Homemade Corn Bread

My husband loves corn bread. He has been asking for me to make some for quite some time now and I will admit, I have been putting it off since I am not a fan.

But yesterday, I broke down. I found the recipe below on bigoven.com. I liked that it didn't require a box of cornbread mix (which we didn't have in the pantry).

Mr. Gooch was thrilled with the result. He said that it was moist and tasty. That is good enough for me to recommend it.

Grandma's Creamed Corn Bread
Source: www.bigoven.com

Ingredients
4 tb Unsalted butter; melted
1/2 ts Salt
1 c Yellow cornmeal; preferably
1 cn (8 oz) creamed corn
3/4 c All-purpose flour
1 c Milk
2 tb Sugar
1 lg Egg; well beaten
1 tb Plus 1 tsp baking powder

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter into 9-inch cake pan; bake for 5 minutes, until pan is very hot.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the center and pour the creamed corn, milk, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and egg into the well.
Stir until smooth.
Pour the batter into the hot pan.
Bake until corn bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove corn bread from oven, and let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dinner Rolls - How Sweet They Were

When this recipe popped up in my Google Reader, I knew that I had to make it. Sweet Dinner Rolls, posted by Daily Deliciousness, is a great dinner accompaniment. I made them one evening when we were having marinated steak. Their sweetness was a wonderful foil to the saltiness of the marinated meat.

The only change I would make next time would be to cut the sugar amount to 1/4 cup to see if it impacts the sweetness. They were just a bit to sweet for me but Mr. Gooch loved them.

Since it was just Mr. Gooch and I, I separated the pan full of rolls into 3 Ziploc bags and froze 2 for later use.

Sweet Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened (for topping rolls)

Directions
Place water and milk in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until liquids reach (110 degrees F/45 degrees C). Pour liquids into mixer bowl; add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add in yeast and let set for 10-20 minutes to proof (the mixture will be foamy).

Attach the bowl to the mixer and mix on low speed adding the salt, 1/3 cup butter and egg. Once well mixed add in the flour 1/4 cup at a time. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. With the mixer; knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into desired shape. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour. (You can place a bowl of very hot tap water in the bottom of your stove and place the rolls on the rack above it *this is what Daily Deliciousness recommended and it worked like a charm!). Gently brush the tops of the rolls with half of the remaining softened butter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the rolls for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Upon removing the rolls from the oven brush them with remaining softened butter once again.

My First Real Loaf of Bread - Italian Rustic Loaf

I now know why the bread maker gets up in the middle of the night to bake the bread. Baking bread is a time intensive process. Good thing I ran all my errands yesterday.

I decided to make bread this weekend after I purchased the American Test Kitchen's Family Baking Book this week at Costco. Baking bread is my weakness so I wanted a clear and easy book to follow to try my hand at baking a loaf of bread.

I decided to make the Rustic Italian Bread. It took two days but tasted amazing with some Kerrygold Irish Butter.

Rustic Italian Bread
Source: America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

This recipe requires a bit of patience—the sponge, which gives the bread flavor, must be made 11 to 27 hours before the dough is made. We find it makes the most sense to prepare the sponge (which requires just 5 minutes of hands-on work) the day before you want to bake the bread.

On the second day, remove the sponge from the refrigerator and begin step 2 at least 7 hours before you want to serve the bread. If you own two standing mixer bowls, in step 1 you can refrigerate the sponge in the bowl in which it was made. Use the second bowl to make the dough in step 2. Have ready a spray bottle filled with water for misting the loaves.

Sponge
2 cups (11 ounces) bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1cup water, approximately 110 degrees

Dough
3 cups (16 1/2 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting the work surface and hands
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/3 cups water, approximately 110 degrees
2 teaspoons salt

1. For the sponge: Combine the flour, yeast, and water in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead at the lowest speed until the ingredients form a shaggy dough, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the sponge to a medium bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until it has risen and fallen. Let sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

2. For the dough: Remove the sponge from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while making the dough. Combine the flour, yeast, and water in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook; knead at the lowest speed until a rough dough is formed, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixer off and, without removing the dough hook or bowl from the mixer, cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let the dough rest 20 minutes.

3. Remove the plastic wrap, add the sponge and salt to the bowl, and continue to knead at the medium low speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes (the dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom). If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, knead by hand to form a large smooth ball, Place the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl (at least 3 times the dough’s size) and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a cool, draft-free spot until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Remove the plastic wrap and leaving dough in the bowl, slide a plastic bench scraper under one side of the dough, gently lifting and folding one third of the dough toward the center. Repeat with opposite side of the dough, and, finally, fold the dough in half, perpendicular to the first folds (so that it resembles a rough square). Replace the plastic wrap; let the dough rise 30 minutes. Turn the dough again, replace the plastic wrap, and let the dough rise 30 minutes.

6. Top a rimless (or inverted) baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a work surface lightly coated with flour. Gently scrape the dough from the bowl and invert onto the work surface (the side of dough that was against the bowl should now be facing up). Dust the dough and your hands liberally with flour and, using minimal pressure, push the dough into a rough 10-inch square, gently dimpling it with your fingers. Then fold the top left corner diagonally to the middle. Repeat this with the top right corner, and begin to gently roll the dough from top to bottom, continuing to roll until the dough forms a rough log. Roll the dough onto its seam and, sliding your hands under each end, transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Gently shape the dough into a 16-inch football shape by tucking the bottom edges underneath. Coat the loaf lightly with vegetable oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap; let the loaf rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

7. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place a baking stone on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Let the stone heat for at least 30 minute but no more than 1 hour.

8. To bake: Using a single-edge razor blade or sharp chef’s knife, cut three diagonal slits 1/2 inch deep across the top of the loaf; spray the loaf lightly with water. Slide the parchment sheet with the loaf onto a peel or inverted rimmed baking sheet, then slide the parchment with the loaf onto the hot baking stone in the oven. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and quickly rotate the loaf from front to back using the edges of the parchment; continue to bake until deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 210 degrees, about 30 - 35 minutes longer.

9. Transfer to a wire rack, discard the parchment, and cool the loaf to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Cheddar-Dill Bread - So Darn Tasty

When I saw the posting by Amber of Amber's Delectable Delights for her recipe Cheddar Dill Quick Bread, I knew that I had to make as soon as I could. Click here for the recipe and instructions.

We had salmon this evening so thought this bread would be a good accompaniment. And I was right.

Just as promised, the recipe went together quickly and baked like a dream. I replaced the grated onion with onion powder as well and added some garlic powder to the batter. Mr. Gooch also declared this one a success. It is so great when I find something we both like. This will be made again and again, I can tell.

Mmmmm, Amish Friendship Bread

I love to bake. I can't really cook, but I can bake like a mad woman. This weekend I baked Amish Friendship Bread, an active yeast sweet bread. The way that most people get their starter is from a friend, so it works a bit like a baking chain letter. I received my starter from my Mother-in-law. The nice thing about this recipe is that you will be baking delicious bread every 10 days.

Upon receiving the starter, the just follow the recipe below.

Directions
Do not use metal spoon or bowl for mixing
Do not refrigerate
It is normal for batter to thicken, bubble and ferment. Just release any air that collects in the bag as a result of the fermentation

Day 1 This is the day you receive the batter/starter; do nothing
Day 2 Squeeze the bag
Day 3 Squeeze the bag
Day 4 Squeeze the bag
Day 5 Squeeze the bag
Day 6 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Put in larger ziplock bag and squeeze until mixed
Day 7 Squeeze the bag
Day 8 Squeeze the bag
Day 9 Squeeze the bag
Day 10 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk to the batter in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula. Pour four 1 cup starters into ziplock bags. Keep one starter for yourself and give the other three to your friends along with the instructions.

To the remaining batter add:
1 c. oil
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. baking soda
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
2 t. cinnamon

Pour into two large, greased and sugared (with cinnamon and sugar mixed) loaf pans. You can sprinkle some extra cinnamon and sugar on top. Bake 325° for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

I am not a fan of cinnamon, so I omitted it folded blueberries and raspberries into the batter and used plain sugar to dust the pan.

If you don't have anyone to give you the cup of starter, the recipe for the starter is below.

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you’ll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above).
Do not use metal spoon or bowl for mixing
Do not refrigerate
It is normal for batter to thicken, bubble and ferment. Just release any air that collects in the bag as a result of the fermentation

Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:
*In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
*In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
*Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.