Banana Bread

This recipe came from one  of my co-workers; it is the best banana bread i have ever had and never dry. Picture shows  mini-muffins topped with chocolate peanut butter glaze.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter (softened)
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Mix first 4 ingredients together and set aside.
2. Bream together sugar and butter. Add in the eggs and milk and blend until smooth.
3. Mix the flour and mashed banana into the butter mixture a little at a time alternating dry and wet ingredients. Blend well.
4. Mix in nuts if you want them.
5. Put batter in a lightly greased loaf pan (8x4x2). Bake at 350F for 60-65 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. (For mini-muffins I cooked 12 minutes.)

Makes 1 loaf or 40 mini-muffins.

 

Italian Parmesean Bread

This bread is amazing and never lasts very long.  If you substitute cheddar for the parmesan it tastes like Red Lobster’s biscuits!  Recipe here.  This has never lasted more than 24 hours, even when it was only me eating it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (110-115F)
• 1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• butter, melted
  

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup butter, egg, sugar, salt, and seasonings.  Beat at low speed until mixed, about 30 seconds; increase speed to medium and continue beating for 2 minutes.  Stir in remaining flour and 1/3 cup cheese; beat until smooth.
2. Cover bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  Stir batter 25 strokes.  Spread batter into a greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole; brush with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
3. Bake at 350F about 35 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from the casserole.
   

To make in bread maker:  add all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer (here is a good reference if your book is missing), choose your settings, and go!

I always add extra cheese when I make this recipe I usually use at least 3/4 cup.

I made this yesterday, and bought garlic spread to go along with it.  The garlic spread was delicious, but the bread didn’t need it at all.  Guess I’ll go get some crackers to eat the spread with instead.

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls & The World’s Best Icing

Since it’s been a while since I posted on here, I figured I’d make it up to you with a really good double recipe.  I give you: chocolate cinnamon rolls with the world’s best frosting!

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

I adapted this recipe for the bread machine.  I would love to try it again with miniature chocolate chips thrown into the mix.  Since dough takes a while (2 hours on my machine) and I am NOT a morning person, I prepped these completely then threw them in the fridge overnight so all I had to do was cook them in the morning.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup warm water
• ½ cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 package yeast
• butter, cinnamon, and sugar for filling

Directions:

1.       Put all ingredients except filling ingredients in bread machine in order recommended (usually wet ingredients, dry ingredients, yeast).  Set on dough cycle and leave it alone until it is done.

2.       Once cool enough to handle (mine was fine right out of the machine) roll into an 8×12 sheet on a clean flat surface.  Brush with melted butter (about 1Tbsp) and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar.

3.       Roll into a log, cut into 12 pieces and put into a greased 9×13 pan.

4.       Cook at 375F for about 25 minutes.

5.       Ice while warm.

World’s Best Icing

I just mixed this by hand.  I hate myself right now.  Recipe here.

Note:  I halved this recipe and because it got all melty, it still would’ve iced 2 pans of rolls.

Also note:  If you want to use this on cupcakes or cake, let them cool completely first.

Ingredients:

• 5 Tbsp. flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1.       In small saucepan, whisk flour and milk together and heat, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes VERY thick.  Mine was the consistency of paste.  Whisk in vanilla.

2.       Remove from heat and cool completely. (I put mine in the fridge because I had limited time)

3.       Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; no sugar graniness left.

4.       Add the completely cooled milk and flour mixture to the bowl and beat the living daylights out of it.  Use an electric mixer if you have one.  If it looks at all separated, it hasn’t been beaten enough. It should resemble whipped cream when you are finished

5.       Taste test! Warning:  You may want to eat the whole bowl of icing at this point.  Don’t.  Trust me.

6.       Smear over cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, cake, a spoon, whatever.  Enjoy!

Homemade Breadsticks

From Recipezaar.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup milk
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 (1/4 oz.) package active dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. In saucepan heat milk, sugar, salt, and butter.  Cool to lukewarm.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
3. Combine milk mixture, yeast, and 1/12 cups flour, beat until smooth.  Add enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
4. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
5. Punch down dough.  Pinch off golf-ball sized pieces and roll into pencil sized strips.
6. Place on greased baking sheets 1 inch apart.  cover and let rise 15 minutes.
7. Combine egg white and water, brush over sticks.
8. Sprinkle with coarse salt, seasonings, and/or cheese if desired.
9. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes or until golden.

These turned out even better than I expected.  I seasoned them with basil, oregano, and garlic.  Since there are only two of us, I used half the dough and put the other half in the freezer.  If you do this, make sure you let the frozen dough thaw completely before you use it.

Pizza Dough

Very good, but I don’t like it for pizza that uses any sauce other than the usual pizza sauce.  You’re better off using a different recipe for bbq or alfredo pizza.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼oz. package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2Tbsp. oil
• 2 ½ cups flour

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Stir in remainder of ingredients and beat well.
3. Let rest 5 minutes.
4. Put onto greased cookie sheet and spread to edges with greased hands.
5. Add sauce and toppings
6. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes.

Make the crust nice and thick and it comes out doughy and delicious.