Burger Buns

I decided to attempt this recipe a couple of weeks ago because I didn't want to make a special trip to the store for buns. I was surprised how easy they were and how perfect they turned out - much better than the cheap flavorless store brand buns!

1 cup water
2 T butter
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 t salt
1 T quick-rising yeast
1 t onion powder (optional - I included it)
1/2 t dried onion flakes

Combine all the ingredients and knead them together in a mixer (I used my breadmaker) until you have soft, smooth dough. Place in lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour (or just leave in the breadmaker on dough cycle to let rise).

Divide dough into 8 pieces and shape each one into a flattened ball. (Next time I'm going to try sprinkling them with sesame seeds at this point.) Place buns on greased baking sheets, cover and let rise 30-40 minutes until puffy.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake buns 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool on a rack. Cut in half with serrated knife and use for burgers or sandwiches.

Sister Crites' Wheat Bread

From Sister Crites' baking class at Women's Conference.

5 cups warm water
add 2 T yeast
add 3-4 cupes whole wheat flour and mix well
add 2/3 cup oil
and 2/3 cup honey
add another 3-4 cupes whole wheat flour and mix well
add 2 T salt
add 4 cups white flour and knead 10 minutes
If using hard red wheat you may want to add 1/2 cup gluten or dough enhancer
Mix together, cover and let rise double. Punch down and form into 6 loaves. Let rise again. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Homemade cost: $2.66 for 6 loaves
Purchased wheat bread: $1.88-$4.50 for one loaf, depending on brand


These loaves freeze really well..I just made a whole bunch and stuck them in the freezer so we can pull them out as we need them. Plus they're really good!

Whole Wheat Bread

I got this recipe from Kristin Free's bread-making class over a year ago. I've been making it frequently since then, and we all love it. Sadie will not eat store bought bread but she eats this. Also, Kristin's original recipe is four times this one--I cut it down to one loaf, because that's how much I make at a time and it fits in my bread maker.

1 1/4 cup warm-hot water
1/2 T yeast
3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (I usually use white bread flour for the last cup and a 1/3 just to make it a little lighter)
1/6 cup oil
1/6 cup honey
1/2 T salt
1/2 T gluten (optional)
1/2 T dough enhancer (optional)
1/2 T lecithin (optional)

Measure ingredients into bread maker in the following order:
water, yeast, 1 cup flour, oil and honey, 1 cup flour, salt, 1 1/3 cups flour. Mix on "dough" setting. After cycle is complete, shape dough into a loaf, place in greased bread pan, and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Brush top of finished loaf with butter.

*More notes: For the oil and honey, I use a 1/3 cup measure and fill it half full with oil, then to the top with honey before dumping it all in. The honey slides right out that way and you don't have to scrape it.
I have never included the last three ingredients but I'd like to get them and see what kind of difference it makes.

Zucchini Bread

You can get zucchini for a steal at Superstition Market right now. Which means I'm buying WAY more than we could ever eat. BUT, as it turns out, you can freeze grated zucchini! Which means you can have zucchini bread all year round! Yay!

Bread:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 heaping cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Streusel (because adding that much oil and sugar to a vegetable doesn't make this unhealthy enough):
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Throw it all together in a bowl. I like to squish it around a bit with my hands so you get some lovely little clumps.


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8.4 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nuts. Stir into egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans. Top with streusel mixture.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until done.


Kayla's Notes, or, What I've Learned Through Trial and Error Using This Recipe, or, Things You All Probably Already Know But I'm a Little Slow:

-Beat the eggs on high for a long time. Underbeating makes the loaves flat

-Grate the zucchini (skin, seeds and all) right before you add it to the batter. If its left out for long, it starts to lose some of the moisture and it makes for a drier bread. Which doesn't taste as good.

-This makes for really good mini muffins. I use mini muffin paper liners in a mini muffin tin and bake for about 15 minutes. I usually get one loaf and about 3 dozen mini muffins per batch, depending on how generous I've been with the batter.

-Home teachers really like mini muffins.

Coconut Bread (best EVER)!

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. coconut extract

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Spray 3 small loaf pans with PAM. Beat eggs, then cream in the sugar, oil and coconut extract. Add flour and dry ingredients. Then add milk, coconut flakes and nuts (if desired). Beat well. This makes 3 small loaves. Bake for 45 minutes at 325°. (If you care to make one tube cake, bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.) Loaves will be golden brown and cracked on the top.

Glaze

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

2 Tbsp. Margarine or butter

1 tsp coconut extract

Bring all ingredients except coconut extract to a boil and boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. coconut extract.While the loaves are still warm (fresh from the oven) pour glaze over each loaf. Let them stand 4 hours. The glaze will be completely absorbed into the loaf and will leave the pan easily.

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Yet another recipe slightly modified from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 t salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour + 1 cup wheat flour (you could do all white if you want, but it tastes fabulous this way, I think)
2 1/4 t (or one .25 ounce package) active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened

Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in bread maker. Select dough cycle and press start.

When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half, and roll each half into a 12 inch circle. Spread the 1/4 cup softened butter over both circles. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end (like crescents). Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise double.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake 10-15 minutes, until golden. I like to spread a little butter over the tops of the rolls when they come out of the oven, too.

Marsha's Zucchini Bread

Mix:
3 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini

Mix seperately:
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon

Combine mixtures.
Spray 2 bread pans with cooking spray.
Cook at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.