Olive-Stuffed Italian Bread

My siblings share with me a special love for olives - something that has become a bit of a joke at holidays. We would not dream of a holiday celebration or family party that didn't include a big bowl of olives.

If you make extra chopped olives and don't stuff it in the bread, you can use it as a tapenade for our recipe Crispy Polenta Wedges with Olive Tapenade - or if you end up with extra tapenade after making that recipe, by all means stuff it in your next loaf of homemade Italian bread!

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (110-112 degrees)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast from a jar
1 tsp sugar
5 cups white flour, plus 1/2 cup or more for kneading
2 tsp fresh chopped oregano, or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mixed olives, pitted and chopped (we used green ones with pimientos, Kalamata olives, and oil-cured Italian olives)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg white
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Directions

In a mixing bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 20-30 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly (this is called "proofing the yeast"). Stir together the flour, oregano, and salt, then gradually stir into the yeast mixture.

Turn the dough out onto a floured counter or kneading board. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky.

Grease a bowl that is at least twice as large as the volume of dough. Place the dough in the greased bowl, and then turn it over to coat the other side of the dough. Cover with a damp dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Stir together the chopped olives and parmesan cheese and set aside.

Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Sprinkle a flat surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out half of the dough into an 8x12 oval. Sprinkle half of the olive mixture evenly over the surface. Starting at one of the long ends, roll up the dough jelly-roll style, tucking in the sides occasionally, and pinching the end shut. Place it in a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the other loaf.

Cover the loaves with a damp dish towel and allow to rise until dough has doubled - about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf, then brush with the egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the loaves sound hollow when rapped with a knuckle.

Turn out of the pans and cool on a baking rack. For best results, slice it at room temperature.

Makes 2 hearty loaves.

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Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits (lower fat version)

Both of our girls worked at Red Lobster when they were in high school, but Joe and I never got tired of those buttery cheesy biscuits. They've been out of the Darden restaurant chain for years now; Joe and I had to come up with a new biscuit recipe that tasted the same but was lower in fat and calories than the original.

This works pretty well and satisfies my unending craving for breads soaked in garlic butter and cheese. Don't judge me - the first step of addiction is admitting I have a problem.

Ingredients

2 cups light Bisquick biscuit mix
2/3 cup skim milk
1/2 cup low-fat sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup butter
1/2 garlic clove, minced, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir the biscuit mix and cheese together in a mixer bowl, then slowly add the milk while mixing on low speed. When a sticky dough forms, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on high speed for 30 seconds.

Spray a baking pan with oil. Drop 12 spoonfuls of dough onto the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

While the biscuits are baking, microwave the butter, garlic, and parsley until the butter is melted. Brush over the biscuits before removing them from the baking sheet. Serve warm.

Makes 12 biscuits.

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Cornbread with Sweet Green Chiles

Simple, filling comfort food...that's what we call these cornbread squares! We've tried many cornbread recipes, but this is one of the most moist and flavorful versions we've come up with yet. Stick around to see some of our other cornbread recipes, too.

This is really good with Polish Mushroom Barley soup or Joe's Award-Winning Chili.

Ingredients

1 cup corn meal (we like to use the medium-coarse kind)

1 cup flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter, melted

3 tbsp olive oil

2 eggs, beaten, or 1/2 cup egg substitute

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 5-oz can mild or hot green chilies

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. In another bowl, stir together the butter, oil, eggs, milk, and lemon juice. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and stir until the mixed, but still a little lumpy. Stir in the can of chilies.

Grease a 9x12 baking pan. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until slightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before cutting into squares.

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Eunice's Carrot-Banana Bread

I had the most wonderful mother-in-law ever. Eunice was a sweet lady who grew up in the early 1900s and spent most of her life on cattle ranches and in church charity guilds. I see her thoughtful, kind, good-hearted traits in Joe. I just wish I'd met her (and Joe) sooner.

Eunice spent her retirement serving other people and making them happy. In her late eighties, she'd still go to the Senior Center nearly every day to serve those "old" seventy and eighty-year-olds. When she passed away the day after Mother's Day a few years ago, her funeral was swamped with people from all over the U.S. who had loved her. She truly showed a life well lived.

Joe and his mother Eunice at her 90th birthday party

The first time we traveled to Clear Lake, Iowa to meet her, she made a big loaf of this moist and dense banana-carrot bread for me and the girls. I think Joe got some too, but we might have eaten it all without him. She was so happy that I loved it that every time she knew she was going to see me, she would make a couple of extra loaves of bread for me to take home.

When Joe and I were engaged, I gave Eunice a blank cookbook and asked her to write down some of her favorite recipes and maybe some of Joe's long-time favorites. Her banana-carrot bread is the first one in the "breads" section. I love it that I have this recipe written in her handwriting.

I'm a little teary right now.

Last weekend my parents came to visit, to take me out for my birthday and to take the family to a Cubs game as our Christmas present from last year. I made a double batch of the quick bread batter to make a loaf for breakfast and muffins for Jessie and Erich, since they're working through finals week. The bread tasted just as moist and delicious as when Eunice used to make it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg whites)
2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 or 3)

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a 9x5 loaf pan (or a 12-cup muffin pan)

In a mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Stir together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually blend into the creamed mixture alternately with the mashed bananas. Stir in carrots and nuts. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes (for loaf pan) or 25-30 minutes (for muffins), until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Makes 1 loaf or 12 muffins.

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Pretzel Bread (and Rolls!)

My brother-in-law, Jim Calder, is a very methodical man. For years he has been working on making soft pretzels, mall-style. He was having trouble with the twisting part, so he decided to go on a fact-finding mission to the local pretzel shop and see how they did it. Once he saw these indifferent teens flipping the twist into the pretzels, he realized that anything he did would look fine.

Jim came up with a recipe for bread that can also be used to make rolls or buns for burgers, sandwiches, or whatever. In my opinion, this tastes best the day you bake it. By the way, if you'd like some great soup ideas to go along with this bread, just click on the "Soup" link to the right.

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp dry yeast (1 .25-oz package)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for kneading
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt

Directions

Pour warm water into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and salt, then stir in the yeast until dissolved. Allow the mixture to work for 15 minutes. Stir together the flour and baking powder, then stir it into the yeast mixture until well combined.

Sprinkle a kneading surface (a counter, a large cutting board, a table) with flour, and put the dough on the surface. Coat your hands with flour and knead the dough by folding it in half and pressing towards the center, until it is smooth and elastic and has lost some of its stickiness. This should take 5-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl, and turn it over to coat the surface. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for one hour.

Stir the baking soda into the warm water and pour it into a shallow pan. Grease a cookie sheet. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the floured kneading surface. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

If you are planning to make pretzel rolls, cut the dough into 6 pieces. Form each piece into a bun shape, then quickly dip it into the baking soda solution and place it on the baking sheet. Do the same with the rest of the pieces.

If you are making pretzel bread, cut the dough into 3 pieces. Roll each segment between your hands until you have made a rope of even thickness about 12-14 inches long. Dip the three pieces into the baking soda solution and lay them side-by-side in the cookie sheet. Pinch one of the ends together, then braid the ropes across to the the other side. Pinch that end together, too.

Bake the buns for 20-30 minutes, the bread for about 40 minutes. They are done when the crust is browned and has a slightly hollow sound when you knock on it. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with the coarse salt before serving.

Makes 1 loaf or 6 large pretzel buns.

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Favorite Easter Recipes

I don't know who made this, but would gladly give credit if I did!

Whew! With my new job as a librarian, working with a new art gallery, getting involved in social justice as a ministry, and writing some new fiction, I can hardly believe Easter is in just a few days. I miss the Easters when I was young; waking up to find a huge basket of candy, and wearing a corsage, a pretty new outfit my mom made, and white gloves to church that morning.

Once we had an Easter egg hunt at my Grandpa Williams' house in Royal Oak, Michigan, and he forgot to count the eggs he hid. He found one a couple of months later when he ran over it with the lawnmower. Yuck.

Easter Sunday in Royal Oak. L-R: Grandma, me, older sister Sheryl, and my Mom.

Wellllll...I love any celebration that involves lots of food, don't you? Here are some of our favorite recipes, from a luscious lamb brisket to a lemony Easter basket bread, as well as the best devilled eggs ever.

Lemony Easter Basket Bread: my mom always made this every Easter, and tucked dyed eggs into the folds before baking.

Seder Braised Lamb: Our church group enjoys an authentic Jewish Seder dinner each year, which is a wonderful chance to learn more about the Jewish religion that Jesus lived in. Joe developed this lamb recipe a year ago.

Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs: Devilled eggs taken to the max, from Real Housemoms.

Homemade Reese’s-Style Peanut Butter Eggs: how we love anything chocolate and peanut-buttery. From Natalie of Good Girl Style.

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Orange-Cranberry-Rosemary Muffins

Rosemary isn't the first ingredient you'd think of to put in muffins, right? Well, in this recipe, the fresh herb adds a little tang and zest without becoming too pine-y or overwhelming. It's a delicious addition.

I came across this recipe a few years ago when I was writing the herb section of my book
The Complete Guide to Food Preservation. When I started writing my next book, The Complete Guide to Growing Windowsill Plants, I put a pot of rosemary on a sunny windowsill. The next winter it was huge and bursting with pale lavender flowers that lasted until May.

Now that rosemary plant is a bush near a sunny window in my kitchen, and I can't use the branches fast enough to keep it decently trimmed. Rosemary is a wonderfully hardy houseplant for a sunny location; it handles neglect and drought well, and smells lovely every time you brush up against it.

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup orange juice
½ cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (can substitute dried)
1 cup dried cranberries, lightly chopped
2 tbsp orange zest, divided
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a smaller bowl, mix the egg, orange juice, milk, and melted butter until combined.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until just combined. Fold in the rosemary, cranberries, and 1 tbsp of orange zest.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups, nearly to the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Stir together the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and the last tbsp of orange zest, and use this to frost the tops of the muffins as they cool.

Makes 12 muffins.

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Blueberry Crumb Cake

I made this coffeecake to bring along on the family camping trip this weekend, where we romped on a gorgeous Lake Michigan beach for two days. If you ever get a chance to visit Grand Haven, Michigan, you shouldn't miss it; there's a reason Michigan is called "The Third Coast". The sugar-sand beaches here are as gorgeous and well-maintained as those on the Atlantic or Pacific - without the heavy waves or eye-burning salt water.

 

If you ever get tired of splashing in the surf, playing in the sand, or relaxing on a blanket in the sun, it's fun to head into Grand Haven proper. The boardwalk leads up the river to a lighted musical fountain, ice cream shops, and a pretty little town with some interesting stores and cafes.

Grand Haven pier, with its iconic red lighthouses, is a pretty walk. Teens perform back flips into the water and boats anchor along the edge to watch the sun set over the lake. The sunsets over Lake Michigan are stunning; sunrises over the lake, from the Illinois side, are just not the same to me.

We even saw a huge tanker come in off the lake and cruise up the river past the dwarfed yachts and sailboats. Grand Haven is beautiful.

Say hello to my parents, and the tanker Cuyahoga.

We devoured this blueberry coffee cake yesterday while pulling up stakes and stowing camping gear. My nephew Alex was the last one to stumble out of my sister's pop-up camper in the morning. When he took his first bite, he just said, "WOW." It was a good "wow". This is teen-approved food, from a teen who needs serious fuel.

I really want to skimboard like Alex does.

Then I took the fork out of his hand and told him to eat with his fingers, because I was doing the last of the dishes.

We headed out of the PJ Hoffmaster State Park and down to the beach for another day in the sun. None of us really wanted to leave on such a gorgeous day, but eventually we drove off for Ann Arbor and Chicago and Toledo. Today we're relaxing and slowly sweeping sand out of everything (really, EVERYTHING), and washing everything that smells like woodsmoke and bug spray. I really wish I'd made a second batch of this rich and moist cake for us to enjoy today. And by the way, I'm sunburned in places I didn't even know I could burn.

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 stick of butter (8 tbsp)
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tbsp flour

For the crumb topping

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
6 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x11" baking pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream; beat on low speed until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter, while beating, until just combined. The batter will be fairly thick.

Place the berries in a bowl and sprinkle with the 2 tbsp of flour (this will help them from falling to the bottom of the cake). Gently stir them into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out over the pan.

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Serves 6-8.

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Cheddar-Dill Biscuits

Last weekend a friend gave us four pounds (!!) of pickling cucumbers, so we picked up some fresh dill and canned six pints of kosher dill pickles. A little dill goes a long way - most of the bunch of dill was left over after canning. I made an avocado cream soup Monday night, stirred up some cheesy drop biscuits to go along with, and added some chopped dill to the biscuit recipe.

Man, I was glad I did. These seriously easy cheddar biscuits were fluffy and flavorful, and just as tasty the next day for breakfast. Usually I like a pat of butter on my biscuit halves, but these didn't even need it.

I'll be posting the avocado cream soup recipe next week - it was fabulous hot for dinner, and cold for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
5 tsp cold butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup sharp cheddar, grated
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/3 cup milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a cookie sheet.

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Stir the cheese, dill, sour cream, and milk into the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together well. Scoop 12 mounds of dough onto a baking sheet and bake until puffed and pale golden, about 15-18 minutes.


Makes 12 biscuits.

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Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Friends, I am a life-long lover of garlic bread, and I couldn't wait to make this cheesy garlic bread when I read it was like crack. I guess that means once you eat it you can't stop, and you want it again and again. In fact, I want a loaf in front of me right now and I'd lock the door and eat it all myself. Yes I would.

But I want to tell you a story about how I found this recipe. If you're really eager to get started on the bread (and who wouldn't, if it's described as "crack"?) skip on down to the Ingredients. Otherwise, gather round the campfire, kids. I'm still in wonder myself.

At the beginning of my senior year of high school, my mom, little sister, and I moved to Illinois from my hometown in Michigan. My parents were getting divorced and I was so miserable I thought I was going to die. I got a job at a Brown's Chicken and met a girl named Jan who became my best friend for several years. It means a lot when you make a friend during one of the worst times in your life; I had two, the other being my true-blue friend Michael. They helped to make my life decidedly less miserable, and Jan and I were practically inseparable until we got married and eventually lost track of each other.

Twenty-five years later (last week, actually), I was on Facebook and saw a friend's photo and a woman that looked familiar...with a familiar last name. I had found my friend from 1986!

Look, cheese-stuffed garlic bread on crack!

Later, while browsing Pinterest, which is where I spend my late-night time while Joe is studying Securities Stuff (it's an industry term), I found this stuffed cheesy bread recipe Jan had pinned from the site Food Wanderings in Asia. When the weather turned astonishingly cold the other day, I made this along with some split-pea soup. We ate half a loaf of bread in about 10 minutes.

Yes we did.

Ingredients

1 12-inch loaf of Italian bread
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
12 oz grated Muenster cheese (or whatever cheese you like best)
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp onion, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut diagonal slashes in the bread, nearly through to the bottom crust, then cut diagonals in the opposite direction to make X-shaped openings in the bread. Stretch the bread so that the cuts open up and you can stuff the bread.

Stir together the parsley, Muenster, and Parmesan, and stuff it into the cracks.

Melt together the butter and oil, then stir in the garlic, onion, and mustard. Drizzle evenly over the bread.

Wrap the bread in foil and bake it for 20-30 minutes, until it is crusty and the cheese is melted. We didn't bother cutting this into portions; we just pulled the bread apart to eat it.

Makes 1 loaf.

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Lemony Easter Basket Bread

My mom used to make this bread for Easter dinner nearly every year; I don't know who originally gave it to her. Just a bite of this flaky lemony yeast bread, slightly sweet, takes me back to those days.

The other tradition for Easter dinner was leg of lamb (we always called it "leggo lamb"), which was very confusing for a young Catholic girl. We'd go to Easter mass and sing about the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Then we'd go home and eat the lamb for dinner! We were eating Jesus!

The horror. I was definitely scarred for life.

We're past the Easter egg coloring stage in our house, and don't have any grandchildren yet, so we don't tuck colored eggs into the braid before cooking it. I think you get the idea without the eggs in the bread basket, don't you?

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp bottled dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1 3.4 oz (large) package lemon pudding
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

3 eggs, beaten

4 decorated hard boiled Easter eggs, if desired

1 tbsp water

1 egg, beaten

Nonpareil candies for decoration

Directions

Place the active dry yeast and sugar in a small bowl and stir in the warm water. Let sit 10 minutes, until the yeast begins to bubble. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the lemon pudding and salt. Add the butter, then pour hot milk over pudding mixture. Stir continuously until the butter melts and pudding dissolves. Allow it cool to lukewarm.

Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the flour and mix well. Stir the yeast and 3 beaten eggs; beat well. Gradually stir in the rest of flour. Turn out on lightly floured surface or kneading bowl, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Knead till smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise till double, about 1 hour.

This kneading bowl is easier for me to use than a floured surface.

Punch down; let rise again till almost double about 60 minutes. Turn out on lightly floured surface or kneading bowl and divide dough in half, then form each half into 3 balls. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Grease two pie pans or 9x2 round pans.

For each basket, roll each ball into an 18 inch ropes with your hands. Braid the three strands together, pinching together the ends then tucking them under as you coil the braid into each pan. If you're using Easter eggs, tuck the eggs in the loops of the braid. Let rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Brush the tops with egg, then sprinkle with nonpareils. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bread sounds somewhat hollow when rapped with a knuckle.

Makes two bread rings.

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Apple Butter Lattice Coffee Cake

I think this is the time of the year when cinnamon and apples and pastry fresh out of the oven tastes especially good. We made this lattice coffee cake with apple butter I canned this summer, and it was perfect for Christmas brunch. It's easy enough to make for any breakfast when you've got the time to sit down together and enjoy the morning.

The inspiration for this pastry came from Farm Bell Recipes, which is a fun site full of delicious cooking ideas.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp)
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups apple butter (we're partial to our Crock Pot Apple Butter recipe)

Powdered Sugar Frosting

1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk

Directions

Stir together dry ingredients. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut in cream cheese and butter until crumbly and beginning to stick together. Stir in the milk. With your hands, knead the dough. It will be a little dry, but if it is too dry to stick together, add a little more milk.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, and shape into a 12x8 rectangle. Place in a greased cookie sheet. Spread the apple butter down the middle of the dough, leaving at least 2 inches on the long sides and a 1 inch margin on the short sides.

Make diagonal

Criss-cross cut strips of dough over the top and pinch ends to seal. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes or till nicely browned on top.

Stir together powdered sugar and vanilla, then gradually add milk until the frosting is liquidy enough to drizzle. Using a fork, dribble the frosting back and forth across the warm bread.

Makes 1 loaf.

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Murbteig Pie Pastry

I have to admit that I've always hated making pie crust. Like other cooking chores, such as handling raw meat, Joe was the one willing to coddle along a pie crust so that it wasn't worked too hard (and became tough), or split and crumbled in all directions.

But then Joe started working tremendous hours in his small business, and my craving for quiches and pastys (if you don't know what this is, the recipe is coming up soon) went unfulfilled. Around that time, I discovered this easy German pastry recipe that makes a flaky, delicate, full-flavored crust. Even better, it will handle just about any amount of rolling and primping and re-forming without getting chewy and hard. It absorbs fruit juices without getting soggy.

I'm smitten. I can't find enough reasons to roll out this dough. I hope you like it, too.

The recipe makes enough pastry dough for a double-crust pie. You can easily cut this recipe in half for a cheesecake, quiche or tart. If you're using this pastry to make a fruit pie, it's traditional to add a few drops of lemon oil or 1/4 tsp lemon zest along with the eggs.

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter (do not substitute)
2 large eggs

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Chop the butter into small pieces and sprinkle it over the top. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, then mix them into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms a smooth pastry. Wrap it in parchment or waxed paper and it let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, so that it's easier to handle.

Cut the dough in half and roll each half out into a circle, or press it into a pie plate or springform pan with your fingers. Prick the bottom with a fork. Add any filling to the pan before adding the top crust and pinching together the edges.

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Swank Holiday Pumpkin Bars / Pumpkin Cupcakes

Thanks, Dakota Callaway, for taking this picture for me.

These pumpkin squares are a yearly tradition in Jessie's boyfriend's family. Kim Swank was kind enough to give me her recipe, which I think works equally well as bars or cupcakes. I'm a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, and this one is amazingly smooth and creamy.

I plan to pass on the recipe on to my parents this Thanksgiving. Each year, my parents grow dozens of pumpkins on their farm for the grandchildren, and can quarts of pumpkins for the family. They are going to love these cupcakes for the holidays!

Ingredients

Pumpkin Squares

1 cup oil
I 28-oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten

Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together all pumpkin squares ingredients. If you are planning to make pumpkin cupcakes, grease the cupcake tins or use paper baking cups. Divide the batter evenly between the cups. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If making pumpkin squares, grease a cookie sheet with sides and spread the batter in the cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool.

In an electric mixer, beat together all the frosting ingredients EXCEPT nutmeg and walnuts. The longer you beat it, the creamier it gets. Frost cake or cupcakes. Sprinkle the nutmeg and walnuts over the frosting. Cut into squares before serving.

Makes 12 cupcakes or 24 squares.

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Honey Whole Wheat Bread

When I was a kid, my mom and I used to bake bread together often, using the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. In fact, one summer we baked so much bread that I could see my arm muscles developing from the kneading. I bet we didn't buy a single loaf that year. These are wonderful memories for us.

Baking bread is much more fun if you have some friends to help you. Bread-baking takes time, but the dough-rising periods are great times to sit back with a cup of coffee or tea and have a good chat. This classic recipe comes from my friend Becky, who bakes every week.

One step in the process, towards the end, is where Becky rolled out the twice-risen dough with a rolling pin. She then began to roll up the dough jelly-roll style before putting it into the loaf pans. We asked her why she did it that way, and she said, "I don't know. That's just the way my mom taught me."

Later, when I sliced into my finished loaf, I found that the rolling pin pressed down the large air bubbles, and the resulting loaf had tiny, evenly-spaced bubbles and a hint of a spiral pattern towards the center of the loaf. Her mother is a wise woman.

Ingredients

3 cups warm water (110-112 degrees)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast from a jar
2/3 cup honey
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups white flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a mixing bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Stir in the wheat flour until well combined. Allow to rest for 30 minutes, until the mixture has large bubbles forming on the surface.

Stir in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups of the white flour. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and knead until the dough is sticky to touch and but does not stick to the flat surface, using the rest of the white flour as needed.

Grease a bowl that is at least twice as large as the volume of dough. Place the dough in the greased bowl, and then turn it over to coat the other side of the dough. Cover with a damp dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Sprinkle a flat surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out half of the dough into an 8x12 rectangle. Staring at one of the short ends, roll up the dough jelly-roll style, tucking in the sides occasionally, and pinching the end shut. Place it in a greased 8x4x2 loaf pan. Repeat with the other loaf.

Cover the loaves with a damp dishtowel and allow to rise until dough has doubled - about 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the towel and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Turn out of the pans and cool on a baking rack. For best results, slice it at room temperature.

Makes 2 hearty loaves.

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