rise time. I think there should probably be two different chunks of rise time. Like, 1 hour, shape the bread and another 45 minutes. The bread is really soft but compared to Olive Garden's bread sticks they are pretty thick and feel heavy. Other than that, though, they are good!

Source: Full Bellies. Happy Kids., Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Breadsticks (and Pizza Dough)

**I used this recipe for pizza**

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 T. sugar

1 T. yeast

1/2 t. salt

3-4 1/2 c. flour

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

2. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

3. Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

4. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

5. Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to separate them evenly, but it's okay if they're close.

6. Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt or Garlic Bread Seasoning.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Well, you can't really described flavor for a bread dough. But, this dough is easy, soft, fluffy, and cooks quickly. I'm sold.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Breadsticks and Pizza Dough

Everyday Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 c. milk

4 T. butter, cut into chunks

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided

2 1/4 t. "rapid rise" yeast

1/4 c. white sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 egg

Filling:

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. butter, softened

Icing:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. melted butter

1/2 t. vanilla

1-2 T. milk

Recipe:

Dough:

1. Place milk and 4 T. butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 c. flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt.

3. When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater (paddle attachment for those using a stand mixer) is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute.

4. Switch to the dough hook now. Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. (If not using a stand mixer, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hand.) Turn dough out onto floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes whiel you make the filling.

Filling:

1. Make sure the butter is softened well.*

2. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon.

*If you the stick of butter right out of the fridge like I do, then 20 seconds in the microwave gets it pretty close to "softened" state.

Assembly:

1. Roll dough into a rectangle about 12x14 inches.

2. Spread brown sugar mixture (it will be slightly thick) over the surface and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread around.

3. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the roll into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls.

4. Place in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. When roll have finished rising, bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. If desired spread with icing while still warm.

Rating: 4 of 5

I really like the filling in this recipe. I was pretty nervous about the amount of cinnamon that it called for, but the cinnamon was not an overpowering taste. I was scared that they would end up tasting like Cinnabon's cinnamon rolls (which I don't like), but they didn't! The bread was super fluffy and delicious! It was perfect roll bread. The icing, well, it's icing. I really don't think there is much you can say about powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Although...I guess I will say that you probably don't need to add the butter into the icing. I have a family recipe that the measurements are almost identical, except no butter, and I can't tell the difference. However, I think for this recipe I would prefer a little bit more of the icing on top.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Everyday Cinnamon Rolls

Buttery Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

4 t. active dry yeast

1 t. white sugar

1 1/4 c. warm water

5 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. white sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

2 T. vegetable oil

1/2 c. baking soda

4 c. hot water

1/4 c. kosher salt

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 t. sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 c. sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add yeast mixture and oil. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add 1 or 2 T. water. Knead until smooth, about 7-8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl; place the dough in the bowl and trun to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until browned.

Rating: 2.5 of 5

This really isn't a bad recipe, I just didn't like how dense the bread turned out to be. A little bit of a disappointment after I thought I was going to be getting soft, fluffy pretzels.

Source: AllRecipes, pg. 292

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

1 c. water

3 T. oil

3 T. sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

3 c. whole wheat flour

2 1/4 t. yeast

Recipe:

1. Dump all the ingredients in the bread machine and select the settings of Whole Wheat and baking control on medium. (My bread machine takes about 3.5 hours to go through the whole process.)

Rating: 3.7 of 5

I've always liked wheat bread. LaDon favors white bread. So, I usually make white bread loaves. But, after visiting Emily and having real (come on, making bread in a machine isn't really real homemade bread.....the machine does everything for me!) homemade wheat bread I discovered that the kids LOVE wheat bread. They prefer it over white bread for sure. So, I know make wheat bread for them.

So, this recipe is a pretty good one. It tastes like good homemade wheat bread to me.

Source: Magic Chef: Automatic Breadmaker Recipe Guide, pg. 8

Broccoli and Four-Cheese Calzones

I'll just start off by saying that I didn't even do the broccoli and four-cheese part, but here is the recipe if you want it!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. warm water

2 T. olive oil

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. dried oregano

4 c. bread flour

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 10-oz. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1/4 t. garlic powder

2 T. olive oil

1/2 c. shredded provolone cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1 T. olive oil

Recipe:

1. Place the water, 2 T. olive oil, salt, oregano, bread flour, and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting and press Start.

2. Meanwhile, squeeze out excess liquid from broccoli. In a large skillet, saute the broccoli and garlic powder in 2 T. olive oil. Stir in the provolone, Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese.

3. Once bread cycle has finished, remove dough from machine and roll in to 6 8-inch circles. Spread filling on one half of each circle, leaving a border around it for closing. Close the calzones and crimp the edges closed with your fingers or a fork. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Let rise in a draft-free area for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

4. Brush tops lightly with 1 T. olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. *

* For my oven 20 minutes was long enough to turn the dough the a dark brown. I think 15 minutes is probably long enough as long as the dough gets cooked.

So, instead of the broccoli and four-cheese filling here's what I did.

Ingredients:

Michelle's Alfredo Sauce

1 pkg. frozen broccoli florets

2 can. chicken breast chunks in water or 2 chicken breasts shredded or cubed

Recipe:

1. Mix all three ingredients together and spoon into dough.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I liked my version of the filling. I didn't have the other ingredients on hand, so this was a pretty good substitute. The dough was pretty good, but like I said, it got a little too cooked. Daniel loved it which makes me happy that he ate broccoli no-questions-asked.

Source: AllRecipes, Dinner Tonight, pg. 181 and Michelle Knebel, and my brain

Quick Italian Rolls

Ingredients:

1/2 c. water

1 c. milk

1 egg

2 T. butter

2 T. sugar

2 t. garlic salt

1 t. Italian Seasoning

1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese

4 cups bread flour

2 1/4 t. active dry yeast

Recipe:

1. Use Dough setting.

2. Remove the dough from the machine. Punch down. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Divide each part into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. *

3. Dip tops into melted butter and 1/4 c. cheese. Place in well greased 13x9 cake pan or two 9-inch layer cake pans. Cover; let rise in warm oven about 10 minutes.

4. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan; cool.

Rating: 4 of 5

We liked this bread. I didn't make rolls though. Just loaves this time. They were good. I thought they tasted like it melted in your mouth. LaDon said the bread was a solid 4, "but not higher than a 4, because bread can't be that good." Haha!

Source: Magic Chef Automatic Breadmaker Recipe Guide, pg. 13